The locker room hallway was virtually empty, lacking the usual clamor following a win.

Every few minutes several players would emerge, heads down, bags slung over their shoulders, looking weary.

Some stopped to talk to the trainer for bags of ice, and others just to talk.

But each of the four smiled.

Following a 7-3 win over West Chester at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion on Jan. 8, the four Penn State ACHA Div. I Icers going to Tarvisio, Italy, to compete as members of Team USA in the 2003 Winter World University Games stopped and smiled at the mention of the upcoming journey.

Senior defenseman Josh Mandel, senior center Neal Price, junior forward Bill Downey and junior defenseman Curtiss Patrick will all be leaving the ACHA for the international ice for the next two weeks, taking on some of the best teams from around the world.

The task ahead of them is a tall one. Along with 18 other teammates from ACHA Div. I programs, the team must fight through questions about chemistry, about preparedness, and through the memory of the 2001 Games in Poland, where the United States finished a disappointing 1-3.

Mandel, a member of the 2001 squad and captain of this year's edition, said the team in Poland fell victim to a myriad of problems.

Part of the reason that team finished so poorly, Mandel said, was the lack of preparation and team chemistry. The roster body was selected from a piece of paper at the last minute and was completely unprepared for the competition.

"In the end, we got to party a little bit, and during that party time we came together as a team," Mandel said. "If we'd have played the tournament after that we would've done much better."

To remedy the situation this year, there was an 88-player tryout in Ames, Iowa, this summer. Following the selection of the 22-man roster body, the team held a three-day training camp in Illinois this December to prepare. The players say the team chemistry this time is much less volatile.

"The other teams have actually been playing together probably for the entire year," Mandel said, "but I've never seen a team come together so quickly like [ours] did in Illinois."

Coming together is an interesting idea for the many members of the ACHA, who are in the midst of a very competitive season that will be waiting for them when they come home. Although, they compete against each other here, they say they'll be looking out for each other overseas.

"The guys on the team are the guys we actually hate to play against," Price said, "but whenever we were playing up in Illinois at the training camp [we realized] they're cool and they're fun to hang out with."

The off-ice togetherness is but a mere portion of a successful team, however, and it will take much more than friends to take on some of the top teams in the world. This fact was hammered into the players' heads following a Czech Republic practice. "We saw the Czech Republic skating, and the guys looked at each other like 'what did we get ourselves into?' " Mandel said. "I think we'll play really well, [but we've got to make] sure the guys aren't in awe of the other teams. You respect them, but you don't fear them."

Patrick had similar things to say about the dissimilarities between viewing video of the other squads and actually skating in a game.

"The first couple shifts are going to be overwhelming," Patrick said. "You just can't be in awe of the other teams."

If nothing else, the international competition might serve as a learning experience and educational tool for the squad. Downey said he was eager to attack the game and take on all comers.

"When you're playing against the best, you see where you stand," Downey said. "It gives you a different outlook on the game, and you can see what other people have to offer."