After suffering their third loss of the season to Liberty last Saturday, the No. 2 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers felt like they needed a break. Luckily, that is exactly what they got.

In the midst of a rough season that has caused the extended injuries of many starters, Thanksgiving break allowed Penn State's players to recuperate. Thanks to nearly an entire week off from games and practice, the break has brought some much-needed energy back into their games. It is crucial the team gets back into playing shape because it will be facing two games with No. 6 Delaware this weekend as well as four others to total six games in the span of just two weeks.

"It was nice to go away and regroup," senior forward Sean Kenney said. "Now we're back and it seemed to get things a little more spirited. Before it was kind of dragging on, but now it seems the guys are a lot more into it and more focused."

Although junior Andrew Magulick and senior Matt Schwartz will be absent the rest of the fall semester because of respective knee and foot injuries, junior Steve Peck used the break to rest and get closer to being on the ice. Peck has been out for the last three weeks of games because of a stinger in his leg he suffered earlier in the season.

Peck started skating during Icers' practices this week but was not wearing pads. Coach Scott Balboni said he is not ready for full contact and it will probably be another week before Peck is back in action for Penn State.

In addition to resting injuries, Balboni said it was good for his players to get their minds refreshed and away from hockey and school.

"It worked out being a nice thing for them because they're banged up," he said. "But they also have school and finals and job interviews along with all of our demands down here for hockey. Otherwise, it gets tiring."

Like many of his players, Balboni used the break to spend time with his family and unwind. However, as the head coach, he said hockey is never really off of his mind.

Recruiting was another primary focus of his vacation. He spent time with possible future players on the phone as well as making a trip to New England to watch a select few play. Assistant coach Matt Bertani also worked on future recruits and made a trip to Pittsburgh to preview some players.

"I ended up working on our lineups and recruited, but it was good to get out of the rink," Balboni said. "It's a long season for us coaches as well as players going from September to March non-stop so it was appreciated."

Even though Balboni suggested the players get hockey off of their minds for a few days, Kenney said that just isn't an option.

"If you want to try and keep hockey off your mind, you probably shouldn't be playing," he said. "I tried to stay out side and stay active as much as I could, because once you start laying around, you can lose it pretty quickly."

Junior forward Luke DeLorenzo said he also thought about hockey during break and it managed to be a topic of conversation at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

"Hockey is always on my mind," he said.

"At the table we talked about the team and our trip to Arizona. The [Pittsburgh] Penguins played that night, too, so obviously we had to talk about that too."

With games only a few days away once more, the team is now rejuvenated and able to focus solely on hockey.

"We're looking to get back on track," Balboni said.

"We were tired and we started to get away from our game plan. Now we're refreshed and we can't use 'tired' as an excuse. We're worrying about our game not so much the other team."