Other players will try to fill roles, including newcomer Bryan Sobonya, who head coach Scott Balboni said should play this weekend. Sobonya said he likes what he has seen so far from Penn State and feels confident that he can be part of a national championship team.
"I think we can do it," Sobonya said. "I think we have the right group of guys and the right coaching."
The Icers faltered with a loss to West Chester to start 2007, but so did their nearest competition at the top of the rankings. Now that teams are vying for position in the National Tournament (which begins at the end of February), another upset would hurt Penn State.
"I think [the loss] opened our eyes a little bit," Icers goaltender Nick Signet said about losing to West Chester. "I don't want to say that we got it out of the way, but it's good to look on the bright side."
Balboni has stressed how important every game is in the second half of the season. The Panthers may not be one of the ACHA's top teams, but that does not diminish the value of getting wins. Balboni expects his team to play strong from the start, especially at home.
"We sold a ton of tickets already, more tickets for this weekend than we did for the first semester pre-sale," he said. "I think it will be a big fun weekend here in the building and we need two wins."
Notes
The World University Games began yesterday for the U.S. University Select Hockey Team. As the Icers prepared to face Pitt, four team members faced-off against Canada in the opening round of play taking place in Italy.
The U.S. lost 5-0, registering only 13 shots on Canadian goalie Paul Drew. U.S. netminder Anthony Feyock (Rhode Island University) stopped 30 pucks, but was overwhelmed by the Canadian pressure.
The U.S., led by captain Nick Krebsbach of North Dakota State, will take on Slovakia tonight at 8:30 (2:30 p.m. EST) at the Tazzoli Rink in Torino, Italy.
Look for expanded coverage of the World University Games in the Daily Collegian on Monday.
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