The No. 10 Penn State Lady Icers (17-10-0, 6-7-0 ECWHL) will begin a four-game home stand against the University of Delaware tonight at 9:15 and No. 6 University of Connecticut tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

Penn State faced both opponents earlier this season, defeating Delaware, 17-2, and losing to UCONN, 7-1.

Penn State coach Michael Brinton expects both games this weekend to be much closer than the previous meetings with the two teams.

Delaware's backup goalie allowed Penn State to score at will in the first meeting.

"Their backup was really not a quality goaltender," Brinton said. "That Delaware team was not happy with the fact we scored as much as we did."

Delaware has a shot at making the national tournament if it defeats Penn State. With this bid on the line, Brinton expects Delaware to put up a much better fight than last time.

"I expect them to come out ready to give us a game," Brinton said. "I would not be shocked if the beginning of this game is a little chippy and a little bit rough."

In the end, though, Brinton expects his team's talent level to outshine Delaware's.

In a 7-1 loss against UCONN two weeks ago, the Lady Icers played tired and were still not used to playing without impact-freshman defenseman Ceili Stahl, who is still recovering from a concussion.

Senior captain Dana Voelker has since stepped it up on defense, and junior goalie Gena Goldbaum is looking to prove that some of the goals she gave up at UCONN were a fluke.

"I think if were able to keep it close, it'll be a totally different game than it was in Connecticut," Brinton said. "We have to play better in our own zone and play better defensively."

In the midst of losing two games against Norwich University last weekend by a combined score of 16-2, Brinton was still pleased with the way his team responded when faced with a huge deficit.

This weekend the Lady Icers will be looking to prove they can play with the same attitude in what Brinton expects to be two close games.

"It really showed what we had to give and hopefully the effort will translate into some wins in the next couple of weeks."