In a weekend with three consecutive days of hockey, the Penn State ACHA Division I Icers dominated with three wins.
The No. 2 Icers (8-1-2) finished their busy weekend stint, outscoring their opponents 18-1. This included a 5-1 win on Friday night against Indiana University of Pennsylvania at home, and two wins, 4-0 and 9-0, at Scranton on Saturday and yesterday, respectively.
Icers coach Scott Balboni said it is very difficult to play as many games in a row as they did, and his team had strong performances all weekend long.
"I was pleased with the job our team did all-around," he said. "One, we shot the puck more, and two, we stayed disciplined."
The discipline Balboni spoke of was crucial in the wins. In the Icers' previous games this season, penalty problems plagued the team. It committed only 14 minutes of penalties in Friday's game and only 12 and 18 minutes on Saturday and yesterday, respectively. Senior forward Matt Schwartz said the reduction of penalties allowed the team to play more fluidly.
"It really helped us in these games to reduce the penalties and avoid to have to kill them," he said. "In past weeks, we battled through games to kill penalties but since we didn't have to as much [this weekend], we were able to focus in on other parts of the game."
The Icers' goalies helped the team succeed as well, only allowing one goal the entire weekend.
The consecutive stretch of games was cause for Balboni to play all of the teams' goalies to keep each one fresh and rested. Balboni said even though his goalies didn't face too many shots on goal, they stepped up to block shots in key situations and preserve the wins.
The Icers also showed their superiority in their offensive game plan. In total, the Icers' shots on goal amounted to more than three times that of their opponents, 145-42.
In Friday's game, they out shot IUP 58-18 while amassing five goals and only allowing one. Penn State seemed quicker and more focused, allowing them to control the puck in the Crimson Hawk zone. Balboni said staying focused was an issue the team had addressed.
"I kept telling them to keep moving the puck and keep executing," Balboni said. "It was something we had talked about during the week, and I felt the guys dealt with it very well."
This was the first time since 1983 Penn State played IUP, and the last game was a 19-0 rout.
The team continued its stellar play on Saturday and yesterday, outscoring Scranton 13-0 in two games. Penn State outshot the Royals 87-24 in the two games combined. Again, the penalty minutes were kept low, with 12 on Saturday and 18 yesterday.
The pattern of defeating Scranton by large margins was not new to the Icers. The teams met earlier in the year, two games in which Penn State shut out the Royals 5-0 and 9-0. Balboni said he was very proud of his team's play against Scranton.
"I felt it was great what we did against [Scranton]," he said. "We finished off the league series with them and didn't allow a goal."
Overall, the team as well as the coach was satisfied in the way it played. Schwartz said it was the little things that helped the most.
"I just thought we did a great job overall," he said. "We couldn't have asked for more."
