Friday, March 6, 1998
Icers bury EMU; Iowa St. up next
By TOM COOPERCollegian Sports Writer
On Jan. 31, the Penn State men's ice hockey team traveled to Michigan
to cement its status as the then No. 1 team in the ACHA.
But a 7-3 loss to the Eastern Michigan Eagles forced the Icers
out of the top spot.
Yesterday, over a month after that loss, the Icers exacted some revenge and continued their winning ways by grounding the Eagles 9-4 in their second round-robin game of the ACHA National Tournament.
Icer forward Jeff Adams lets a shot fly in a Feb. 21 match against Erie at the ice pavilion. The team defeated Eastern Michigan yesterday, 9-4, in the second round-robin game of the ACHA National Tournament. Penn State will move on to the championship game with a win over Iowa State tonight. (Collegian Photo/Michael L. Palmieri - click for full size image)
Forwards Alon Eizenman and Jeff Adams picked up two goals and
both Ed Bursich and Mike Pietrangelo, contributed with a goal
and an assist.
The Icers had a 3-0 advantage after the first period when Eastern
Michigan came out of the locker room and added two more tallies
to cut the deficit to a goal. But the Icers roared back by scoring
five goals, four of those coming in a four-minute span, to put
the game away.
The Icers' offensive explosion has given Pietrangelo the tournament's
scoring lead with eight points, while Adams and Bursich are tied
for second with seven. The sudden burst in Iowa has come as a
pleasant surprise for the coaching staff.
"We've had trouble scoring goals," Battista said. "But
we've put it together today and yesterday."
Everything has been clicking for the Icers, including the defense.
The unit surrendered 17 shots against Eastern Michigan, 13 of
which were stopped by Icer goaltender John Sixt.
The win keeps the Icers' record perfect, setting up a game tonight
with host Iowa State to see who moves on to Saturday night's championship
game. The Icers beat the Cyclones 4-3 in an overtime game on Nov.
29 to win the Chicago Classic.
Going into the game, every Icer on the roster is healthy, something
that is a new experience for Battista.
"This is the first time in five years we're going into the
semi-final game without anyone injured," Battista said.
The Icers are a team on a mission after the win yesterday and
the 10-3 victory over Arizona on Wednesday. For the team, the
ultimate goal is blatantly apparent.
"We're playing with a real quiet confidence," Battista
said, "and right now, we know what we have to do."
And what they have to do is win the national title, and nothing
less.
"We have our destiny in our own hands now and we know what we have to do," Battista said. "We're tired of finishing third."
