Icers
vs. Drexel
9 p.m., tonight, 3:30 p.m., tomorrow at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion
The offensive power of a slap shot sending the puck toward the net or the defensive speed of a goalie flashing leather to try to stone the shooter, which comes out on top?
The high powered offense of the No. 1 Penn State ACHA Div. I Icers (10-0) and the rock solid goaltending of Dan Angeline and the No. 16 Drexel Dragons (5-4-1) will try to answer this question.
Penn State Icers' coach Joe Battista is hoping the well hasn't dried up in the offensive end of the rink after last weekend's scoring outburst.
"I would have liked to have saved some of those goals from last weekend," Battista said laughing. "Their goaltender is one of the best we face. We have figure out how to capitalize."
The Icers are coming off of a three-game weekend sweep that saw them outscore their opponents 30-4. They are playing their first home series in three weeks.
The comforts of home seem to provide an offensive boost for the Icers, who are averaging nine goals a game in Happy Valley.
In their first meeting, Drexel managed to hold Penn State to its lowest scoring game of the season. The Icers only found the back of the net three times, winning by a final score of 3-1. They know they had their chances but just weren't able to finish.
"They played us tough last game," Penn State forward Brendan Martin said.
"We have to bury the puck when we have opportunities. Last time we didn't capitalize on them."
During the first game against Drexel, Penn State thought they missed some scoring chances because the forwards were in too deep and the rebounds bounced past them. This week, the Icers worked on burying rebounds from the high slot.
They also worked on setting up screens in the hopes they can keep enough traffic in front of Angeline to get a few goals past him.
Penn State knows if they can bang off a few pucks early, they will add two more wins to their 10-game winning streak.
"As long as we get off to a fast start, no team can keep up with us," Penn State forward Jack Weber said. "I think we're in the best shape [in the league] so if we come out ahead in the third period, no one can catch us."
- By J.W. Palmer
