Finishing strong is what it is all about.

You must finish strong in order to make a run deep into the postseason.

The ACHA Div. I Icers begin their stretch run this weekend, as they host the 22nd annual Nittany Lion Invitational.

The No. 1 Icers (17-1-1) will host No. 15 St. Louis tonight at 8 at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion. The first contest at 5 will feature No. 4 Iowa St. (20-6-3) and No. 18 West Chester (8-10-1). The title game will be tomorrow night at 8, following the consolation game at 5.

"I am looking forward to the tournament," defenseman and assistant captain Brandon Cook said. "A lot of our families will be down for it."

If the Icers play the way they did last weekend, outscoring No. 20 West Virginia in two games 21-1, their families will have a lot to smile about.

However, head coach Joe Battista knows his team better be ready to go tonight, even if they are not well prepared.

"We know very little about St. Louis," he said. "We can not take them for granted. If we do not play 60 minutes, then we are setting ourselves up for disappointment."

Disappointment is something rarely felt by the Icers at their annual tournament, winning it 11 of 15 times under Battista.

"We have had a lot of success in the tournament," Battista said. "They are always good games."

Evidence of this was West Chester's shocking upset of current No. 2 Delaware at last season's tournament.

The Icers want to avoid an early upset, hoping to face powerhouse Iowa State tomorrow.

"Iowa State is one of our rivals," Cook said.

"It should be a really good game against them."

In the past these two teams have always played tough games, dating back to 1990 when the Icers defeated the Cyclones for their second ACHA national championship.

However, the Cyclones would get their revenge in the 1997 national semifinal game, defeating the Icers, and again two years later in the finals to capture a championship of their own.

The two teams most recently met two years ago in Ames, Iowa, with each team coming away with a victory.

Victory is not going to come easily for the Icers this weekend, as they are battling the injury bug and tough opponents. Six key players missed practice time this week, including Battista, who needed four stitches after being injured in a charity hockey game last Sunday.

However, the coach knows this is not the time of the season for his team to make excuses.

"This is our toughest part of the year," he said.

"It is a good time to play this caliber to prepare for nationals."

Tonight will mark the first of eight straight games against top 18 competition, including No. 2 Delaware twice, No. 3 Eastern Michigan and No. 10 Michigan Dearborn on the road.