No hats littered the ice, but a few Penn State faithful tossed their caps against the protective netting in the Greenberg Ice Pavilion at the start of the third period Saturday.

The fans were merely showing their respect for freshman center Luke DeLorenzo, whose third goal was officially announced to start the third period.

DeLorenzo's first career hat trick lifted the No. 2 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers over No. 10 Arizona State on Saturday.

DeLorenzo's third and final goal came after he picked up a clear from linemate Frank Berry on the penalty kill near the end of the second period. As time ticked down, DeLorenzo raced down the ice and fired a shot from the top of the left circle. It appeared to beat Arizona State goalie Herb Hollins through the five-hole just before the horn sounded.

The goal gave Penn State a 3-0 advantage heading into the third period -- a lead that was more than enough to give the Icers a 5-1 victory.

"That was kind of like the back-breaker, with a couple seconds left at the end of the second period," he said. "I just looked at the clock, and the guys were yelling shoot it, and I just put it on net, and it went in -- somehow it went in."

The scoreboard did not reflect the goal at first, as captains, coaches and DeLorenzo remained on the ice while everyone else headed to the bench.

"No referee was really in position, they all said they saw the net move before the horn, so obviously it would have to be across the goal line before time was up," Icers senior captain Brett Wilson said. "Their guy was arguing -- all his case was, was, 'No it wasn't,' our case was, 'Yeah it was.' "

The goal counted and DeLorenzo's first career hat trick as a member of the Icers was official as the horn sounded to an erupting crowd.

"I kind of had an idea that it was going to count, but I just wanted to make sure; I didn't want to go off," DeLorenzo said of why he stayed on the ice during the discussion. "I wanted to make sure it was definitely in, cause if not, I would have probably argued it out. But I was just making sure it went in -- it felt good."

The goal finished off a brilliant first two periods of the game for DeLorenzo. He got started early in the first period. At 4:18, DeLorenzo ripped a hard wrist shot from the left circle to give the Icers a quick, 1-0 lead.

He continued the scoring less than three minutes later at 7:16, with assists from fellow redliners Mike McMullen and Berry.

The offensive output by DeLorenzo and his fellow redliners, Berry and McMullen, was greatly needed after the team's, and its top line's, poor showing Friday.

"I really wanted to go out there and show everybody that I was back to play today," DeLorenzo said. "It felt good to help the guys win and to get a big victory."

His line combined for four of the Icers' five scores, and DeLorenzo finished the game with his three goals and added one assist on McMullen's goal.

"Luke DeLorenzo has been outstanding for us all year -- he did not play well [Friday] and he knew it," Icers head coach Joe Battista said after Sunday's win. "He made up for it in a big way, and that's what great players do. That third one was a game breaker, he scored with a second left, and shorthanded."

The lowdown on DeLorenzo seems to be, even after a great individual effort, he was more than humble about his achievement.

"It's pretty special, it's pretty special in a Penn State jersey, for sure," he said.