Last weekend's slate of games created a different atmosphere for the No. 2 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers.

Maybe it was because Penn State fans packed the Greenberg Ice Pavilion more than they have been all season.

It's also possible that the four Icers players returning from the World University Games gave the team a mental and physical boost.

But the primary reason for the elevated energy level on the ice on Friday and Saturday was the blue "URI" on the opponents' sweaters and the chance for Penn State to sweep one of its most hated rivals.

"It feels great to beat them," Icers forward Lukas DeLorenzo said. "Whenever you play a top-four team, it's always important to win. It's not so much for bragging rights, but it sets us up for going into nationals and that's the most important thing."

Penn State hadn't played against a team currently ranked in the top 10 in the ACHA since Nov. 18, when it swept Rhode Island on the road. With the season coming to a close, the Rams left town with two more losses and a lot of questions.

"We're trying to figure out what [our players] are doing," Rams head coach Joe Augustine said. "They're not playing like they did last year. We only lost one guy [from last season's championship team], but we look like a completely different team. I think they lost heart."

After playing against the likes of Pitt, Scranton and West Chester since returning from break, Rhode Island -- a team that beat Penn State four of five times last year, including the ACHA national title game -- posed a true test for the Icers and their long-term aspirations.

Penn State and Rhode Island were battling for position in the rankings, which gave the regular season game the feel of a do-or-die scenario. The two teams also have a very good chance of seeing each other in the late rounds of the national tournament, adding to the tension on the ice.

When a Rhode Island player took a vicious hit from Icers forward Frank Berry on Friday night, he stood up briefly, legs wobbling, and collapsed in a heap onto the ice. That's what kind of weekend it was, with harder hits and more trash talking than the Ice Pavilion has seen all season.

"When you play someone that much it starts to grow heated a little bit. Our guys take it personally when they're talking junk before the game about us and I'm sure they take it personally," Penn State coach Scott Balboni said.

And over the next few weeks, Penn State can expect more of the same. It will play its archrival, Ohio, on the road next weekend. At the beginning of March, the Icers will have a chance to validate a year's worth of work at the ACHA national tournament.

Rhode Island was just the start of their trip.

"If we stay healthy and the goaltending stays strong, I think we absolutely have a shot when we go to nationals," Balboni said. "[Last game] showed me a lot about these guys."