Give Justin DePretis time and space in front of the opposing goaltender, and there is a good chance he'll score.

That's why he was so upset after Friday night's 11-2 win at Towson -- his first game in almost two months.

"I had four breakaways, and I missed them all. It kind of bothered me all [Friday] night," DePretis said. "But I made up for it [Saturday] -- almost, I should have had more."

His two goals and three assists in Saturday's 10-2 victory, while perhaps not completely satisfying to him, were a nice sight for the crowd at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

When he was recognized over the public address system as the first star of the game, the home fans gave DePretis a louder than normal ovation for such an occasion.

"It's nice having him back," Icers head coach Joe Battista said.

Saturday was DePretis' first home game since Nov. 19. The night before was his first game of any kind since Nov. 27. Since then, Battista has kept the Icers' all-time active leader in goals and assists out of the lineup.

"He had some issues to get together," Battista said. "Technically he was eligible to play, but I had to send a message to him that he had to get his act together off the ice so he could be ready for on the ice."

On the ice, DePretis said he is almost at full strength.

"I'm probably around 85, 90 percent. I worked hard over break, kept in shape, but nothing compares to actually playing in a game," DePretis said.

This weekend, when he did get the chance to play in a game, DePretis was reunited with sophomore Nate Obringer and senior Luc Walker, creating the type of second scoring line Battista has been looking for since the season began.

"His line today -- Obringer scored, Luc scored, he scored twice," Battista said. "That takes a lot of pressure off McMullen, Berry and DeLorenzo."

Friday, while DePretis did not convert on his opportunities, Obringer scored four times.

Saturday, the line combined for three of the Icers' first four goals, setting the stage for the offensive explosion that followed in the second and third periods, eventually resulting in 10 goals. DePretis finished with two.

Obringer and Walker had one score each.

With rematches against No. 8 Michigan-Dearborn, No. 2 Rhode Island and No. 3 Ohio on tap the next three weekends, the No. 1-ranked Icers can now count on seeing another offensive scoring threat on their side.

When the Icers face Michigan-Dearborn Friday at home, DePretis said he will be out there on the ice.

On the ice is where Battista and fellow Icers players know what DePretis is capable of.

"He's a goal scorer. That's what he does," Battista said.

Senior assistant captain Brendan Martin agreed.

"He buried his chances today," Martin said Saturday."Yesterday, he'll tell you he missed four opportunities to score. But today, he brought it. He put the puck in the net like he's supposed to do."