Greg Held has been thinking about it since the start of the season — he just kept it in the back of his mind.

But now that the opportunity is getting ever closer, the thought of earning a third ACHA Championship ring in his fourth year with the No. 2 Penn State men's ice hockey team is weighing heavily on his mind.

"I'm thinking about it all the time," the senior forward said. "We're pretty proud of our accomplishments in being one of the only classes to have two rings, and I'm sure if we win a third one we're going to be even more excited, but right now we're focusing on just doing it. There will be time to be wowed afterwards."

Held and the rest of the Icers (24-4-2) start down the trail leading to the title when they meet their first-round opponent No. 10 Kent State (16-16-4) today at 9:30 EST at the University of Arizona, host of the tournament.

In Penn State history, the Icers have brought home the coveted Murdoch Cup on four occasions — in 1984, 1990, 1998 and 2000. But one monkey on the team's back is that they have never been able to win back-to-back championships.

The team has twice come close to successfully defending their title when Penn State made it to the finals in 1985 and, most recently, in 1999 when the Icers fell 6-4 to Iowa State.

But the team says this could be the year that ends that trend.

"I like our chances right now," senior forward Mike Blevins said. "We've proven this year that no matter how much we get down, we can bounce back. It just depends on how determined we are to win."

Determination has been the team's mantra this season. On at least seven occasions, the Icers have put their motto, "Champions find a way," into action by coming from behind to win. This includes a 2-1 win against Kent State in mid-November.

But if the Icers need more incentive to win than just a motto, Penn State seniors Held and Alon Eizenman have the added bonus of becoming the first team in Penn State history and the second in ACHA history to come away with three titles. Ohio's class of 1997 is the only other team with this distinction as the Bobcats earned three championships in so many years.

Blevins, who transferred in from SUNY-Canton for the 1999-2000 season, would have only two rings as he missed Penn State's championship the previous year.

Although winning another title is going to be a challenge for the three seniors, the numbers are certainly in their favor.

Eizenman and Held boast an overall record of 107-20-7 while Blevins' is slightly better than that. And each player is looking to add four more — starting with Kent State.

Although the Golden Flashes would like nothing more than to burst Penn State's bubble, they hold no illusions that it might be an easy task.

"Penn State is always one of the top teams in the country and this season is no different," Kent State coach Chris Wilk said. "They have been a very tough team all season and I expect an uphill battle for us (today)."

But if there's one thing that can even out that battle, it's Kent State goaltender Cameron Lee.

Several Penn State players have said Lee has been a source of frustration this season, most notably in the two teams' first meeting this season when Lee denied 42 of Penn State's 44 shots.

And the Icers are definitely wary of that this time around.

"All I keep reminding our guys of is that we only beat them 2-1," Icers coach Joe Battista said. "If he (Cameron Lee) plays the same way he did against us, he'll make life difficult."