Not many teams have slowed down the Penn State ACHA Division I Icers this season, but Indiana University of Pennsylvania head coach Dan Hestin is wishing for the best.

"Hopefully they all break their skate blades before the game," he said.

The Icers move up and down the ice as well as anyone in the ACHA, Hestin said, adding Penn State is the fastest team IUP has played all season.

That speed has created problems for opposing teams all year, and the Icers are always looking for a way to utilize their quickness.

"Being one of the fastest teams in the league allows us to take more chances in the opposition's zone," Penn State junior forward Jaime Zimmel said. "With our speed we can cover for the defenseman and get back to back check."

Penn State has used this advantage to score on breakaways and odd-man rushes of their own. In last week's games against Delaware, the Icers had a breakaway goal on the penalty kill and scored on a 2-on-1 to seal the sweep.

Icers coach Scott Balboni has worked on team speed since he became coach last season with one-on-one and two-on-one drills that keep the players feet moving.

"One of my marquee points is transition and speed," Balboni said. "We go the other way constantly. Instead of circling around when we get the puck, we just stop and go back the other way to ensure a faster-type game."

By keeping the pace of the game up, the Icers look to catch teams off guard, Balboni said. All the speed and strategy starts in practice.

Tuesday and Wednesday's practices usually work on the team speed with back checking drills where players stop on a dime and chase the puck back into their own zone.

This neutral-zone transition game has the biggest impact on the game, Zimmel said. The flow and high-tempo drills help the team get even faster.

It's clear that Balboni realizes the importance of speed with the recruitment of freshman forward Chris Pronchik.

"Pronchik is the fastest player on the team by far, without a doubt," Balboni said. "Zimmel and [Brandon] Rubeo are also some of our fastest guys, and Nate Obringer is deceptively quick."

It's these players that allow the Icers to enforce the faster type of game that has become a major concern for the teams in the ACHA.

"To beat them you almost have to get lucky," Hestin said. "You must stay disciplined, and you can't run and gun with them. Their overall talent is really good, and speed is one of their greatest attributes."