There was a new man running the point of the power play this week at the No. 3 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers practice -- head coach Scott Balboni.

Balboni was filling in on drills to give his players some rest during practice, as five Icers won't be making the trip to Rhode Island because of injuries and personal reasons.

The rest of the team will make the trip to play the No. 2 Rams (11-1-0, ESCHL 5-1-0) at 7 tonight and 7 p.m. tomorrow at Brad Boss Arena. These two games will end the Icers' six-game road trip, their longest of the season.

The Icers (10-1-2, ESCHL 8-0-0) will look to retake the No. 2 spot it lost after a weekend split with Ohio three weeks ago.

"Rhode Island is well coached, but they're a very young team," Balboni said. "We have to take advantage of our experience to get away with the victories."

Last season the Icers got four victories over the Rams by a combined score of 18-8. It will be a difficult test this weekend with so many players out.

"We have to stick to our systems and stay out of the penalty box," Penn State junior forward Jaime Zimmel said. "If we don't stay disciplined, it's going to be a long weekend because we're undermanned."

Among the injured players is senior forward Matt Schwartz with a foot injury and junior forward Steve Peck with a stinger affecting his leg. Junior defenseman Andrew Magulick remains out for the semester with a knee injury.

All three of these players usually see plenty of ice time, and their loss will impact the games.

Rhode Island is a rival of Penn State on the ice, and always brings its best game, Zimmel said, adding the games are usually faster and more physical.

Despite knowing the Rams well, Balboni wanted to get a fresh look at the youthful team.

"We had someone go out and videotape some of their games from this season," Balboni said. "We know them as well as anyone, but it never hurts to get to see the most recent footage."

Penn State is viewing themselves as the underdogs going into the games, Balboni said. This will be the first time this season they are the lower ranked team heading into action.

Even with injuries that could hamper their play, the team remains optimistic about their chances.

"We have to go into the games mentally and physically prepared to win," Balboni said. "If we play well and execute our game play we can steal two victories in a difficult environment."