Coming into the season, the Penn State Icers knew what to expect from junior forward Tim O'Brien. Freshman forward Dominic Morrone, however, is a completely different story.
While O'Brien has been the model of consistency, posting back-to-back 50-plus point seasons, Morrone is in his first season with the team. But Morrone has proved he can contribute in a big way early in his career. The freshman, along with O'Brien, leads the Icers in points this season.
O'Brien leads the way with 18 points total, while Morrone is sitting close behind with 17. The production was expected from O'Brien, while Morrone's success as a freshman has been more of a pleasant surprise.
At the beginning of the year, coach Scott Balboni kept the two offensive stars apart. After some early games and less than stellar production from the two players, Balboni made the decision to play them on the same line.
Balboni believes both players' vision on the ice and early production together has led to the success.
"They have started to click and play really well together," Balboni said. "Because they have started to generate some offense, they have grown some confidence and some rapport."
O'Brien attributes his personal success to the rest of his line.
"A lot of the work comes from the guys you don't see who don't necessarily show up on the score sheet," O'Brien said. "A lot of the credibility I give to those guys for working hard and doing the dirty work."
O'Brien has also spent extra time in the off-season recovering from an injury in order to play at the level he expects. He believes this, as well as work during practice, has helped him to remain consistent. O'Brien believes working on little things like shooting and moving the puck, in addition to getting a feel for the other players on his line, has been a big part of his success.
Morrone sees O'Brien as an older player who has definitely helped him throughout the season as a mentor. O'Brien said he prides himself on being an upperclassman leader and enjoys teaching freshman like Morrone the little things.
Their combined success also stems from their competitive nature as players.
"I think for the most part we just push each other," said Morrone.
Both players believe the upcoming road trip this weekend will be a difficult test. The Icers travel this weekend to face the team directly behind them in the ACHA rankings, the No. 7 Rhode Island Rams.
O'Brien believes the Icers have their hands full with the Rams. The Rams also happen to be a division rival with strong fan support, so O'Brien knows the team will be entering a hostile environment.
"They're definitely not the seventh ranked team in the country in my opinion," said O'Brien. "They're definitely a little better than that."
