The No. 3 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers (16-2-0, 16-1-0 ACHA) are nearing the end of the first half of the season, but before getting to rest and reenergize, they face a difficult challenge this weekend.

Penn State will play two out-of-league games at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, at 9 tonight and 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, against the Windsor St. Clair Saints of the Ontario Hockey Association's AAA Hockey League. These will be the first two contests of the season between the squads, with Penn State traveling to Windsor, Ontario, for one more matchup in February.

Icers head coach Scott Balboni believes that this will be one of the team's toughest tests to date, since St. Clair possesses more size and strength than most ACHA opponents that the Icers face.

The Saints' roster is made up of many players who played in the Ontario Hockey League, which is considered professional and therefore makes them ineligible to join an ACHA or NCAA team.

Balboni likened St. Clair to NCAA Division I Robert Morris University, which beat Penn State, 6-0, earlier in the season.

"This is a team, much like RMU, where if we make mistakes, they'll be able to capitalize immediately," he said.

Last year, St. Clair won the season series against Penn State 2-1, including an 8-3 victory in State College to capture the title at the Nittany Lion Invitational.

Balboni and his players know they will be facing a different type of opponent than they are used to, but vow not to adjust their game plan.

"We take the approach that we don't change for anybody," Balboni said. "We just want to play our game perfect and if we do that we can compete with anybody."

With the Icers riding a 13-game winning streak, these two games, along with one more next week against Niagara, are the only obstacles that could diminish Penn State's momentum going into the winter break.

Last week, goalie Nick Signet said that the Icers "didn't want to have a loss hanging over [their] heads" going into the second half of the year. If they can win these next three games, they will certainly be able to build on the energy of a 16-game winning streak and only one ACHA defeat.

The team isn't looking ahead, though. Balboni and his players subscribe to the old sports cliché of "taking things one game at a time." For now, the attention is on St. Clair.