Despite what the weatherman says, there may be a blizzard Saturday night at the Greenberg Sports Complex as Ice and Freeze collide in a matchup where everything is pointing towards a physical no love-loss war.

In a prime time Saturday showdown on the ice at 10:15 p.m., the Penn State Lady Icers know they're in for a bruising 45 minutes when they go head-to-head with the University at Buffalo Freeze.

"We expect a physical game, chock full of elbows and cheap shots," assistant captain Lauren Shaw said. "We are looking forward to it."

Coming off an impressive 2-1 road trip in Michigan earlier in the month, the Penn State Lady Icers (8-3) will look to continue their winning ways when they hit their home ice for the first time in 28 days. Thirteen days after its 7-3 drilling of Michigan State, Penn State will try to capture its competitive fire once more in this up-and-down season.

"We have to remain confident after a long sabbatical from competition," Shaw said. "Buffalo is in our national league and it is important to beat a team in the strong central division. We do not want to leave for Christmas with a loss under our belt."

Any time a team takes a substantial amount of time away from the game, it can always be a disadvantage. But this Lady Icer team is chomping at the bit to get back on the ice, as adrenaline has been boiling in high-spirited practices throughout the week.

"I don't think this break has affected us," freshman Kristen Reed said. "Our drylands have been pretty intense and we've been attempting to be as focused as possible."

Forward Alex McVicker echoed Reed's sentiments.

"We've been working hard," McVicker said. "Everyone's trying to push themselves to do the best we can."

Buffalo (3-6-1) plays a physical style of hockey and have been labeled as a dirty squad.

"Buffalo is like macaroni and cheese," Shaw said. "They're all elbows."

Penn State and Buffalo are no strangers to one another, as the two have met numerous times in the past including two meetings last year resulting in a pair of Penn State victories.

The regional foes have formed somewhat of a bad blood throughout the years, and Saturday's matchup could turn into a good old-fashioned hockey brawl.

"I don't know if you'd call it a rivalry," McVicker said.

"They're just a real physical team and they fire us up. I don't know why we want to go after them, but we do."

Reed added, "Buffalo's a pretty physical team. Which we all will enjoy." Throw into the mix a rowdy, night-game crowd and the fact that Penn State has been away from their home ice for quite a while and Saturday's showdown just may live up to be a classic.