The Penn State Ice Lions saved the best for last.

They destroyed the Mountaineers of West Virginia 17-0 on Friday night, and then pulled off an upset victory over playoff-bound IUP by winning 3-2 Saturday night. The Lions played inspired ice hockey in both games and they refused to be denied as they made outstanding efforts on offense and defense.

On Friday night, the Ice Lions ripped through the Mountaineer's defense the entire game as they racked up a shocking 17 goals.

Penn State goaltender David Levine stopped all of West Virginia's shots in posting his first shut-out of the season.

"It was great to have it, and the three solid practices in a row really helped," Levine said.

Sophomore forward Ralph Stoehr led the scoring spree with four goals and two assists as 14 different Ice Lions combined for a goal or an assist in the game. The Ice Lions remained modest after the victory, and they quickly switched their focus to the Saturday night showdown with IUP.

It was the Ice Lions who stunned the Indians Saturday night. The Ice Lions broke through with less than five minutes remaining in the first period when freshman forward Pat McCullough scored off of Doug Marsteller's assist to put the Lions up 1-0.

Two Ice Lion defenseman combined for a pivotal goal with 33 seconds remaining in the first period when senior Jason Smith scored off of Tom Cawthern's pass to put the Lions up 2-0.

"It felt great. I saw a chance, and I just turned around and shot," Smith said. "I didn't even see where it went, and next thing I knew we had scored."

The Lions continued to pressure IUP with forechecking that opened up scoring opportunities in the second period. The Ice Lions capitalized on the powerplay when senior forward Jake Wolfe scored with a blazing wrist shot off of assists by fellow lineman J.T. D'Allessandro and Ralph Stoehr.

Ice Lion goaltender Brian Gratz kept the shutout alive into the final period with 21 saves.

The Indians fought back five minutes into the final period. They were able to push the puck past an extended Gratz to cut the Ice Lion lead to 3-1. Less than a minute later, IUP forward Ethan Blough scored to make it a one-goal game.

In the waning moments, the Indians had a breakaway shot, but Gratz made yet another save to preserve the lead.

With nine seconds left in the game, IUP pulled its goalie and went on the powerplay for a six on four advantage. The Indians never got a shot off as the Ice Lion defense prevailed to give them the 3-2 victory.

"This is the sweetest victory this season," Gratz said. "As soon as the rankings came out we had these guys labeled, and I'm glad our team came together to send our senior guys out like this."

The Ice Lions played their best game all season in their last home game by defeating the national tournament bound Indians. The way the Lions played was a reflection of the talent they have and the potential the young team possesses.

"This is most fun I've had all year," Ice Lions coach Mo Stroemel said.

The Ice Lions will play on the road at Marist and Albany State next weekend.