Who cares about a 19-3-2 record overall and a 17-2-2 record in the conference.
So what about two regular-season tournament victories.
And no one gives a hoot about a stunning 6-5 overtime comeback against the No. 1 team in the league just last weekend.
As far as the No. 2 Penn State men's ice hockey team is concerned, all that other stuff means nothing if it can't pull out two wins this weekend when the team takes on No. 9 Delaware (13-10) today at 9 p.m. and tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. at the Ice Pavilion. Not only is it Alumni Weekend, but it is also the weekend before the final ACHA rankings come out and the Icers would love to pull out a couple victories to seal up one of the top two positions.
"All the things we've been able to accomplish this season will all be for not if we don't play our kind of hockey against Delaware," Penn State coach Joe Battista said. "If we can win both games this weekend, we should have a shot at the first seed overall in the (ACHA) tournament. If not, it becomes, 'what have you done for me lately.' "
After starting the season ranked No. 1, the Icers dropped to No. 2 in early December after losing twice to Eastern Michigan — now ranked atop the ACHA. Since then, the Icers have been battling to regain that top position and the team feels confident that two wins this weekend will be the boost it needs.
Not only could it put Penn State at No. 1 in the conference, it could, as Battista said, earn the Icers the top seed in ACHA tournament, which starts at the end of February.
"That top seed means everything to us right now," defenseman Scott Curry said. "We all know how important it is and it's what we've been fighting for all season."
But Delaware has been fighting for something different this season — respect.
After a reasonably solid start to the 2000-01 campaign, the Blue Hens were hit with a rash of harsh losses, starting in early January with a 4-3 overtime loss to Michigan Dearborn and ending with a face-saving 6-2 win against Navy in the consolation game of the Nittany Lion Invitational three weeks later.
In between, Delaware suffered embarrassing losses to Arizona, West Chester and another to Michigan Dearborn, en route to a five-game losing streak and a disappointing 10-10 record nearly two-thirds of the way through the season.
But if there's one thing that can negate the Blue Hens' streak of bad luck, it's a win or two this weekend, and the Icers are well aware of that.
"It would make their season if they can come in here and steal a game from us," defenseman Josh Mandel said. "Even a tie would be a moral victory for them. They're always ready to play us and we have to be even more ready for them."
Last year, Delaware showed the Icers what happens if they're not ready to play. After Penn State tromped the Blue Hens 6-1 the first night of the two-game series, Delaware rebounded in the second game and came away with a 3-2 win and a huge moral triumph for the team.
Should that scenario play out again this weekend, it could give the Blue Hens the boost they need to go to the ACHA tournament.
But last weekend's comeback in Michigan provided a coming of age of sorts for this year's team, giving the younger players some experience, the older players some rest and the whole team some solidification.
And despite how much Battista is frightened by the Blue Hens and their inevitable need to play spoiler for the Icers, he said he is now more confident in his team seeing how well they deal with adversity.
"I think last weekend was the first time this season that we really felt like a team," Mandel said. "Every team has it's own niche and I think we've finally found ours. I think the games last weekend helped us finally realize what it takes to win a national championship."
