They can't seem to stay together.
Playing with a roster depleted by injuries, the No. 2 Penn State ACHA Div. I Icers picked up two key wins in Michigan this weekend, beating rival No. 9 Michigan-Dearborn 5-2 Friday and then defeating No. 12 Eastern Michigan 10-4 Saturday.
The Icers (23-2-1) came out sluggishly in the first period Friday night, with the Wolves taking it to the depleted Penn State defense.
Michigan-Dearborn was the first team on the scoreboard, following freshman forward John Maley's goal at the 8:04 mark. Less than five minutes later, senior forward Jon Cronberger put the Wolves up 2-0 and Penn State needed a wake-up call.
"The coaching staff was a little up-tight," Penn State senior center Neal Price said of the first period. "We had some bus legs, and we hadn't played together in a while, so it was somewhat expected."
Penn State found its footing following the intermission. Junior forward Jack Weber put the Icers on the board just 1:18 into the second period, and from there Michigan-Dearborn sophomore goalie Jason Ryan saw only red.
Playing with Price for the first time in almost three weeks, Penn State coach Joe Battista said the red line never missed a beat.
Sophomore forward Kevin Jaeger tied the game at the 7:34 mark and then tallied the go-ahead goal 10 minutes later.
Junior forward Glenn Zuck, the third member of the Icers' top scoring trio, netted a crucial goal with just 48 seconds remaining in the second period to put Penn State up for good.
Saturday night, the Icers' offense was again up for the challenge. The 10 goals Penn State scored were tied for the team's second-highest total of the season, behind only the 11 it put on the board against the same Eastern Michigan squad earlier in the year.
For the game, Penn State was five of seven on the power play and was ahead 8-1 following the second period. Jaeger again led the offensive onslaught with three goals and an assist. Zuck added a goal and assisted on five others, while Weber celebrated his 21st birthday with two goals. Battista said that Weber has been an irreplaceable member of the Icers recently.
With four defensemen out with injuries -- seniors Josh Mandel and Dant Hirsch, junior Eric Harbaugh and sophomore Chris Rome -- and junior Curtiss Patrick playing despite a sprained medial collateral ligament, the Icers had to have some of the younger players play big minutes.
It was, however, senior co-captain Brandon Cook that led the defensive effort.
"Brandon Cook had his best overall weekend of the year," Battista said.
"He knew the situation and anchored the defense. He showed a lot of leadership."
Initially appearing as a weakness, Battista said that the defense was a primary reason for the weekend's wins. He said the ability of freshmen Matt Weber, Luke Walker and Brendan Martin to step into the line-up was crucial.
"Our defense had a lot to do with us scoring those goals," Battista said. "How many teams can lose four of their top six individual defensemen and still come away with two big road wins against teams fighting for a playoff spot?"
