It wasn't difficult to pick out John Dufford in Saturday's alumni game -- he was the 83-year-old wearing the leather helmet.

"When you see him out there, you just can't help but smile," Penn State ACHA Division I Icers coach Joe Battista said.

Dufford competed in the first period of the annual alumni game Saturday and played center for one of Penn State's first-hockey teams in 1940.

"Well, I feel like I played better when I was younger," Dufford said, laughing. "But I've never made a mistake in the stands -- although I missed a goal once or twice in a game."

Dufford didn't score any goals in Saturday's contest -- but he did manage to get off a few shots.

Tom Horgas, who was on Penn State's 1980 championship squad, couldn't help but stand back in awe of Dufford's continued play and love of the game.

"What an inspiration to see somebody that's 83 and is still skating out there," Horgas said.

Dufford said he continues to skate in his hometown of Glassbury, Conn., and gets out "a couple times a week."

"It's great exercise; I enjoy it," he said.

Of course, a lot has changed since Dufford's collegiate playing years.

According to Battista, Penn State used to flood the baseball field over by Beaver Stadium to provide Dufford's team with a usable rink.

And Dufford couldn't help but remark on how much the rules have changed.

"You had to skate the puck out of your defensive zone," he said.

"You couldn't pass it to one of your players in the neutral zone; it was off-sides."

Dufford received some notoriety in 1939 when he led the Hershey League in scoring -- despite playing in just half of the games, as he played varsity the other half.

The oldest returning hockey alumnus also said he's lost count of how many alumni games he's actually attended, but added that it's been "at least 25."

And although Dufford's collegiate playing days are well behind him, he continues to support the Icers in a big way.

According to Battista, Dufford was instrumental in getting the Icers an endowment fund and is currently helping the team get a new rink.

"He calls me usually once a week to ask me how the team's doing, or to just talk about hockey," Battista said.

"He just has a passion for the game," he added.