It's like a whole different team out there.

For a squad that had so much promise at the beginning of the season, it looked as if the Penn State men's lacrosse team (3-5, 1-2 ECAC) might just fold up and quit after its dismal 1-5 start.

But after two consecutive wins, the latest coming in the form of a 14-10 victory over Hobart (5-4, 4-1 Patriot League) Saturday at a windy Bigler Field, the No. 19 Nittany Lions are clearly on a roll.

"We're a very talented team, and it's just been a tough schedule and tough opponents," Penn State men's lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel said. "The last two weeks, we've been able to stay with people--to be there at the end, and that was the key."

Penn State's troubles in the past have been with closing out games; all five of the Lions' losses have been by two goals or less. Against Hobart, though, the Lions had no such problems.

Penn State stormed to a 9-2 lead halfway through the second quarter, led by four impressive goals by Nate Whitaker. The freshman attackman now leads Penn State in goals with 15, and is in second in assists with nine, for a team-leading 24 points.

"It's been a team effort, everyone has been moving the ball well," Whitaker said. "I'd step in at the end, and a bunch of people gave me a lot of good looks, and I finished."

Earlier in the week, senior captain Marshall Feldman said that though it is only halfway through his freshman season, Whitaker isn't playing like a freshman any more. It's a great compliment for Whitaker, who is slowly taking charge on the offensive end.

"I do feel more comfortable out there," Whitaker said. "Every game you learn something and you find your place on the team a little bit better, and it's working out for us. It's flowing better every game."

Flow, though an intangible characteristic, is clearly something that's crucial on the lacrosse field, and something that's been missing for the Lions.

It's hard to tell if the Lions are having more fun now because they're winning, or if they're winning because they're having more fun. But it's probably a combination of both.

Sophomore midfielder Rob Booth, who had a hat trick against Hobart, said that when they were coming into huddles, he was seeing a lot more smiles.

"The first couple of games, we were kind of down," Booth said. "We would come into huddles, people were making mistakes and getting down on each other. So it's much more positive out there now, a better atmosphere for playing."

Senior captain Chris Garrity had another solid game in goal, making 13 saves and collecting a season-high eight groundballs.

Hobart, led by leading scorer John Bogosian's hat trick, made a bit of surge in the fourth quarter, scoring three straight goals. But by that time, the game was in hand for the Lions.

"I was still a little nervous at the end, but it was a great start," Thiel said. "We made a couple of great saves in the third quarter, and that kept them at bay."

The Lions are on a roll, but to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history they know they'll have to make up for their poor start by finishing the season strong.

"We have to win all of our games outright from now on, and we have some tough games coming up," Booth said. "As soon as we get a couple more wins in, we could be looking at the tournament maybe, but not right now."