The Penn State Ice Lions will play their last two home games of the season when they host the Mountaineers of West Virginia tonight at 9:15 and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indians tomorrow night at 10:10 in the Greensberg Sports Complex.

The Ice Lions (6-12-2) are looking to snap a five-game losing skid that began on Jan. 6.

The weekend doubleheader marks the second time this season that the Ice Lions have faced each team. Penn State whipped the Mountaineers by a score of 8-4 on Nov. 4th, but they were torched 9-3 by the Indians on Oct. 29th.

IUP is ranked fifth in the ACHA Division II Southeastern Conference, and they have already qualified for the National Championship Tournament at the end of the season in Indianapolis. The Ice Lions are intent on not looking past West Virginia before the showdown with the Indians on Saturday night.

"We have to come out and play hard against them," Ice Lion assistant captain and defenseman Jason Mals said. "It's a game we can't overlook."

IUP has been on a rampage over the past few weeks, and they concluded their run for a playoff birth when they edged Findlay 6-5 last Saturday. That win propelled the Indians past Findlay in the rankings and into the tournament.

"I'm glad they're going to the national tournament," Ice Lion's head coach Mo Stroemel said. "They earned their spot, and they did what they had to do down the line."

Although the Ice Lions have a certain degree of respect for their interstate rival, they refuse to be a doormat for the playoff bound Indians.

"We want to end on a high note, and stealing one from IUP would definitely culminate the season," Ice Lion goaltender Brian Gratz said.

The Ice Lions have been working on their forechecking and defensive zone coverage in preparation for this weekend. The Indians do not have any players ranked in the league's top 25 for scoring, but they are solid all around which has proven to be a great strength in that opposing teams cannot key on one individual player.

On defense, the Indians are led by freshman goaltender Adam Curry, who is ranked eighth in the league among goalies with a save percentage of .897. The Lions have a strategy they think will work against the Indians.

"We are not going to key on anyone," Stroemel said. "We are going to play our game, and try to force them out of their game with a specific kind of forechecking."

The Ice Lions know they must be at the top of their game in order to come on top in both battles.

"We definitely have to play within ourselves, and we need a full effort from our three lines," Mals said.

"Essentially our guys think they can beat IUP," Stroemel said. "Obviously, we'd like to win."