The ACHA DI Icers will take the ice tonight at 9 at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion with an unfamiliar blemish on their record.

The No. 1 Icers (10-1-1) suffered their first slipup of the season last weekend against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament at Indianapolis.

"We got caught with our britches down," head coach Joe Battista said. "It was a great win for Indiana but a bad day for us."

Battista knows the Indiana game has to be put behind his team.

"Do not dwell on it, but do not forget it," Battista told his team. "Use it as a motivator. It happens to Nebraska (in college football) and North Carolina (in college basketball), it can happen to Penn State in hockey. We need to get past that."

Moving on should not be overly difficult considering No. 3 Eastern Michigan with their 15-1-1 record are prepared to take on the Icers this weekend, in one of the better rivalries these two teams have.

"We have had success of late (against the Icers) and we hope to continue it," Eagles General Manager Doug Waack said. "Hopefully we can steal one (victory) and maybe get lucky and sweep."

The way the Eagles have handled the Icers in Happy Valley lately suggests that it may be the Icers who need some luck on their side this weekend. The Eagles come in posting a 3-0-1 record at the Ice Pavilion the last two years, including a sweep last season. If last year was any indication both teams know these will be two tough battles.

"This is a great match-up at this time," Battista said. "It will be intense, emotional and physical."

The Icers may be fortunate to have back some important pieces of their puzzle, which have been missing the last couple of weeks. Battista expects to have back both forward Jack Weber and defenseman Curtiss Patrick from injuries. Robert Pate will also return to the lineup after missing the last four games to attend personal business.

"We are going to be in better shape than in the past two weeks," Battista said. "We are not going to be 100 percent."

Josh Mandel is expected to be out for the rest of the semester with a broken ankle, making Patrick's return all the more important against a very talented and confident Eagles team.

"We were starting to think these guys (Icers) were untouchable," said Eagles head coach Paul Fassbender. "(Their loss) gives us confidence. We are confident we can score a few goals if we need to."

If this game needed any more spice than it already has, it looks like it will get it. It is expected that this weekend will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, when the new rankings are released on Friday.

"I would not be surprised to see Eastern Michigan in the No. 2 spot," said Waack.

The teams will know before game time if it is a top two showdown, but some feel the Icers reign atop the rankings should be ending.

"Some people think we should be No. 5 or No. 6," Battista said. "That cracks me up."

Thanks to their wins against current top 12 teams, Delaware(2), Illinois(5), Ohio(7), Kent State(8), Towson(9), and No. 12 Michigan Dearborn the top spot is the Icers for the keeping. However, another slip this weekend could propel Eastern Michigan above the Icers in the polls, resulting in a new No. 1, something the Icers are not going to allow to happen without a fight.