Down at the base of the steep hill in front of the Multi-Sport Facility was Penn State men's lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel, ripping the tape off of a broken longstick in his usual khakis and baseball cap.

At the same time, senior defenseman Keith Benjamin made it down the slope for the first time in days with pads, tape still wrapped around his injured ankle. For Benjamin, a couple weeks on the sideline have made him more than ready to play.

"First practice back you feel a little uneasy," Benjamin said. "But, honestly, I felt like I didn't miss a step."

He will make a leap back onto the playing field with the No. 18 Penn State men's lacrosse team (4-3, 2-1 ECAC) at 1 p.m. tomorrow against Hobart (4-4, 0-3). Footing downhill wasn't bad at all.

"If I can't make it down that hill then I shouldn't play," Benjamin said.

Only days before, Benjamin limply jogged towards a mosh pit, which surrounded freshman goalie Drew Adams after the defensive unit stifled No. 7 Massachusetts, 7-5. Benjamin hung out outside the frenzy with fellow defenseman Matt Mulqueen.

When the Nittany Lions stopped hopping onto the pile like salmon swimming upstream, Benjamin found Adams and let him know that Penn State could win a lot more games with an effort in the cage like the one against the Minutemen.

But as one of the tri-captains, Benjamin relishes the opportunity to be a vocal leader, especially on the field. The last two games, he has been unable to man the defensive end because of a high ankle sprain.

His teammates have fared well, holding two straight ranked opponents to consecutive season lows for goals against.

Then-No. 20 Fairfield only managed six goals, while last week UMass managed one less score.

As the Lions shut down NCAA points leader Sean Morris, Benjamin remained vocal on the sideline, offering teammates the occasional fist pound, which was an adequate substitute for putting the helmet on and being a part of the action.

"What I have learned playing on the field is that players feed from the emotion on the sideline," Benjamin said. "It's tough not being out there, but every game you just want to bring some kind of leadership."

Now Benjamin hopes that he can bring his skills to the field. Against the Statesmen, the challenge will be defending Hobart sophomore midfielder Nick Currie, who shared ECAC Offensive Player of the Week honors with Penn State's Nate Whitaker after a four-point effort against Fairfield.

No matter the opponent, Benjamin is more than ready. There is no time to look ahead, and this game is only the next opportunity to give the season's best performance

"Our next playoff game is against Hobart," he said. "Hopefully we can keep it rolling."