Every team has one or two games during its season that tend to define the year. A major victory or a heartbreaking loss could ultimately determine a team's destiny.

For the Penn State football team, a win over Ohio State in October sparked a run to the Big Ten Championship. For the women's hockey team, victories over the Buckeyes this weekend could mean a spot in the ACHA Nationals.

The No. 11 Penn State Lady Icers (6-5, 3-3 ECWHL) will travel across the border to face the No. 14 Buckeyes (8-6-2) in a crucial two-game series.

Both games will take place at the Ohio State University Ice Rink, with Game 1 set for 5:45 p.m. tomorrow and Game 2 scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Sunday.

Lady Icers coach Michael Brinton and his squad understands the importance of this series as the end of the semester approaches.

"This weekend is huge. We can't afford to lose any of these games with winter break looming. We need to head into the second half of the season on a positive note," Brinton said.

"From here on out, all the games count," captain Ashleigh Kinder added. "Besides the fact that we can't afford to lose, we need to play hard on every shift and in every period."

Penn State will look to continue its current two-game winning streak against an Ohio State team that struggles on offense but is devoted to defense. The Buckeyes have two shutouts on the season and have held their opponents to less than four goals in 10 of 16 games this season.

"They play a lot of close games and great defense," Brinton said. "We'll need to get into the zone and get the puck to the net. If we can score four or five goals, we shouldn't have a problem."

The Lady Icers will look to forwards Kinder and Jessica Waldron for some offensive production. Penn State will need both players to shine against the stingy Buckeyes in order to come home with the sweep, as well as momentum for the rest of the season.

Kinder leads Penn State with 16 assists so far this year. The junior has also tallied nine goals and is second on the team with 25 points.

Waldron, who leads the team with 19 goals, recently moved past former Lady Icer Katie Clark into third place for points in a season by a rookie. The freshman sensation has also recorded a point in nine of 11 games this season.

Being an offensive-minded team, the Lady Icers know that their performance early could very well decide the outcome of the game. Penn State is a perfect 4-0 when outscoring its opponents in the first period.

"The first period is crucial since we sometimes start slow. Being a team that relies on the offense, we need to be focused and ready to play," Kinder said.

Following Sunday's game, the Lady Icers will be inactive for over a month until they resume their regular season on Jan. 14 against the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins.