Nate Obringer used to wake up at 4 a.m. on weekends in the middle of winter. Battling the cold, harsh conditions of western Pennsylvania, his father Tim Obringer would take Nate to practice on the one outdoor ice rink at Schenley Park.

Now as a member of No. 2 Penn State ACHA Division I Icers, Obringer has emerged as a scoring threat and senior leader who's looking to cap his collegiate career with a national championship.

No one in Obringer's family played hockey, but he benefited from growing up in Pittsburgh in the early '90s.

"People in the area call kids who started playing at that time 'Mario Lemieux hockey players,' " Tim Obringer said. "I remember watching the Stanley Cups with him in '91 and '92, and it's when he really fell in love with the game."

Nate Obringer was fortunate enough to be on hand when Lemieux scored his 600th goal against the Vancouver Canucks. He sat against the glass in the corner where Lemieux scored and said the crowd was the craziest he had ever seen.

Ever since, Obringer's passion has been hockey. He worked on his skill set throughout playing hockey in high school and two years of juniors.

The work paid off when Obringer transferred to Penn State after playing his freshman year with Washington and Jefferson -- a move that he relishes to this day.

"It's been a wonderful experience. We are a close-knit bunch on and off the ice," Obringer said. "Everyone's here for the same goal and being with the same guys for the last three years is awesome."

Coming to Penn State also allowed Obringer to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. His father, a chemical engineer, was a major influence in his decision.

"My dad was always hard on me growing up in school, but always helped me to be the best I could be," Obringer said. "I was good at math and science and hated writing papers, so I thought I'd give engineering a shot."

His relationship with his father goes back to the 5 a.m. practices.

When playing juniors for Central Pittsburgh, there was only one outdoor ice rink at Schenley Park where the league's teams could practice. If the schedule was full, Obringer's team had to practice at 5 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Tim Obringer made sure he was up every weekend at 4 a.m. to get his son to practice on time.

Now years later, Tim Obringer still takes time out of his schedule to watch his son play. He already has taken vacation time to watch his son compete in the national tournament in early March, he said.

Those early practices -- made possible by Tim Obringer -- have led to success on the ice this season for Nate Obringer.

Obringer is fourth on the team in points with 39 after last Friday's game, and he leads the team in shorthanded goals with four. Two weeks ago against rival Rhode Island, Obringer scored shorthanded to tie the game in the third period, as the Icers came back from two goals down for the 3-2 victory.

"He is a tenacious player that is non-stop at both ends of the ice," Penn State coach Scott Balboni said. "He's one of our key players and leaders who doesn't get enough credit for playing great defense against other team's top lines and battling for loose pucks."

Balboni added that when Obringer first arrived in Happy Valley, he played on the third and fourth lines, but with a couple of years of hard work developing his skills, he has emerged as a key player.

Obringer has also earned the respect and confidence of his teammates.

"Nate can score from anywhere on the ice and has the knack to scoring the big goal," Icers' forward Luke DeLorenzo said.

"He's great on faceoffs, even though it gets overlooked, and has a great one-timer."

DeLorenzo added that Obringer had one of the best offensive skill sets on the team, with great hands, strong skating and a big shot that makes him dangerous on the power play.

Despite the success Obringer has had, he said his career rests in mechanical engineering. He hopes to follow in his father's footsteps by attending graduate school here next fall.

"My dad is my greatest motivator and the reason why I'm going into engineering," Obringer said.

"He never played hockey, but he always followed me around and drove me to 5 a.m. practices. I have to give him most of the credit to where I'm at."