They will go only as far as their defense takes them.

Coming off a third-place finish at the ACHA National Championship Tournament last year, the Penn State Lady Icers have made winning the ACHA Championship their goal this year. To do so, the team has placed its focus on defense. The defensive focus will also help to compensate for the loss of the team's leading scorer, Andrea Lavelle, who graduated in the spring.

Lavelle not only led the team in scoring last year, but was the 2001-2002 ACHA Women's Division Player of the Year and the 2002 ACHA Women's National Tournament MVP. Replacing a player who was accustomed to scoring five points a game is virtually impossible, said Penn State Lady Icers coach Jeremy Sharpe.

As a result, Sharpe and assistant coach Derek Arledge have placed the team's top priority on playing a defensive style of hockey.

"We really have to tighten up defensively and keep our shots on goal down," Sharpe said.

Sharpe wants the team to limit opponents to 15 shots on goal or fewer, saying that back-checking and keeping the puck out of their own zone will be paramount.

The Lady Icers are looking to work hard on conditioning and strength training during the week. Their goal is to wear down opponents during the first two periods of games and use their endurance to their advantage in the third period.

Senior Jennifer McDevitt and freshman Tara Wheeler are still battling fiercely during practice for the starting goaltending position. Sharpe says that the team would be fine with either goaltender, and his decision on who to start could change on a weekly basis.

"We have a very positive goalie situation," Sharpe said. "They are both outstanding goaltenders."

McDevitt, who just started playing goalie for the first time halfway through last season, says that the competition is good-spirited and pushes both her and Wheeler to compete intensely during every practice.

"It's a friendly battle, but it's lighting a fire under me," McDevitt said.

With the loss of Lavelle and the team's goals based around winning the ACHA Championship in March, the Lady Icers will look to multiple players to provide the leadership necessary for a championship caliber team. This starts with sophomore captain Katie King, who Sharpe and Arledge say is effective in leading by example.

"She uses few words," Arledge said. "But when she does speak, the whole team listens."

While King leads by example, McDevitt, who is in her third and final season as a member of the Lady Icers, usually offers the words that the team needs to hear to get fired up. McDevitt says that she is playing with an extra passion this year, and wants to do whatever is necessary to ensure that her final season is a successful one.

"I'm typically the first to voice my opinion if something needs to be said," McDevitt said.

Although the team is young, with a group of seven sophomores, Sharpe says that youth is not a major concern for the Lady Icers. The team's first line features seniors Lauren Shaw and Kate Specchio as well as junior Faryn Shapiro. Sharpe looks for balance from the second line of Becky Holmes, Katie King and Alex McVicker, who are all sophomores.

"That group of freshmen came in mature last year and matured more as the season progressed," Sharpe said.

The arrival of three incoming freshmen makes 10 of the 16 Lady Icers in either their first or second year of collegiate ice hockey. Sharpe, however, has confidence in his young team, saying that the intangibles will make up for the youth.

"The heart of this team is unreal," Sharpe said. "They're willing to do whatever it takes to win."