During practice this week, the Penn State ACHA Division I Icers sported more "no contact" jerseys because of injuries than ever before.

To prepare for complications stemming from those injuries, coach Scott Balboni has come up with emergency line mix-ups and substitution possibilities for the ACHA national tournament, which starts Saturday.

"We have four that practiced and one in the stands that are nicked and bruised," Balboni said.

"They got either pulled or strained muscles but they're all good to go. It's just a matter of I'm not going to let them get hit."

The injured players Balboni referred to were senior Matt Schwartz, sophomore Matt Kirstein and juniors Frank Berry, Brandon Rubeo and Craig Brooks. With the exception of Berry, they're all cleared to play in the upcoming games. But, Balboni said he doesn't want to take any chances when it comes to the possibility of reaching an 11th straight championship game.

Balboni said the new lines will likely not be used, but he wants to be prepared if the injury bug bites again.

"This time of year guys are realizing that we're just getting what we need to win," said senior Sean Kenney, who's starting on a different line this week.

"We're down to the last week of the season here and everyone is just working hard and getting ready to go regardless what line they're on."

Kenney was moved because Berry suffered an undisclosed injury three weeks ago against Delaware and, pending a Tuesday MRI, his playing status is not yet known.

The biggest switch may be for junior Andrew Magulick, who moved from defenseman to forward.

Magulick has been shuffled between positions last season but hasn't played forward since the 2006-2007 season.

"We have a very deep team this year and I'm coming off of an injury, so the move didn't surprise me," Magulick said.

"Coach said he wanted to get me into the lineup any way he can, so it's better to get to nationals and not have the need for me to play forward than getting up there and not having it either way."

Magulick is replacing the void normally filled by senior Bryan Sobonya, who suffered a broken arm against Delaware earlier this month.

Magulick said his task as a forward will be taking a physical position in front of the net and distributing the puck to his linemates, juniors Luke DeLorenzo and Steve Peck.

"Those guys are obviously extremely skilled players," Magulick said.

"I'm there to give them some space and get the puck to [DeLorenzo] because he's a pure goal scorer, plain and simple."

The final roster position that poses a dilemma for Balboni is between the pipes. Both junior Nick Signet and freshman Ed Hume have proven reliable for the Icers this season with .926 and .940 save percentages, respectively.

Balboni said he has two or three different scenarios on how he will rotate his goaltenders during the tournament, but he won't know for sure until the team is in Rochester.

"I'm very opposed to playing one guy a game," Balboni said "I asked Nick and Ted what they'd be more comfortable with. I'll probably go with what they feel stronger about and hopefully that will go along with what I was thinking and we'll build something together."

Last year, Balboni played Signet the first game of the tournament and then turned over goaltending duties to Chris Matteo, who has since graduated. Balboni said it is difficult to figure out how to keep consistency in his net without tiring out any one goal tender.

He added that, ideally, consistency in the net would be best for the team, but the stamina factor could pose a problem.

"We're trying to keep it pretty consistent this time of year but there's a little change right now because of injury and who's going to be 100 percent healthy," Balboni said. "But for the most part, I'm hoping we'll see the exact same lineup we had against Delaware [in the ESCHL tournament], and I expect to find success in that."