If a four-week layoff did not stop the ACHA Div. I Icers last weekend, it does not look good for this weekend' opponent -- the No. 20 West Virginia Mountaineers.

The No. 1 Icers (15-1-1) will host the Mountaineers (12-9-1) tonight at 9 and tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

On paper, this weekend's contests appear to be a mismatch, but the Icers know they can not take the Mountaineers lightly, after two tough contests in Arizona.

"We came off two tough games (last weekend) and now face a team having an up and down year," Icers coach Joe Battista said. "Our guys have to stay focused."

The Icers do not want to suffer another upset loss as they did earlier in the season against Indiana.

In order to avoid overlooking the game, Battista has put his team through a tougher week of practice than usual.

"I have chosen to work the guys harder this week," Battista said. "We have to get our timing back."

A little extra preparation is also on the menu for our ranked neighbors from Morgantown.

"We are putting in a little extra hard work this week," Mountaineers general manager Dean Lakios said. "We know what to expect from a No. 1 Penn State team and we look forward to playing them every year."

However, the numbers do not show the Mountaineers like sharing the ice with the Icers. They have not scored a goal in their last three games against the Icers and post a 0-21-1 record all time against Penn State.

However, if they are going to catch a break, this could be the weekend against an Icer team, which was noticeably rusty last weekend against No. 12 Arizona. This week in practice they have been going back to basic offensive and defensive drills.

One area Battista emphasized at the Wednesday workout was the penalty kill, although some might wonder why.

In their last six contests the Icers have successfully killed off 46 of 48 penalties, which Battista described as insane. However, the real question might be why and how can the Icers take so many penalties and not be hurt on the scoreboard.

"It would be easy to say the referees are picking on us," Battista said. "We play an aggressive and physical style hockey and take our share of penalties." (Battista himself was guilty of taking a penalty last weekend against Arizona, only his third in 20 years.)

Taking advantage of the power play might be the Mountaineers only chance to compete on a level with the Icers, which they are capable of doing.

Senior team captain George Griffith is tied for first in the ACHA in assists. Sophomore Dan Collins (2.25) and Griffith (2.08) are third and second, respectively, in points per game.

"They are both excellent players, who know how to get the scoring done," Lakios said.

However, scoring could be a problem for the Mountaineers this weekend. The team will be missing four of its starters due to disciplinary reasons.

Playing without key personnel is something the Icers have had to deal with all season. The Icers have lost a number of players due to injuries who all appear to be back and healthy for the second half.

Having almost his entire roster available makes it easier for Battista to rest some guys down the stretch in preparations for the national tournament at the end of February.

One position the Icers have not been affected by the injury bug is goaltender. Scott Graham saw all of the ice time last weekend, and played phenomenally according to Battista. Graham is one of three who might play Saturday along with Jordan Synkowski, (who has not seen action yet this year) and Geoff Beauparlant, who will start Friday.

Thus far, it has not mattered who is in net as the Icers have dominated their opponents week in and week out. West Virginia could prove to be no exception.