It was just like any other assist, only this one meant more -- 100 times more.

In the ACHA Div. I Icers victory this past Saturday, the 205-pound defenseman Josh Mandel notched career point number 100.

"It was special to get the point," Mandel said.

It was not the point itself that made it special, but rather when he got it.

In a tough battle, the No. 1 Icers were leading the No. 5 Cyclones all the way, but had just seen their 3-1 lead erode to 3-2.

At 14:28 into the third period, Dustin Martin and Mandel both assisted to get the puck onto the tape of forward Bill Downey's stick. He took care of the rest, roofing a shot into the top right corner, giving Mandel the point.

The Icers would go on to win the game 5-2, in one of their toughest contests of the year.

What has made this Clark, N.J. native's career even tougher in his three seasons, has been the injury bug, which culminated in breaking his ankle at the Big Ten Tournament over Thanksgiving. The second such injury of his career only inspired him to work harder.

"Going into the season I pride myself on getting in good shape. I know the level I can play at, and if I dip below that, it is not going to be good enough for me," Mandel said. "I know if I want to get to the level I want to be at, I have to kill myself."

That is exactly what he did over the break, determined to return for the first game of the semester.

"I go to the weight room and do all the extra stuff," Mandel said. "Over break I worked out really hard."

All of his hard work paid off as he returned to the lineup Jan. 4th, giving the Icers a much-needed boost.

"Every team has to have a quarterback out there and he (Mandel) is our guy on defense," head coach Joe Battista said. "He makes things happen offensively and still plays great defense too."

Not only does he play great on the ice, but he has become a real leader off the ice as well.

"Having Mandel, with his personality and his team play, really helps us out a lot," freshman forward Kevin Jaeger said. "He (Mandel) keeps you focused and makes you want to win."

Winning seems to be second nature for Mandel, who, since joining the Icers at the beginning of the 1999-2000 season, has seen his team go a remarkable 73-12-4, including two straight national championships, with the good possibility of a three-peat this season.

"No Penn State team has won three in a row, and obviously never four," Mandel said. "With the group of guys we have anything is possible."

If you are looking for personal accolades, Mandel has those as well. The two-time All-American has a chance to pass his own coach in the Icers scoring records.

The junior still has plenty of time left at Penn State, and has the opportunity to go into the record books as one of the best Icer players ever. Two more national championship trophies and All-American accomplishments can only add to the luster.