The season is still young for the No. 2 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers. Only four games have been played thus far, but one thing is very clear: It's a whole new brand of hockey.

USA Hockey's new initiative regarding the enforcement of penalties has already set a tone that will change the face of the collegiate game.

Following in the footsteps of the NHL, USA Hockey has instituted a new Standard of Play and Rules Enforcement. This program, the goal of which is to open up play and increase the overall speed of the game, focuses on a much stricter approach to obstruction penalties. Ideally, it was meant to eliminate the clutch-and-grab hockey that had become so prevalent in past years.

So far, teams' adjustments to the new set of regulations have been slow, and it's having a major influence on the flow of the games. More than 60 minutes worth of penalties were called in both of Penn State's home contests this past weekend.

"Unfortunately, I think the refs are calling the new USA hockey initiative, which has been issued to them," Icers head coach Scott Balboni said. "The ref came over after the game [against Navy] and said, 'I apologize. I just have to call this initiative or I get fired.' "

Balboni feels that the referees are not at fault for the policy. He does, however, think that the excessive amount of penalties are getting out of hand and that this problem needs to be re-evaluated by USA Hockey.

"It really affects the flow of the game. With all the penalties, it slows down the game. There's no flow, and it doesn't allow certain players to get in all the time," he said.

For now, the responsibility rests with each team to adjust to the increase in penalties. To do this, the Icers have done more work this year to improve their power play and penalty kill units.

"It is part of the game now," junior captain Keith Jordan said. "It is taking some adaptation. We've had to adjust to a few things. I think we're starting to really come together now and I think as the season goes on our power play and penalty kill will get a lot better since it's such a big part of the game now."

Balboni's job has become more challenging, too. While the first-year head coach is still adjusting to his new role, he also needs to focus on getting his team assimilated to the new rules.

By the end of Sunday's game against Navy, the fans at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion were restless. Each infraction called drew more groans from some of the people, a sign that Balboni isn't the only one dissatisfied by the changes.

As the Icers move forward, though, they are trying to take things in stride and not let the amount of penalties affect them. It's become a learning experience.

Senior goaltender Chris Matteo (who was resting on Monday after Sunday's win) looked on as some of his teammates skated, had this to offer about the upcoming season and the effects of the new policy:

"One thing we learned, especially on Sunday, is that no one is ever out of it."