Ice hockey is a team sport. That might seem obvious. However, many people take that concept for granted.
It is hard for many spectators to watch a game and appreciate the defensive aspect and, more specifically, the defensive players.
In the eyes of many, a team of 30-plus players dwindles down to two: the player with the most goals and the goalie.
It is true that goals decide games, so the players who score the goals deserve to get half of the attention. However, many seem to forget that there is a yin to the yang of scoring goals, and that is preventing them. The Div. II Penn State Ice Lions are no different than any other team, except for the fact that the defensive core refuses to be overlooked.
"This is, without a doubt, the best defense we've ever had," Penn State Ice Lions coach Mo Stroemel said. "If we keep our defensive core together, we're set for the next three or four years."
It is easy to assume that the responsibility of preventing goals falls directly on the shoulders of the goaltender, although, one would only have to listen to the Penn State goalie and Div. II goals against average leader Brian Gratz to realize that there are a few more variables to plug into that equation.
His praise for the defensemen is proof enough that defense contributes strongly to the success of the team.
"This team's defensive core is the best I have played with in a very long time, definitely one of the top defenses in the league," Gratz said.
Although all of the defensemen have worked together to form a strong, cohesive unit, a few members of the "D" have earned special distinctions.
Junior blue-liner Jordan Katz is the plus/minus leader of all of the Ice Lions' defensemen with a +23. Plus/minus ratings are the goals scored during the time a player is on the ice. For example, while Katz was on the ice, 23 more goals were scored for the Ice Lions than against the team.
"It just has to do with the fact that we're not letting in any goals during the game," Katz said. "When I'm on the ice, we're scoring goals, we're not letting goals in, so obviously everyone is going to have a plus."
The Pittsburgh native also leads the defensemen in goals with four, including the game-winner against No. 3 Stony Brook University.
"Two of the goals came against Temple, so that's not too much to brag about," Katz said.
However, Stroemel was not so quick to dismiss that stat.
"He has some offensive skills," Stroemel said. "He is a little more of an offensive kind of defenseman."
Fellow defenseman Jason Rusnic also has an offensive streak in him, as he leads the defensemen in assists, with 18, and points, with 20. The sophomore is quick to attribute his success to the power-play unit.
"The success of our first power-play unit ... that is where I am getting most of my points from," Rusnic said.
The Ice Lions have great depth in their defense, ranging from offensive-minded defensemen Katz and Rusnic to the defensive-minded play of senior Tom Cawthern. Cawthern, at 5-foot-4, is the smallest blue-liner on the squad and is probably the most stereotypical defenseman on the team.
"For a guy his size, he is very surprising to guys when they come into the zone and they think this little guy is going to hit him and all of a sudden they're out flat on their back," Stroemel said. "He's small, but tenacious."
The Boalsburg native admits that he has limited playing time due to the offensive success of his counterparts, but he does feel that his physical play helps spark some of that firepower.
"I'm out there mainly to play physical," Cawthern said. "I like to get us going [offensively] with a good hit."
When deciding on a defensive strategy, the team turns to preparation and practice.
In order to coordinate the defensive effort, Ice Lions assistant coach David Levine holds pre-game meetings for his D-men, during which, according to Rusnic, they talk about the players' strong and weak points, as well as ways the team can improve.
The Ice Lions' blue-liners are looking to improve and, in turn, prove to all watching that defense is more than just a good goalie.
