Offensive Lines

Red Line
Mike Carrano, Kevin Jaeger, Michael McMullen Jaeger, a senior forward, paces a team that returns only two-thirds of last year's national runner-up squad. Jaeger led the team with 40 goals and needs only 22 more to set a new school record. The ACHA Div. I Icers will depend heavily upon his performance to set the tone for the offense.

Coach Joe Battista is not only depending on his top line to score but is also hoping they'll draw some of the attention away from the other three lines. Carrano and McMullen, a sophomore transfer from Fairfield University, look like a perfect complement to the offensive centerpiece in Jaeger. If Jaeger can simply pick up where he left off last season, the Icers' offense should have no trouble lighting the lamp all season long.

Gold Line

Dave Arcobello, Greg Schwind, Jesse Weinzimmer Three different faces headline the second line, but Battista doesn't see their lack of experience playing together being a problem.

And who could argue? The trio recorded five goals last weekend.

The freshman sensation, Arcobello, has already proved he's for real by tallying a goal in the Icers' first game. The heavily recruited Connecticut native also garnered Player of the Year honors as a senior in high school and should play a crucial role in the success of the team

With three solid -- albeit new -- players, the Icers shouldn't even miss a beat when this group relieves the first line.

Black Line
Garrett Divins, Brett Wilson, Teague Willits-Kelley It's pretty odd for the third line to contain an offensive scoring threat, but that's just what Penn State has in junior assistant-captain Brett Wilson. He notched a goal in each of his first three games and provides a young Icers team with what they needs most -- leadership.

The third line is full of physical players who will look to wear teams down with their dangerous combination of physical play and incredible speed. Known as the checking line, this group may be the most intimidating of the four.

White Line
Greg Windsor, Dan McKeen, Paul Zodtner The fourth line may be a bit small, containing no player over 5-foot-11, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. The three starters are extremely quick and will likely catch some sluggish defenses off-guard with their speed.

Luke Walker will also see time, especially if teams are taking cheap shots at these smaller players in stature. Walker stands at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and should be able to counteract the line's lack of size rather well.

Defensive Pairings

Eric Harbaugh, Brendan Martin
Harbaugh, a senior captain, redshirted last season due to personal and academic reasons, and appears to be as strong as ever. He recently earned the Harry Johns Dedication Award, given to the player who displays the most dedication to their off-season conditioning program.

And with hard-hitting junior Martin thrown into the mix, the Icers have built a pair of defenders that are likely to strike fear into any opposing offense.

Chris Rome, Keith Jordan
This pair helped the Icers in allowing only one power play goal in their opponents' last 11 attempts. Rome is the returning veteran and should be able to help Jordan along.

Battista has been praising the freshman for his performance and believes he could really grow into a top defensive player. He recorded one goal and an assist in Sunday's victory over West Chester.

Joe Maglaque, Drew Ward
Maglaque is a returning All-American and helps headline this tenacious defensive pairing. He helped Penn State pull off a clutch performance Friday night against West Chester. After seizing a 1-0 lead, Maglaque and Ward helped prevent the Golden Rams from getting a shot off over the next 10 minutes as Penn State then took a 2-1 advantage.

Maglaque recorded seven points (three goals, four assists) last weekend and is a force to be reckoned with all over the ice.

Sean Kenney, Cole Burnham
One of the bigger defensive pairs, these two should surprise a lot of offenses with their size -- especially as the fourth defensive pair.

Kenney may be a freshman, but has a junior in Burnham to play the role of mentor, as Battista has paired each starting newcomer with a veteran.

Battista also plans on rotating junior Matthew Wallace with Kenney. Regardless, this should still be an effective pair this far down on the roster.

Goaltenders

Paul Mammola, Chris Matteo
The Icers may only be able to play one goaltender at a time, but that isn't preventing Battista from utilizing both of his goalies. Matteo saw quite a bit of time last year, but the sophomore transfer from Umass, Lowell, has also impressed coaches with his aggressive play.

"Chris is small, quick and agile," Battista said. "But Paul is 6-3, 210 pounds. It's a good 1-2 punch."

Despite the pair allowing seven goals so far this season, Battista hasn't voiced a lot of concern about the two.

He believes Matteo is in the midst of transitioning his style from a "reactionary" one (think Dominik Hasek) to a more efficient "percentage" style and understands there will be some growing pains along the way. Luckily for Penn State, the offense is dynamic enough that Matteo can take his time in developing his style along.