The game was out of reach by the time senior captain Jay Smith scored his hat trick in the second period, but the hat from backup goalie Andrew Golin hit the ice anyway.

On Senior Night, where 11 seniors and their families were honored, the ACHA Division II Ice Lions recorded a 9-3 win over Marist Saturday night at Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

Smith, one of the honorees, led the team with the hat trick, and fellow senior forwards Dave Donatelli and Adam Levine also scored. While the team as a whole played very well, the night clearly belonged to the seniors.

"It was special. It was a great feeling," Smith said, "Obviously, it was a lot of work by my linemates to get me the puck."

Although the Ice Lions (16-3-1, 10-3-1) tallied nine goals, it was not one of those pretty games where forwards dazzle the fans with amazing skill.

Instead, it was the epitome of what head coach Pat Fung and his coaching staff have preached all year: a tough, physical game with strong defense and hard work.

"That's something we've been focusing on," Fung said. "We're not that flashy. We're not a gifted offensive team, but we do have a lot of fast, physical forwards and a lot of tough kids who are willing to put their time into the corners. And when we show up willing to do that, there isn't a team that can really give us a lot of trouble."

The Ice Lions came out right away and were able to cycle the puck behind the net and control the game down low in the Marist zone. The pressure eventually led to Smith's first goal on his line's first shift.

"Jimmy McClain got it to Bobby Finney, who basically had me wide open. He gave me a great pass and sent me in," Smith said. "I was all alone, deke the goalie and put it between his legs."

Smith scored twice in the first period to put Penn State up 2-0, but then for a span in the first, Marist controlled the play and had chances, but was thwarted by yet another senior, goalie Dan Koletsky, who played well but said he has room to improve.

"Tonight wasn't my best performance. You have highs and lows, and I try to be as consistent as possible. Obviously, tonight a couple went in that I would like to have back, but the main point is that the team was in a position to win and we won, and that's what we go for."

Koletsky played his best in the first, making solid saves when Marist had chances, and diving out of the net to poke a puck out of the reach of a Marist forward.

"Desperation save early on. What can I say, sometimes you have to dive and get lucky," Koletsky said. "I think it was a rebound shot, so I had the first one, and I recovered and kind of made a little of a desperation save and I was able to get it."