At the conclusion of last Saturday's 5-4 win against Ohio, there was a slightly different sight as players from both teams lined up to congratulate each other.

For the No. 4 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers, there were two goalies occupying the net, both getting the respect of their teammates and coaches for a job well done, together.

After recording 29 saves the night before in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss, junior goaltender Chris Matteo was given the nod to start back-to-back games for the Icers. In fact, the junior's near-shutout lasted until just more than three minutes remaining in the game.

"Chris Matteo played a whale of a game in goal, and so did [Ohio goalie] Ryan Baksh," Icers head coach Joe Battista said. "It was a hell of a game. It's the kind of game you hate to lose and love to win."

While Friday night's affair was like a great pitching duel in baseball, with both Matteo and Baksh leaving nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard for most of the game, Saturday's contest was quite different.

With the Icers holding a slim 4-3 lead to start the third, it wasn't Matteo, but the Icers' other top goalie, Paul Mammola, in net.

The decision to switch goalies came as a mutual one between both Battista and Matteo.

"I talked to [Matteo] at the end at the end of the second period," Battista said. "I said, 'You look like you're fighting the puck,' and he said, 'Yeah I'm really battling the puck.' "

When Battista asked if the Icers should go with Mammola in the third, Matteo told him, "Coach, it's the right move for the team."

In the game, 21 total penalties led to power play after power play for each team. All those shots and the physical play on the game took their toll on the Icers.

"We just beat each other up on Friday and everybody was tired," Matteo said about the increased scoring from his start the night before. "The goalies were tired -- Baksh was certainly tired.

"It's hard to be committed to defense, which is the hardest part of this game, when you're running around, and you're really tired."

While battling fatigue and an onslaught of pucks from the Bobcats, Matteo knew he could rely on Mammola to step in for him in the third.

"I never wanted to ask out of a game, and I'd never do that, but you have to put the team in front of stats -- you have to put the team in front of yourself," he said. "That was a big reason why we ended up winning Saturday, because Paul played so well in the third."

Mammola came in with the game on the line and had to face an Ohio team that was desperate to at least tie the score and hopefully earn a sweep against its rival. After being sent in, Mammola came up big, making 19 saves in the third period alone, including many crucial stops in the waning moments of the game.

"It was definitely the first time I've had to do it, and it's a rare occasion especially in that situation: When we're up by a goal and obviously against Ohio, who I think, is our biggest rival," Mammola said. "It was an interesting situation to step in to. I'm glad the boys were supportive of me, and I'm glad I could step in and get it done."

After not getting the start, and sitting for 40 minutes of game time, Mammola came off the bench cold with huge task in front of him. Even with stakes as high as they were, he was ready.

"Sitting there for a couple periods, you're kind of backed off a little bit," he said. "But it just switched on because it was so important for us to win that game -- it really wasn't hard to focus right in when you're thrown to the fire right away."

With Mammola stepping in to help save the lead for the Icers, the team came away from their two games against the No. 2 team in the ACHA with a split. While many teams could have found it hard to hold on in a game like Saturday's, with a fatigued goalie, the Icers have the benefit of two top-tier goaltenders between the pipes.

"We don't have any easy games on the schedule to take a night off in goal, so [Matteo] and I are coming in and performing at 110 percent each night," Mammola said. "To do it back-to-back is sometimes tough, so to have another guy to rely back on is big."

With the Icers now deep into a rough stretch of games, including No. 7 Lindenwood coming up this weekend, the team can find comfort that its net is in good hands whenever either goaltender settles into the crease.