It isn't the No. 2 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers' most productive or most physical line, yet it may very well be their most important.

The trio of forwards Brandon Rubeo, Jaime Zimmel and Paul Zodtner is rarely in the spotlight and has only combined for 18 goals this season. But it is what isn't recognized by the scoreboard that makes Penn State's third line crucial in the drive for an eighth national championship.

"You can't say enough about those guys. The energy, the aggressiveness ... they're just terrific hockey players," goaltender Chris Matteo said. "I really think that line is the heartbeat of our team.

"If they're asked to score, they score. If they're asked to play defense, they do that too, and they do a great job of it."

While Matteo was turning in two of the better performances of his career in net this past weekend against No. 4 Rhode Island, the BuZZ (B for Brandon, Z's for Zimmel and Zodtner) Line could also be heard making some major noise.

In Friday night's game, Rubeo, Zimmel and Zodtner, who always match up against their opponent's top line, sparked Penn State's offensive explosion by tallying a goal each and combining for five assists in the resounding, 6-1 win.

On Saturday, the line didn't register a point in the 3-2, shootout victory, but it did exactly what it was supposed to do and helped the team complete the sweep.

After dominating the Rams for 60 minutes on Friday, the Icers were badly outplayed in the first period on Saturday and trailed by 2 at the intermission. That's when the BuZZ Line -- the Icers' only line to play together since the first day of practice -- jumped into action.

"Our job is to give the rest of the team a jolt of energy when we need it, when everyone is kind of lethargic," Zodtner said. "Every time we go out there, we go out there thinking, 'What can we do, what kind of play can we make, what kind of hit can we make to make the team play harder, play a little tougher?'

"Some lines' jobs are to score goals, some are to play defense. Ours is to make a big play, it doesn't have to be a goal, and just give us a boost of energy any way we can."

For the remaining 40 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime, the BuZZ Line was everywhere: winning lose pucks, blocking shots, delivering big hits, setting up scoring chances. Rubeo, Zimmel and Zodtner brought life back into Icers when they desperately needed it and that's exactly what the three will need to continue to do as the postseason approaches.

Given Penn State's propensity to come out flat for some games, having a B12 shot sitting on the bench, ready to do whatever is needed, will be especially necessary when the Icers go through the rigors of potentially playing four games in four days at the ACHA National Tournament.

"Those guys are all about effort and energy," head coach Scott Balboni said. "They don't play with that big superstar mentality hanging over their heads; they just go out there and do their job every day."