The words of Div. II ACHA Penn State Ice Lions head coach Pat Fung, describing his team's mentality toward their rematch Friday at 4:15 p.m. with NYU in Altoona say all you need to know.

"We're not taking a backseat to anybody Friday Night."

It is the first meeting since NYU's infamous 5-2 drubbing of Penn State in November.

It also, along with a game Saturday night at 10:15 against Liberty, officially closes out the regular season for the Ice Lions.

This weekend's games come on the heels of the announcement Tuesday that the Ice Lions had secured second place in the Northeast Ranking, and therefore, along with rival Stony Brook, clinched an automatic birth in the ACHA Nationals in Fort Collins, Colo. for the fifth consecutive season.

The bid also allows them to skip the regionals in Rochester. The wins over Marist last weekend and former second-place Siena two weeks ago allowed them to climb to number two this week. They also clinched the second seed in the SECHL playoffs Feb. 23-25 with the sweep.

"We're absolutely pumped up about the auto-bid," Fung said. "The guys worked pretty hard the end of the season. They're excited that all the work they put in paid off."

Despite the automatic berth, Fung still said that there was a lot of work to be done before nationals and the SECHL playoffs. He said that he was preparing his team for regionals and that the news puts their plans in stone for the near future.

"It's good just knowing what lies ahead for the next three weeks, he said.

This weekend allows the Ice Lions (16-3-1, 10-3-1) an opportunity to extoll revenge for what happened at NYU. It also is a chance to beat one of their most bitter rivals. And even though in terms of rankings and schedules, the game might not mean as much, the intensity level will still be high.

"They remember the loss in November," Fung said. "It's a little bit of revenge and a little bit of getting things worked out."

The game will also serve as a chance for the Ice Lions players to work out any kinks in their game before SECHL playoffs and nationals

Fung said that while his roster should be intact for Friday, he doesn't know yet what his lineup will look like for Saturday against Liberty.

"It's definitely a possibility,' Fung said. "Depending on how things go, we'll see how they feel and make a decision then."