The Penn State ACHA Division I Icers refer to the trio of freshman Luke DeLorenzo, junior Michael McMullen and freshman Frank Berry as the red line, the name traditionally given to the top offensive line on the team.

Penn State Icers coach Joe Battista calls them "phenomenal."

You could call them DMB. No, not Dave Matthews Band. DeLorenzo, McMullen and Berry.

One thing is for sure, they are productive.

Through five games, DeLorenzo, McMullen and Berry have accounted for 16 of the 23 goals the Icers have scored this season.

All three have had previous high-level hockey experience before coming to Penn State. DeLorenzo is a 20-year-old freshman, having taken two years off from school to play junior 'A' hockey in Canada. McMullen was a member of the Icers' red line last season after transferring from Division I Fairfield because the school disbanded its hockey program. Berry has a year of prep school behind him heading into this year.

The trio had to quickly get to know each other's personalities and playing styles in the few weeks of practice the team had before its season opener against Mercyhurst on Oct. 7.

"The first couple of weeks of practice we pretty much just talked to each other all the time on the ice," DeLorenzo said. "We really wanted to emphasize just getting to know each other and where everyone was going to be."

"After a shift or after a drill that we did in practice, we really just talked about what we saw, what we did well or what we could of done better as a line."

The chemistry and trust that developed between the trio during those first weeks of practice has paid off for the Icers (4-1, 3-0 ACHA) in the form of not only a large quantity of goals, but also timely scores.

Having suffered their first loss of the season to St. Clair College the night before, the Icers found themselves down, 2-0, in the second period of the final game of a two-game road trip to Canada this past weekend.

McMullen, Berry and DeLorenzo combined for two consecutive goals to turn the momentum of the game in the Icers' favor, a game the team would eventually win, 4-2. Berry scored the two goals, and DeLorenzo and McMullen each added assists.

Earlier this season during the Icers' 3-2 win against NCAA Division I Robert Morris, DeLorenzo scored twice and added an assist, McMullen scored once and assisted on both of DeLorenzo's goals and Berry assisted on all three goals.

DeLorenzo credits the ability to score goals often and at opportune times to the work the trio put in before the season started.

"It's kind of weird because it seems like I just know where Frank and Mike are going to be, and I think they kind of feel the same way about me too even though we've only been playing together for a couple of weeks," DeLorenzo said.

Junior goalie Chris Matteo, who has seen two classes of freshmen come in, has been impressed with the performance of DeLorenzo and Berry along with all of the Penn State freshmen.

"The biggest thing I noticed with them is that they're not making freshman mistakes," Matteo said. "They're playing confident. They know that they belong here. They're playing above their age right now. They have a lot of maturity, a lot of confidence, and they've really been a godsend so far."

A godsend that has pleased Battista.

"They all handle the puck. They all help each other get the puck. They have a tremendous work ethic, and they are very unselfish, and they all have skill," Battista said. "Those guys have only been together for a couple of weeks, and they look like they've been together all year."

According to DeLorenzo, that look is no accident.

"That was the biggest thing -- how close we wanted to be before the season got started," DeLorenzo said. "It's helping out a great deal now."