The number of Penn State Icers watching practice from the bleachers behind the team of trainers continues to grow.

Sophomore forward Kurt Collins is the latest Icer to join the group after coach Scott Balboni said he'll miss time with a sprain of the AC joint in his shoulder.

"He'll be out for a couple of weeks," Balboni said Tuesday. "Luckily, no major damage. He'll just have to rest it for a couple of weeks."

Collins injured the shoulder during last Saturday's 8-2 win against West Virginia, when he was tripped and hit the boards hard. He went to the bench and left the game later, pinning his left arm to his midsection.

Collins is the fourth forward currently out with injuries for the Icers, joining Matt Kirstein, Taylor Cera and Dave Herel. It could've been five, as Nick Seravalli also left the game Saturday, but he practiced Tuesday and Balboni said he was fine.

Statistically, the loss of Collins wouldn't have been as big as the loss of Seravalli -- who had 11 points in 10 games this season -- but both forwards have carved out a niche in Balboni's lineup.

Still, four forwards -- three of them upperclassmen -- out of the lineup with Penn State getting ready to embark on a four-game road trip puts a lot of stress on an already young corps.

"Last year we had quite a few injuries, but it was more midseason when it happened," sophomore forward Paul Daley said. "Definitely not this early. This is the fifth weekend and we're already missing a bunch of guys."

In recent weeks, Balboni has been using more and more of his forwards.

Joe Zitarelli has played in three of the last four games. And while Dustin Roux finally saw his first game action last Friday, Mike Broccolo is becoming an everyday player for Balboni.

Balboni said he has enough healthy forwards to fill out his lines this weekend, so he won't have to make a move like moving a defenseman to a forward. He also said he doesn't know who will be on the active roster this weekend because he is waiting to hear if a couple of players will be cleared to play.

But he did say that all of his young forwards who are available will be in the lineup at Navy. And for him, it's a positive to take out of the current situation because it creates a competitive environment at practice.

"We've got a lot of guys hurt," Balboni said. "The silver lining to this is that a lot of the younger guys who might not have gotten an opportunity to play right away are getting an opportunity to play right away. They're getting some looks from me and they're getting to learn the system, and I think that will only help us in the long run."