For most teams, losing a player who tallied 17 goals and 25 assists the year before would be a crushing blow.
The Penn State Icers aren't most teams.
After senior captain and major offensive leader Matt Kirstein went down with a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL), the Icers never skipped a beat.
Penn State responded with 18 goals this past weekend, the second most it has scored in any weekend this season.
For the season, Penn State has scored 62 goals and averaged roughly six goals a game. The Icers have scored six or more goals five times this season, including outbursts of 15 against Towson and 10 against West Virginia.
When the Icers play like this offensively, they don't believe any team can stop them.
"We're too deep and every guy is a very good hockey player," forward Paul Daley said. "Everyone knows what to do, everyone can switch in and out of positions so I don't think anyone can beat us when we're at the top of our game."
That depth has always been Penn State's mantra according to Icers coach Scott Balboni, and the Icers flexed that depth against West Virginia.
This past weekend, 12 different players found their way into the goal column as the Icers cruised to two easy victories.
"This year we have a lot of depth in our offense and with our forwards and obviously we've been lucky because we've had a lot of injuries so far this year," Balboni said. "Luckily, we haven't seen much drop-off in our production."
Those injuries, outside of Kirstein, belong to Taylor Cera and Kurt Collins, who are currently nursing various injuries.
Penn State believes the continuation of its offensive potency, despite injuries to key players, stems from a familiarity with their linemates.
For the past couple of weekends, the Icers have used the same lineup and believe that the chemistry formed has paid dividends on the ice.
"When you play with the same guys for a long period of time, it becomes easier to know what those guys do on the ice and just makes it a little simpler," forward Tim O'Brien said. "It's not hard to pick up with new line combinations and what not, but in my own opinion, it's easier to play when you stay with the same guys for a period of time."
According to Balboni, those lines will remain the same this weekend despite those injuries as Penn State travels to Navy.
When Cera, Collins and Kirstein eventually return to the lineup, the Icers don't anticipate any negative impact on this newfound chemistry.
"I think guys will come back and they'll make practice and games more intense with guys who are healthy competing for lineup spots," Daley said. "That'll just make everyone better week-to-week."
