The No. 1 Penn State men's ice hockey team may soon be facing the fall.

The Icers knew before the start of the season the toughest part of their schedule would start in January. They knew that last weekend's Nittany Lion Invitational would be the talk of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) because of their matchup with No. 2 Iowa State. They knew they had the momentum, all they had to do was use it.

But they couldn't.

It's a shame, too. The Icers worked so hard to gather the momentum they had.

Penn State coach Joe Battista wasn't expecting nearly the success the team had in Arizona earlier this month. After a three-week layoff for Christmas, he was not expecting the overwhelming 5-2 win against Arizona State and the 6-2 and 3-2 victories against Arizona.

Thus, Penn State began building momentum.

Two weekends ago, the Icers throttled No. 11 West Virginia by scores of 9-4 and 11-1, blowout scores which also were unexpected.

The ball of momentum was growing, but then it shifted slightly.

Penn State's momentum took a bit of a hit last Friday when what should have been an easy victory against Erie College turned into a three-period struggle.

And the next day when Penn State lost at home to Iowa State in the championship of the Nittany Lion Invitational, the ball stopped altogether.

The loss will have dastardly effects on Penn State's momentum and undisputed first-place ranking.

So now starts the damage control.

Of course there is immense pressure on a first-place team to succeed. The pressure greatly increases when the team is riding a 10-game winning streak and 1,311 fans turn out to see it go to 11 and 12. But the Icers proved last year in the national championship game that they could deal with that pressure, and they wanted to prove it again.

The Icers admitted their performance was way less than acceptable in the loss, but now that it's in the record books, Penn State has to do its best to bury it in the past. That can start with success on the road this weekend.

Penn State will clash with No. 3 Michigan Dearborn and No. 10 Eastern Michigan this weekend. The fact that the ACHA poll comes out every other week may work to Penn State's advantage. If the Icers can pick up two wins, they can dodge a bullet by only dropping a few votes instead of a few slots.

Iowa State, meanwhile, will try to oust Penn State from the top seat when it hits the road to play two games against Illinois. The Cyclones dropped two games earlier in the season to the Fighting Illini in Iowa. Another loss or two would be a blessing for Penn State.

But even if conditions are favorable for the Icers, their national title is now in serious jeopardy. Opponents have seen their weaknesses and the team now has to work until those weaknesses no longer exist.

Packing the schedule can be hazardous, and whether or not the Icers can successfully defend the title will depend upon their performance over the next few weeks.

Last year the team won a national championship because of its ability to build momentum and keep going despite a tough schedule.

Now the Icers need a repeat performance.