My Opinion
No. 1 Icers succeeding despite pressures of being on top

They weren’t expecting it to be easy, but they’ve made it look that way.

When the members of the Penn State men’s ice hockey team hoisted the Murdoch Cup last year it was immediately emblazoned with a big, fat bull’s-eye. Every prize comes with a price. As the current champions of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, the Icers know every time they lace ‘em up, they’ll be facing a team that is focused to pierce that red target.

Penn State has stepped onto the ice 19 times this year. Eighteen times it has exited as the winner. The No. 1 Icers have responded when the opponent has called. The only blemish on their 18-1-0 record came to No. 3 Michigan-Dearborn -- a team that has tormented the Icers, winning four of the last six meetings.

Opposing teams are sure to mark an asterisk beside Penn State on their schedules. Each game, Penn State is primed to play 60 minutes of high-caliber hockey. And game after game, the Icers bulldoze their way through those opposing teams, leaving another squad with unfulfilled hopes in their wake of destruction.

Exhibit A: On a recent road trip, the Icers faced a pair of games at No. 5 Arizona. Nestled in the desert and isolated from many teams, the Icecats wanted to show the rest of the ACHA they were for real. Compound that with Arizona's first test against a top-10 team in a crowded, hostile arena of 7,000-plus, and it had all the ingredients for a Penn State letdown.

With top goaltender John Sixt in the hospital hooked to an I.V. due to an allergic reaction to horsehair, a split in the warm Arizona sun wasn't looking so bad.

But the Icers didn't melt.

Instead they cooked the ‘Cats 6-2 and 3-2, as backup netminder Anthony Annexy filled in admirably. He has done it all year. Anytime Sixt goes down, the 5-foot-4 sparkplug goes between the pipes and slams the door on the opponent.

Exhibit B: This past weekend the Icers hosted No. 11 West Virginia, a team sitting on the outside bubble of the ACHA Tournament. With a win or at least a tie, the Mountaineers would have strengthened their case for a tournament berth.

West Virginia stated its case all right: it didn't belong on the same ice as Penn State. Penn State's tough goaltending and stingy defense stymied one of the most prolific offenses in the ACHA.

True, the Icers may have been the benefactors of an inexperienced and exhausted West Virginia team, but the 9-4 and 11-1 final scores were evidence enough that Penn State is on a roll. Ten of its 18 wins have been decided by four goals or more.

How have the Icers withstood the pressure of being defending champions? Coach Joe Battista attributes it to three factors: 1) balance, 2) chemistry and 3) experience.

From the top line to the bottom, Penn State gets scoring from everyone in a blue-and-white sweater. Each skater chips in, and the parts are interchangeable. Battista can plug in a different guy anytime and expect similar play.

Chemistry, whether it is on the power play, penalty kill or at even strength, is perhaps Penn State's best asset. The Icers carry the puck out of the defensive zone with assurance. They get phenomenal puck support. Defensively, it seems there's always a body on a body.

And Penn State has harvested the fruit of experience. Seniors like captain Buff Shuttleworth, Ed Bursich, Jason Zivkovic, Don Coyne and others provide leadership on the ice and in the locker room.

Battista wants to put his team in the best possible position to repeat as champs. A No. 1 ranking at the conclusion of the regular season would secure his wish. And with the ACHA Tournament only a month and a half down the road, the Icers own the inside track to that No. 1 seed.

Thus far, they have been nearly flawless in defending their trophy -- in the regular season. You can only wonder if that extraordinary effort ultimately burns out the Icers when it counts -- in the ACHA Tournament.