Tick-tock.

Initially, the two-week break before the SECHL Championships this weekend for the ACHA Div. II Penn State Ice Lions sounded inviting. But two long weeks became more like two months.

Tick-tock.

Two weeks of practice, two weeks of preparation and two weeks of waiting.

Tick-tock.

But finally the waiting is over.

The SECHL Championships will take place this weekend at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, Conn. As the No. 2 seed, the Ice Lions will not play until 6:30 Saturday night, when they play the winner of No. 3 seed Siena and No. 6 seed Marist. The tournament's top seed, Stony Brook, will play 3:30 that afternoon against the winner of NYU-Central Conn. State, the 4-5 seed game.

For the Ice Lions, it is their first game action since their season-ending win against Liberty two weeks ago and the lone tune-up before the ACHA Nationals in Colorado March 7-10. Head coach Pat Fung says that while the two week break was a good chance for his players to rest and reload, the team is now ready to get the postseason started.

"They got back to work this week," Fung said. "They're very anxious to get up and play this weekend."

While the SECHL playoffs will be neither a detriment nor a benefit for the Ice Lions, it is still something they, and the other schools competing, take very seriously Fung said. Which is why he expects a hard fought game from either Siena or Marist, two teams the Ice Lions beat in the last month, Saturday night.

"We know what to expect from them," he said. "Whoever wins out in that game, I don't expect them to rollover."

What might make this weekend difficult for the Ice Lions is that they might have to win the league championship without two regulars in their lineup. Freshman forward Will Brunner suffered a broken rib in the Liberty game and, according to coach Fung, is done for the season. Senior defenseman Steve Wedner also has a bruised rib. Fung and the coaching staff are unsure of his status this weekend but will know in a couple of days.

What eases the loss of Brunner, and the possible loss of Wedner for Fung is that he has a freshman class that has performed quite well for him when called upon. It also helps that, as a group, they have rarely gone off track. It also helps that thanks to the leadership of the seniors, Fung, and his coaching staff, they are rarely frazzled as a group as well.

"[The seniors have] really taken the freshmen under their wing," Fung said.

And even though the SECHL title may not be the ultimate objective for the Ice Lions, it will make the waiting between this weekend and Nationals a little more bearable.

But right now, it's just the sound of the clock.

Tick-tock.

Time's up.