As the buzzer echoed off the walls of the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, Nick Signet stood perfectly still in the crease that he had successfully defended for two days.

The sophomore goaltender stared at the scoreboard that confirmed what he already knew and pumped his fists as he waited for the rush of his teammates. Even with the roar of the crowd, he could still be heard screaming from somewhere inside the spirited mob.

Following two years of hard work and a freshman season that never was, Signet had just mired one of the ACHA's most explosive offenses and was finally enjoying his time in the spotlight.

"[Nick] played extremely well for us," Penn State ACHA Division I Icers coach Scott Balboni said plainly, reiterating the thoughts from the rest of the team.

Balboni didn't need to elaborate or use any extra adjectives, although there were many, to describe the play of his goaltender. His wording was simple and efficient, much like Signet's performance this season.

Coming into the year, the No. 3 Icers looked to their two returners in net to help compensate for the loss of since-graduated Paula Mammola.

The probable candidate was senior Chris Matteo, who held a significant advantage in playing time over Signet, as he had platooned with Mammola in the past. But surgery to repair a sports hernia suffered late last season hindered Matteo's return to the lineup and left Signet as the starter for the season opener.

In the first start of the season, Signet looked shaky, but promising in a 4-3 road win against Washington and Jefferson.

After both of his showings against No. 4 Ohio University this past weekend, solid is the only word that could accurately describe him now. Throughout the series that was billed as a slugfest between two heavyweights, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Signet simply stole the headlines.

"I felt good," he said after Friday night's 1-0 shutout. "I've been seeing the puck really well and I just feel like I'm in a groove right now. Everything is falling together and even the bounces seem to be going my way."

The Bobcats entered the weekend series in a groove of their own. Despite an inauspicious start to their season, they had strung together 10 consecutive victories on the strength of scoring 6.3 goals per game. It was a much different story against Signet, however, as Ohio managed only one goal in two games - its lowest offensive production of the year.

Having a stone wall between the pipes undoubtedly boosted the confidence of Penn State's offense, which struggled somewhat against Ohio.

"The way he was playing, we knew that we might need only one goal," senior forward Mike McMullen said.

He was right, as the Icers needed just one goal to win Friday and three on Saturday to register the sweep.

"It is one of those things that when goalies get hot, the puck looks like a beach ball coming in. [Nick] is hot right now," Balboni said.

While Ohio may have been taken by surprise, Signet's performance did not shock any of his teammates or coaches, who are well aware of the time and effort that he has put in to get where he is today.

In the months leading up to his freshman year, Signet spent two to three times a week working out with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The once-in-a-lifetime experience for the then-high school senior improved several facts of his game, including adjusting to shots quicker, and helped him prepare for college hockey.

Even after joining the Icers, he continued to improve his game and didn't allow any letdowns to impede his progress.

"Last year, he was a freshman that knew he wasn't going to get much playing time," McMullen said. "But he just worked hard all last season and came into this year ready to take whatever role he needed to take."

That role was expected to be backing up Matteo. But, now that he has led Penn State to a 7-2 start, Signet has proven to be a more-than-reliable replacement and, more importantly, is eager to help the Icers towards another national championship run.

"I know that I've got the support of the team and, even if I make a mistake, I know that they are right there for me," he said. "Honestly, everyone is playing well and the better the team plays, the better I play."