Using a three-goal third period, the Icers (16-0-0) rallied for a spine-tingling 4-3 win on Friday, and followed that with a more conventional 5-2 victory on Saturday, both games played with a national tournament feel.
"Every shift counts. Everyone's got to go out there and play hard. I think this weekend showed a lot. It was a big team effort as far as coming back from 2-0 [on Friday]," senior Jack Weber said.
The Icers managed dug themselves a two-goal deficit for themselves.
"We expected exactly what they did. I was disappointed that we didn't execute and beat it. We looked as though we hadn't ever seen it before," Penn State Icers coach Joe Battista said.
Frustration mounted in the second period as the Icers got more chances but failed to convert until Zuck got the Icers on the board at 18:11, finishing off a hard working power play.
However, it was junior Kevin Jaeger's goal 29 seconds into the third period that got the ball rolling on the Icers comeback, and was followed up by fellow linemate junior Mike Carrano's power play goal at 7:45.
The lead was short lived, as Michigan-Dearborn senior Jeff Bancroft was credited with the tying goal on the power play, though it appeared that the puck caromed off Zuck's skate.
That set up senior Brendan Roache's game-winning wrister in the slot at 14:10, sending Icers fans home happy after they killed off a nerve racking 6-on-4 power play after the Wolves pulled their goalie for the final 37 seconds.
"It's tough to spot teams' two goal leads. We got to get out of that habit real quick," Battista said. "It was a good comeback, it was a gut check win."
By Saturday, the Icers had the traps figured out, and their 53-18 shot advantaged proved that. However, the victory was in doubt until Weber scored his second goal of the day by sliding the puck into the empty net at 19:22.
"We had to take a look at what they were doing . . . and just calm down and play our game," Brett Wilson said. "If this team works hard we can do anything."
