The No. 1 Penn State ACHA Div. I Icers (28-2) could have their hands full this weekend as they welcome Robert Morris (17-16-3) to the Greenberg Ice Pavilion for their last home games of the season.

But Icers coach Joe Battista wouldn't have it any other way.

"They play one of the toughest schedules in the country," Battista said. "They're not afraid to play the big boys. They've pulled off some upsets and they've had some near misses. I'm glad. I think they're going to give us a good battle, a good test, and that's what we need right now."

Robert Morris (Illinois) is fighting to make a name for itself in the ACHA.

It has proven to be a solid competitor against strong teams with an aggressive forecheck and penalty kill.

The Icers watched film of the Eagles on Monday to get an idea of what they'll be up against.

And even though the Icers might not know exactly what to expect, they're making sure they don't look past Robert Morris.

"We don't know that much about them," Penn State forward Glenn Zuck said. "We're taking this like any other weekend. But they're a team that can play tough. We definitely can't take them lightly."

Robert Morris is coming off of a weekend against No. 12 Arizona State that saw the Eagles upset the Ice Devils 5-1 Friday and play a tough game Saturday, losing 3-2 in overtime.

The Icers aren't trying to downplay Robert Morris' strong play against Arizona State, but wanted to remind the Eagles they are not Arizona State.

"It's tough to win [at Arizona State] so they're playing their best game," Penn State defenseman Luc Walker said. "But they have to remember they're playing us now and coming to our barn."

Penn State came away with two emphatic wins last weekend against No. 14 Delaware. However, Battista said the power play is not where he would like it to be at this point in the season.

This has caused him to develop a few new ideas for the Icers power play to implement this weekend in hopes they will carry over to Nationals.

"We switched up the power play units a little bit," Zuck said. "Coach wants us to work on new things, maybe not for Robert Morris but for other teams at Nationals who already know our power play."

-- By J.W. Palmer