The No. 2 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers continued a trend of struggling against weaker opponents by squandering a two-goal lead late in the third period, then coming up short in a five-man shootout to lose their first game of the year.
The Icers dropped a 5-4 decision on the road to the No. 20 West Chester Golden Rams tonight at the IceLine Arena.
"We didn't show up. We just thought that we were 'high and mighty Penn State,' and that we'd roll into the rink and get a victory," Icers head coach Scott Balboni said. "It's time for our guys to learn that that's not the case."
Having not played in nearly a month certainly affected Penn State as it committed 10 penalties and numerous turnovers and breakdowns in the defensive zone. Despite their sloppy play, however, the Icers (18-3-1, 17-1-1 ACHA) did manage to grab the lead 17 seconds into final period with junior forward Matt Schwartz's second goal of the game.
When senior forward Mike McMullen tallied his 12th goal of the year just minutes later, it appeared that Penn State had the game well in hand. That's when, according to Balboni, the Icers' lack of respect for the Rams (12-3-1) proved detrimental.
"We couldn't put the final nail in the coffin. We allowed them to crawl back into the game," he said.
West Chester rallied to tie the game with two goals in less than five minutes and forced Penn State into its first shootout of the season. Although the Icers appeared to have an advantage with an advantage in the talent, the Rams didn't allow a goal in the shootout and managed to sneak the game-winner past senior goaltender Chris Matteo.
A lone bright spot for Penn State came on McMullen's goal in the third. On the play, sophomore forward Luke DeLorenzo was credited with the assist and recorded his 100th point in only the 57th game of his young collegiate career.
DeLorenzo's propensity for scoring is what earned him a spot on Team USA in the upcoming World University Games held in Italy. He will be joined by sophomore forward Frank Berry, junior defenseman Keith Jordan and McMullen from Jan. 17-27.
Meanwhile, the Icers will look to rebound after its first loss in more than three months when they travel to face Scranton and Delaware on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
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