The ACHA's fourth regular season ranking will not be released until Friday, so this week's Roundup will feature the same rankings that were released on November 7. This weekend's slate of games includes No. 1 Illinois taking on No. 2 Lindenwood, as well as a pair of other top-10 matchups. Here's how everyone did this past weekend and what they have coming up.

1. Illinois (29 1st place votes) - Record: 13-1-0 Last Week: The Illini swept No. 12 Michigan-Dearborn, winning 9-1 Friday and 10-1 Saturday. Up Next: at No. 2 Lindenwood. Illinois shut Michigan-Dearborn down offensively; the Wolves had scored 98 goals in their previous 15 games.

2. Lindenwood (7) - Record: 16-1-1 Last Week: Lindenwood beat Eastern Michigan 12-2 Friday and 7-5 Saturday. Up Next: vs. No. 1 Illinois. The Lions have outscored their opponents 138-37 this season.

3. Penn State (5) - Record: 11-2-0 Last Week: The Icers swept Navy, winning 7-2 Friday and 5-0 Saturday. Up Next: at No. 10 Rhode Island. Goalie Teddy Hume notched Penn State's first shutout of the season in Saturday's win.

4. Liberty - Record: 13-3-1 Last Week: The Flames split a closely-contested series with No. 5 Delaware. Liberty fell Friday 5-3 but won Saturday 4-3. Up Next: at No. 18 Oakland. Liberty has five players with at least 20 points scored this season, led by Robert Vanwynsberghe's 32.

5. Delaware (1) - Record: 10-3-2 Last Week: The Blue Hens split with No. 4 Liberty. Delaware won Friday's contest 5-3 before falling Saturday by a score of 4-3. Up Next: a home-and-home series with Drexel; Delaware will host the Dragons Friday before traveling to Philadelphia for Saturday's game. The Blue Hens are just 2-2 in their past four games after starting the season 8-1-2.

6. Oklahoma - Record: 12-2-0 Last Week: The Sooners beat No. 11 Central Oklahoma Friday by a score of 3-1, but fell in Saturday's game 2-1. Up Next: vs. No. 7 Iowa State. Even though Oklahoma has only played 14 games, they have three players who have scored at least a dozen goals. Kyle Allan leads the Sooners with 15 scores.

7. Iowa State - Record: 15-2-1 Last Week: The Cyclones beat No. 9 Kent State Friday by a score of 3-2. The two teams tied at 7 in Saturday night's game. Up Next: at No. 6 Oklahoma. This weekend's road trip to Norman will be strange for Iowa State - they have played only two away games this season.

8. West Chester - Record: 9-4-0 Last Week: The Golden Rams beat Villanova 6-4 Friday. In Saturday's game, West Chester knocked off No. 19 Stony Brook 6-3. Up Next: West Chester will play a home-and-home series with Towson; Friday's game will be at West Chester. The Golden Rams have two 30-point scorers this season despite only playing 13 games: Jim Gehring (31) and Pat Johnson (30).

9. Kent State - Record: 9-5-1 Last Week: The Golden Flashes fell to No. 7 Iowa State 3-2 Friday before tying Saturday's game at 7-all. Up Next: Kent State will take on Washington & Jefferson Friday and Adrian Saturday. Both games are at home. The Golden Flashes are the fourth team from the Central States Collegiate Hockey League in the Top 10. The other three are No. 1 Illinois, No. 2 Lindenwood and No. 7 Iowa State.

10. Rhode Island - Record: 10-4-1 Last Week: The Rams beat Wesleyan University (an NCAA Division III school) by a score of 6-4 in Rhode Island's only game of the weekend. Up Next: vs. No. 3 Penn State. The Rams are 8-1 at home this season, but just 2-3 on the road (their overtime loss came at a neutral site at the hands of No. 11 Central Oklahoma at the ACHA Showcase).

- Patrick

Welcome back to Between the Pipes for the final game of the series between the No. 3 Penn State Icers and the Navy Midshipmen. Coming off a 7-2 win last night, the Icers are now 3-0 against the Midshipmen this season.

This is the Icers final tune-up before next weekend's much-anticipated showdown with the No. 10 Rhode Island Rams.

Moving the focus back to tonight's game, Teddy Hume will start in net again tonight for the Icers. This will be Hume's third straight start and seventh appearance overall this season. With last night's win, the sophomore is now sporting a perfect 5-0-0 record this season and a record of 14-1-1 for his career.

We're just under 10 minutes away from faceoff, stick around.

1st Period

Puck is dropped and this one is underway.

Penn State, very similar to last night, is putting pressure on early. Three quick shots on net were all turned away by Jameson Marshall, who is getting the start in net tonight for Navy.

Marshall took over for Jeremey Estevez with 8:23 left in the first period last night after the Icers jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. He played pretty well in relief, holding the Icers scoreless for the rest of the period and all of the second. Penn State finally seemed to figure him out a little bit, scoring three third period goals, but it was still an overall solid performance turned in by Marshall -- 27 saves on 30 shots after the starter Estevez had just five save on nine shots.

Early penalty on Navy will put the Icers on the power play.

And they waste no time taking advantage of it. Penn State goal by Matt Kirstein, his eighth of the season.

That was a lot like Penn State's lone power play goal last night. Despite the Icers going just one for four on the power play, the one goal they did score came just 10 seconds after the power play started. This one came only 18 seconds into the first power play opportunity of the night. Icers lead 1-0.

According to FightOnState.com's Steve Penstone, attendance is a lot lower tonight than last night. I'm sure the football game down there today has something to do with it. For those of you who don't know, the Midshipmen were at home today against Notre Dame, with the Irish coming out on top 27-21 after almost blowing a 27-7 lead with two minutes left. I'd comment more on that game, but growing up a ND fan (I know I know, sorry) it would probably be slightly biased.

Oh yeah, back to the hockey game, Penn State continues to control much of the action, but not getting too many scoring chances as Navy is just clearing it out of the zone as Penn State continues to bring it in.

And this time they're called for icing. Just over 10 minutes left in the opening period, faceoff in the Navy zone.

Nothing comes of that and after Penn State comes up with the puck in its own zone, Brent Tranter cleared it away and Penn State was called for icing. Action slowing down to almost a stand still with the back-to-back icings.

Another icing call, this one on Navy. Icings tonight are like penalties last night -- seemingly non-stop.

Cera just had his stick chopped in half by a Navy defender. That may make things slightly more difficult for him for the time being.

Cleared out, but Penn State brings it back in and establishes the offense in the Navy zone. But Navy is content just to clear it out again.

Penn State goal! Senior Andrew Magulick's first of the season puts the Icers ahead 2-0.

Not much offensively from Navy so far tonight. The majority of the first period has involved Penn State bringing it in the Navy zone, Navy clearing it out, Penn State chasing it down, bringing it back in the zone. Repeat.

Navy called for a high-sticking penalty and Penn State will go on the power play. On the only other power play opportunity of the night, the Icers scored just 18 seconds into the Navy penalty.

I was just about to say this powerplay is nothing like that first one, but then...the Icers scored. 3-0, Icers.

The reason I was ready to say that was because the Icers didn't even fire a shot in the first minute of the power play, but then when they finally did put on net, it went in.

Shots on goal are 11-4 in favor of Penn State, in a first period that has been much like the opening period in last night's game, in which the Icers outscored Navy 4-0.

Navy should get some relief from all the pressure Penn State has been putting on as they are about to go on a power play. An Icers penalty with 47 seconds left in the period will give the Midshipmen a man-advantage for the final 47 seconds of this period and the first 1:13 of the second.

Navy makes a charge into the zone, but Tranter clears it away and time expires as the puck slides down the ice.

After one the Icers lead it 3-0. We'll be back for the start of the second in just a bit.

2nd Period

Don't forget Navy is on the power play here for the first 1:13 of the period. Play is underway, Navy brings it in, but taken away by Luke DeLorenzo and cleared out.

By the time Navy chases it down and play goes back-and-forth a little, the penalty is over and it's back to full strength.

And now Penn State will go on the power play. Not a good thing for Navy, as the Icers have scored on both of their other power play opportunities tonight.

Penn State has established its power play offense in the zone, moving the puck around, looking for a shot. Put it on net, but Marshall covers up and a face off coming up.

The Icers win the draw, but can't keep it in. They bring it back in and fire a shot, but Marshall stops and holds it for another faceoff.

Well, Penn State's power play is unsuccessful for the first time in three tries tonight.

And now its penalty kill unit will take the ice following a Penn State penalty. These guys might have more ice time than anyone this weekend. There was a lot of penalties called last night. And I mean, like, a lot.

The Icers continue to handle the penalties well, killing off another Navy power play attempt.

Just over 10 minutes left in the second, no score yet in the second, Icers still lead 3-0.

Both teams getting some shots now with end-to-end action, but nothing to show for it either way.

Two centering passes are unsuccessful for the Icers and Navy brings it right down and get a couple shots on Hume, but he turns them away.

Back the other way, Chris Cerutti fires a shot that's turned away by Marshall. Back-and-forth they continue to go, much different from the first period and even the earlier part of this period. Six minutes to go in the second.

This game has been pretty similar to last night's in terms of Penn State scoring. After four first-period goals last night, the Icers were hold scoreless in the second. Tonight, three goals in the first, none so far here in the second.

They've reached the three-minute mark here in the second, still 3-0, Icers.

Navy brought it in and a centering pass nearly resulted in the first Midshipmen goal of the night, but Hume turned it away. He hasn't been tested much so far tonight, but he's been solid the few times that he has, keeping the shutout intact.

Another save by Hume. Gave up the rebound, but the Icers cleared it away from the commotion in front.

There was probably a lot more action in that period than the first, but no goals come out of it. Both teams had some chances and went back-and-forth quite a bit, but the two goalies stepped up and kept the puck out of the net.

After two, Icers still lead 3-0.

One period to go, we'll be back for the start of the third after the intermission.

3rd Period

And here we go, Penn State is now less than 20 minutes away from posting a perfect 4-0 record against the Midshipmen in the regular season this year.

Navy controlling the action here to start the third, much like it did near the end of the second, putting a few shots on Hume, but still no goals.

That might come to an end now, though, as Navy picks up a penalty, putting the Icers on another power play.

And sure enough, it does. Third power-play goal of the night for the Icers, this one from Brandon Rubeo. Icers lead 4-0.

Icers penalty and Navy will have a PP opportunity now.

Breakaway opportunity for DeLorenzo, but his shot attempt slides wide of the net.

Another shot for Penn State, they've put more shots on goal than the Midshipmen during this Navy power play.

Back to full strength now, not a good power play for Navy at all.

And now it's going to be the other way around. A Navy penalty will give the Icers their sixth power play of the night. They've converted three of the first five for goals.

After killing off that penalty, the Midshipmen will go on another power play as the teams continue to alternate penalties.

Not much time has been spent at full strength this weekend.

Midway point here in the third, 10 minutes left.

Jaime Zimmel clears it down the ice, as the Icers look to kill off yet another Navy power play.

Back to full strength.

Seven minutes left. The last two periods have been nothing like the first. After dominating the open period of play, Penn State has struggled to establish any regular pressure on the Midshipmen.

Five-minute major penalty against Navy after a hit from behind on Craig Brooks. That should just about do it for this one. The Icers will be on the power play for five of the last six minutes of play, and they've dominated anytime they've had the man advantage tonight.

It'd be surprising if Navy could just hold Penn State scoreless over these five minutes, let

alone score four unanswered goals.

And as if that wasn't enough, Charlie Daniel (had to get his name in here at least once tonight) picks up a penalty, giving the Icers a 5-on-3 advantage now with just over four minutes left in regulation.

Both penalties winding down now. One minute left in the major, 30 seconds in the two-minute minor. The puck has been in the Navy zone for most of the power play, but no goals yet.

Daniel out of the box, but the Icers get their fourth power play goal of the night soon after. 5-0, Icers. Only about 20 seconds left in the major penalty now.

The penalty is over and it's back to full strength. It's interesting to think about what this game might have been like without all the power play chances. Penn State got four of its five goals on the power play, with Magulick scoring the only even strength goal. Shots on goal are surprisingly close: Penn State 29, Navy 26. So not nearly as one-sided of a game as last night in terms of shots on goal or time on attack, but it was the one place that actually matters with the Icers winning 5-0.

Game over. Icers win.

Hume picks up the shutout, stopping all 26 Navy shots, and imrpoves to 6-0 on the season after picking up two road wins this weekend in Annapolis.

It's still pretty early on a Saturday night, so I'm outta here for now. Be sure to check Monday's Collegian for full coverage of this weekend's games and, of course, right back here on Between the Pipes as we keep you updated on everything Icers and the ACHA.

Final score: Icers 5, Midshipmen 0.

-Paul

Well Icers fans, welcome to Between the Pipes. For a lot of you, this will be your way of keeping up to date on the Icers as they spend the next few weeks on the road.

After playing two games this weekend in Annapolis vs. Navy, the Icers will be in Rhode Island next week for a two-game showdown with the No. 10 Rams. Then, after a weekend off for the Thanksgiving holiday, they have a home-and-home series the first weekend in December against No. 8 West Chester.

As always, it should be interesting to see who's in net tonight and tomorrow for the Icers. At this point, I'm ready to turn the page on calling this a "goalie competition," and just say they have a goalie rotation.

Coach Balboni has said all along he would go with whoever had the "hot hand" at the time, but he also said he would like to have one guy take the job and run with it. Just when it seemed like Nick Signet might have done just that, he had a bit of an off night against Drexel last weekend, and Teddy Hume picked up the 'W' in net the following night.

Just about five minutes until the opening faceoff now. Stay tuned.

Quick note before we get started, for those of you who missed, or just don't remember, the first two games between these teams back on Oct. 24 and 25, the Icers won both rather easily. After a 7-1 victory the first night, the Icers came out and followed it up with a 6-1 win Saturday.

1st Period

We're underway. And the answer to the goalie question is one Teddy Hume.

Just moments into the game, penalty No. 1 already for the Icers. Frank Berry called for hooking just 56 seconds in and Navy goes on the power play.

Two minutes have ticked off the clock and no damage done. Navy spent the majority of the PP chasing the puck back into their own zone and trying to bring it in and set up the power play to no avail. Full strength. 16:37 left.

Goal! Matt Kirstein puts the Icers on the board early. Nick Seravelli found Kirstein in front for Kirstein's sixth goal of the season. Icers lead 1-0.

A scoring chance for Navy's Charlie Daniel is denied by Hume. I'm not even too sure it was that great of a chance, but it seemed like a good enough reason to mention Daniel's name. We noticed it a couple weeks ago when Navy was playing at Penn State, and one must wonder if there is a better name in college hockey.

Anyways, back to hockey action, the Icers are putting some pressure on Navy right now, but the Midshipmen are holding strong to keep it a one-goal game.

Not anymore, though. Goal No. 2 for the Icers, this time scored by Tim O'Brien. Ryan Paradis found O'Brien in front for the goal to put the Icers ahead 2-0.

The first two goals scored in pretty similar fashion with a pass from behind the net to someone sitting on the doorstep to put it home.

Rubeo and Berry working the same play that gave the Icers their first two goals, but it's denied this time. No question as to who's in control so far, it's been all Penn State. A couple shots by Navy have tested Hume, but Navy hasn't established anything in the Icers zone or applied any pressure the way Penn State has.

3-0.. Chris Cerutti slips one past Navy goalie Jeremey Estevez for his sixth of the season.

Navy penalty and the Icers will have their first power play opportunity of the night with 8 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the period.

And that didn't take long. 10 seconds after the penalty, the Icers capitalize with their fourth goal of the night. Jaime Zimmel gives the Icers a 4-0 lead.

And that's going to be it for Estevez. Navy makes a goalie change replacing Estevez with Jameson Marshall.

Icers penalty will give Navy its second power play of the night. The first one was rather uneventful with the Midshipmen unable to establish anything in the Icer zone.

Much of the same so far, Icers clearing, Navy chasing.

Back to full strength, still 4-0 in favor of Penn State. Shots on goal, surprisingly, are only 9-5. Penn State's shooting percentage is almost as high as Shaq' free-throw percentage. I don't know if that's more impressive for the Icers or embarassing for Shaq. And I'm not taking any shots at O'Neal, I'm a Suns fan, so he's fair game now.

Sidetracked again, but back to hockey, we're in the final few minutes of the opening period and the puck continues to call Navy's zone home.

Two-minute mark of the first, Icers carry it in the zone, Thurston fires one on net, deflected wide by Marshall. Cleared away, but the Icers chase it down and bring it right back in. That's about all Navy can do right now, is clear it out of its own zone and take a couple seconds to reset and catch their breath.

Icers penalty on Thurston now. Power play No. 3 for Navy coming up.

And with 20.7 seconds left in the first, the Icers pick up another penalty giving the Midshipmen a 5-on-3 advantage.

Buzzer sounds and the first period comes to a close. Strong showing by the Icers in the opening period, as the team was firing on all cylinders. Capitalizing on the PP and successfully killing off a few penalties of their own.

For those fans looking for something to do in the intermission, you may want to check out Hardwood Hits on the Collegian website, as the men's basketball writers take you through the Nittany Lions' season opening game against William & Mary. Penn State is up 52-40 with just under 7 minutes left in that one.

We'll be back for the start of the second period. Icers lead 4-0 after one.

2nd Period

Period No. 2 is underway. Keep in mind the Midshipmen are starting the period with a 5-on-3 advantage. And they take advantage.

Hume gives up a rebound and, guess who is there to put it home? Charlie Daniel! Navy is on the board just 38 seconds into the period. 4-1, Icers.

Just before it was back to full strength, Navy picks up a penalty of its own and it'll be 4-on-4 for the next 11 seconds before Penn State has a shortened power play.

Brooks is out of the box for Penn State and the Icers are on the PP.

Penn State put a couple shots on net, but no goals and it's back to full strength. Shots on goal right now are 17-10 in favor of Penn State. Not quite as one-sided as the score, 4-1.

The Icers continue to dominate in terms of time on attack. The puck has basically become a fixture in the Navy zone, with the exception of an occasional clear down the ice.

Not as much scoring as in the first, but the second period has had no shortage of action. Plenty of shots on goal from both teams, but nothing to show for it since that Navy goal early in the period. Nine minutes left in the period, still 4-1 Icers.

Penalty on Thurston and Navy will have another power play chance. They got their only goal in this game earlier this period on a PP and if they could duplicate that here, we'd have a game on our hands.

Doesn't happen, though. Not much action on that one and it's back to full strength.

Well that didn't last very long, as Craig Brooks goes back to the penalty box, but Navy will not go on the power play. It seems to be a 10-minute misconduct penalty on Brooks, so both teams stay at full strength but Brooks is stuck in that box for the rest of this period and then some.

Navy finally getting some pressure on the Icers, putting a couple shots on net. Coming the other way, the Icers fire right back, but are likewise turned away.

And another penalty for the Icers. Thurston took Charlie Daniel down (not to Georgia, though) away from the puck and picked up the interference penalty. Power play for the Midshipmen.

Just 30 seconds left in the Thurston penalty, no damage yet. As a matter of fact, Navy hasn't even carried the puck into the Icers' zone yet on this PP and now it's over. Back to full strength. 3 minutes left in the second period.

Both goalies are being tested this period, and both are passing so far. Hume gave up the early goal toward the beginning of the period, but has been solid since. And Marshall actually hasn't given up a goal yet tonight since taking over for starting goalie Jeremey Estevez with about eight minutes left in the opening period.

Final minute of play in the period.

7 seconds left in the period. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. End of two. Despite a barrage of shots, Penn State was unable to score in the second period after putting up four in the first. Navy on the other hand, finally took advantage of one of its many power play opportunities so far in this game and put home a loose rebound after a Teddy Hume save.

After two, Icers lead 4-1. One more period to go, don't leave now.

3rd Period

Teams have taken the ice, puck has been dropped and the last 20 minutes have started to countdown.

Goal! After a little back-and-forth action in the neutral zone, O'Brien carried it in and fired a wrister on net past Jameson Marshall. 5-1, Icers.

That's O'Brien's second of the night and tenth of the season, tying him with Luke DeLorenzo for most on the team.

Brandon Rubeo picks up a penalty, and Navy will have their seventh power play of the night. Although their only goal of the night so far came on the power play, the Midshipmen are just 1-6 on the PP to this point.

Make that 1-7 on the power play, as the Icers kill off another penalty.

Very similar to the first goal, Navy scores after Hume is unable to control a shot and gives up a rebound in front. The Midshipmen took advantage, putting the rebound in the back of the net and narrowing the gap to 5-2.

Quick game update: Score: Icers 5, Navy 2. Shots on goal: 27-17. Exactly 12 minutes left.

Charlie Daniel leads a Navy break, but Hume shuts the door and covers up for a faceoff.

Goal! Zimmel scores his second of the night and the Icers go up 6-2.

Already with a four-goal lead, the Icers are going on the power play after a Navy penalty. 9:06 to go in the third.

Icers wasting no time putting the pressure on the Navy penalty kill with a couple shots, but good defense by Navy keeps the puck out of the net.

The puck has gotten behind Marshall twice already on the power play, but he got some help from one of his defenders the first time and from the crossbar the second time.

After the shot went off the crossbar and was covered up by Marshall, a scrum broke out in front of the net and they are working to sort out any penalties from that right now.

7:18 to go in regulation.

And I'm not neglecting to tell you about any penalties from that scuffle. They are still talking it over and trying to figure it out.

So Daley, O'Brien and Luke DeLorenzo have all left the ice and gone back to the locker room, they likely received 10-minute game misconducts and are done for the night.

Only two Navy players went back to the locker room. Coach Balboni questioning the refs on this one.

Final result, on top of leaving the ice, Daley is getting an additional 5-minute major and that will give Navy an extended power play.

The long delay didn't seem to slow down Kirstein at all, as he comes right out and puts one past Marshall. The short-handed goal gives Penn State a commanding 7-2 lead.

Hooking penalty called on Penn State and Navy will have a 5-on-3 advantage for the next two minutes.

One-timer attempt in front of the net is whiffed on by Navy, but the puck stays in the zone. Net is knocked loose and there'll be a faceoff to the left of Hume.

Icers win the faceoff, clear it away. Icers take it in, shot off the post! Almost another short-handed goal for the Icers.

End-to-end action here, despite the Navy power play. Both teams carrying the puck into the opposing zone and getting off shots.

The penalty has expired, back to full strength with two minutes left.

Last minute of play.

Marek Polidor will go to the box with just 42 seconds left and the Icers will have one more power play opportunity.

Icers with a solid scoring chance, despite being short-handed, but Marshall shuts it down with 11 seconds left. And that's it. Game over.

Final Score: Icers 7, Midshipmen 2.

Same teams, same time tomorrow night. Icers @ Navy, 7:30. We'll be back again to take you through the game live, but that's all for tonight.

-Paul

In the return of Ten Question Thursday, we caught up with senior defenseman Steve Thurston.

It started off as a quiet interview in the East Area Locker Room lounge, and turned into an almost team-wide venture as several other players gathered around to listen in, comment, and of course, laugh.

If not hockey, what sport would you be playing?

Golf. I like golf. I'm not very good at it, but I like it. Actually, no, change that. I want to play water polo. Water polo's pretty sweet. Either that or handball.

A lot of the great water polo players have mustaches. Would you grow one?

I guess I'd have to grow a mustache, or I'd just go with the full beard, [Steve] Peck look.

What is your favorite place to eat in town?

Thursday night burger night at Chili's. We usually go on Thursday nights, a bunch of us.

What is your favorite class taken at Penn State?

Entomology 202, I think it is. The study of insects. It's really good. The teacher, doctor, something-or-other, is really good. It's a good class to take. Everyone should take it to learn about the insects.

Do you have any hidden talents most people don't know about?

I'm really good at beating Frank Berry in NCAA Football on XBOX. He hasn't beat me yet.

Who is your favorite hockey player?

Gabe Gauthier of the University of Denver Pioneers. He is the southern California sensation. He's probably the most-talented forward in the country. He doesn't get the respect he should.

What is your favorite Coach Balboni quirk?

When he says "logistics" all the time. He says everything's logistics. He doesn't even know what logistics are. Logistics have to do with trucks driving from Point A to Point B, and he thinks everything we do has logistics in it.

What is your prediction on how Penn State's football team will do for the rest of the season?

I'm disappointed. I was hoping they could go all the way this year and JoePa could retire on top. Hopefully they go to the Rose Bowl, but hopefully they don't play USC. I think USC and Florida are the best two teams in the country. So if they play USC in the Rose Bowl, it'll be tough.

In the movie of your life, who plays your girlfriend?

I don't know. Some girl from the movie we were watching on the bus. The two twins in [I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry]. They would be my wives.

[Just so you know, Steve, their names are Becky O'Donohue and Jessica O'Donohue]

Who is the biggest ladies man on the team?

Ladies man? I think Luke DeLorenzo thinks he's the biggest ladies man. I think it's between [Chris] Pronchik and John Jay. They fight it out at their house for all ladies.

Who has the best nickname on the team?

I definitely say the best nickname on the team is my nickname, "Sweet Lou." It's a self-given nickname. It goes back for years and years, of how sweet I am.

-Dean

The ACHA released its third ranking of the season Friday, so we'll take a look at the top 10 teams and how they fared this weekend, in addition to who they'll take on this weekend.

1. Illinois (29 1st place votes) - Record: 11-1-0 Last Week: The Illini were off last weekend. They swept No. 17 Robert Morris College two weekends ago by scores of 7-1 and 6-0. Up Next: vs. No. 12 Michigan-Dearborn. This is the 13th straight ranking with Illinois occupying the top spot.

2. Lindenwood (7) - Record: 14-1-1 Last Week: The Lions swept No. 16 Western Michigan, beating them 9-2 Friday and 8-4 Saturday. Up Next: vs. Eastern Michigan. The Lions play each of their nine games in November at home, including a showdown with No. 1 Illinois on Nov. 21 and 22.

3. Penn State (5) - Record: 10-2-0 Last Week: The Icers split a home-and-home series with Drexel, falling at home by a score of 3-2 Friday before winning 4-1 Saturday in Philadelphia. Up Next: at Navy. The Icers lost Friday night despite outshooting the Dragons 66-20. The loss also marked the fewest goals scored by Penn State this season.

4. Liberty - Record: 12-2-1 Last Week: The Flames beat No. 8 West Chester twice by identical 2-1 scores. Up Next: vs. No. 5 Delaware. Liberty's only losses have been an overtime defeat at the hands of No. 19 Stony Brook and a 6-1 loss to No. 2 Lindenwood.

5. Delaware (1) - Record: 9-1-3 Last Week: The Blue Hens were off last week. They split their series with No. 10 Rhode Island the previous weekend; Delaware won 8-1 on Friday, but the Rams took Saturday's game by a score of 5-4 in overtime. Up Next: @ No. 4 Liberty. Delaware's other two overtime losses came to No. 3 Penn State at the start of October. No. 8 West Chester is the only team to knock off the Blue Hens in regulation.

6. Oklahoma - Record: 11-1-0 Last Week: The Sooners crushed Kansas, winning 8-0 Friday and 11-0 Saturday. Up Next: at No. 11 Central Oklahoma Friday, vs. No. 11 Central Oklahoma Saturday. Oklahoma has ripped off 10 straight wins since losing at Liberty on Sept. 20.

7. Iowa State - Record: 13-2-1 Last Week: Beat Arizona State twice by a 3-2 score in each contest. Up Next: vs. No. 9 Kent State. The Cyclones have played 14 of their 16 games this season in the friendly confines of their home rink in Ames, Iowa.

8. West Chester - Record: 8-4-0 Last Week: Lost twice at No. 4 Liberty. The Golden Rams lost each game by a score of 2-1. Up Next: vs. Villanova Friday, at No. 19 Stony Brook Saturday. Three of West Chester's four losses this season have come by one goal.

9. Kent State - Record: 9-4-0 Last Week: Lost to Towson 4-3 Friday, beat No. 15 West Virginia 6-5 in a shootout Saturday. Up Next: at No. 7 Iowa State. While the Golden Flashes fell to unranked Towson this weekend, they are 7-3 against ranked teams this season.

10. Rhode Island - Record: 9-4-1 Last Week: Split two games with Scranton. The Rams won Friday by a score of 4-1 but fell to the Ice Royals on Saturday, 8-7. Up Next: vs. NCAA Division III Wesleyan. Rhode Island began the season 7-1, but the Rams have dropped three of their last four contests.

That's all for now. Check back throughout the week for Icers updates, as well as our Ten Question Thursday feature with senior Steve Thurston.

- Patrick

After last night's loss to Drexel at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, the Icers went home and got some sleep before waking up today and busing to Drexel for the second game of a home-and-home series.

The Icers lost last night 3-2, despite having 71 shots on goal. Last night's No. 1 star of the game Daniel Pyne, Drexel's goalie, has been given the night off tonight. Well deserved after making 69 saves last night, in one of the more dominating performances I've ever seen from a goalie. He did give up some rebounds in front, which the Icers were unable to take advantage of, but in the end, 69 saves is 69 saves. That's a save percentage of 97. Unbelievable.

The Icers have a change in goal tonight, too. Teddy Hume is starting in net for Penn State.

I'm not at the game, but apparently the Class of 1923 Arena in Philadelphia has quite a weird setup. The two benches are on opposite sides of the ice, across from each other instead of nect to each other. And to my understanding, there is only one penalty box, which is Drexel's. So Penn State's "penalty box" is inside the door of the zamboni entrance. Interesting.

1st Period

Alright, this game has started a lot like last night's. Lots of shots and nothing to show for it. Right now, it's a 0-0 game with both teams having power play opportunities and a couple scoring opportunities early. Just under 10 minutes left in the period.

Drexel penalty and the Icers will have another power play here in the opening period.

Shots on goal so far: Icers 13, Dragons 5. Just for comparison, the shots on goal after one period last night were 24-5 in favor of Penn State, so we could be well on our way to seeing those kinds of numbers again tonight. 7:45 to go.

The Icers continue to fire shots on Chris Stollings, but his performance so far has been reminiscent of Pyne's 69-save performance last night. Lots of action around the net, but nothing has gotten through yet.

Drexel on the PP now and taking advantage of it so far. Putting some shots on Hume and good puck movement had the Icers scrambling around a little bit, but captain Frank Berry finally corralled the puck and cleared it away. Penalty over, back to full strength.

Jaime Zimmel was just hit hard and is down on the ice. Kyle Mills came to his defense quickly, going after the Drexel player who delivered the hit. Craig Brooks was quick to come over, too. Zimmel eventually got up on his own power, albeit slowly, and made it to the bench.

A five-minute major penalty was given for the hit. So the Icers, who have dominated play for most of the night even at full-strength, will now have a man advantage for the final 40 seconds of the first period and into the second.

Goal! With just 5.6 seconds remaining in the period, Steve Thurston finally snuck one past Stollings to open the scoring.

End of the 1st: Icers 1, Dragons 0.

2nd Period

Second Period under way and the Icers still have about four minutes left on that PP from the five-minute major penalty on Drexel near the end of that opening period.

Interesting change here. It looked like Drexel was giving Daniel Pyne the night off after facing 71 shots last night, but he has come into the game for Stollings. Let's see if the goalie change gives the Dragons a spark or if the Icers can finally get to Pyne and slip some shots past him.

Turns out, it's the latter of the two. Luke DeLorenzo scores goal No. 88 of his career and No. 2 of the night for the Icers. 2-0, Icers. And still two minutes left on that power play. Shots on goal now 27-10 in favor of Penn State.

Goal! DeLorenzo adds another power play goal. 3-0, Icers. STILL 34 seconds left in the major penalty.

The five-minute power play is finally over and what a costly one it was for Drexel. Penn State scored all three of their goals in that five-minute span with the man advantage.

Now Drexel will get a chance on the power play, with Brent Trant picking up an Icers penalty.

No damage there. Not many shots or scoring opportunities for Drexel.

After the Icers return to full strength, Drexel gets a decent scoring chance, but Hume turns it away for his 12th save of the night.

Update shots on goal: Icers 35, Dragons 12.

Icers keeping the pressure on, shot after shot. This game has been a lot like last night's so far, except some of the shots are actually finding the back of the net for Penn State.

More Icers shots, more Drexel saves. After a few rebounds in front, the Dragons finally clear it down the ice and take the icing call.

Another Icer penalty, though. The penalty comes with 4:29 left in the second period. Again though, not much of a threat put forth by Drexel. Icers kill it off rather easily.

And just moments later, the Icers record the first full strength goal of the night. Chris Cerutti puts one past Pyne, Icers lead 4-0.

And that's it for the period.

End of two: Icers 4, Dragons 0.

3rd Period

So, the Icers are just 20 minutes away from improving to 22-1-0 all-time against the Dragons, with that only loss coming last night at home for the Icers.

A couple of early penalties have put the Icers at a disadvantage, though. Rubeo picks one up early and then John Conte picks up another as the Icers are trying to kill it off. 5-on-3 for the Dragons for the next 1:06.

More penalties now, but they won't affect the power play. Craig Brooks and a Drexel player were both just given matching 10-minute misconduct penalties.

Rubeo's penalty is over, but the Dragons still have another 54 seconds on the PP with Conte in the box.

Back to full strength, still 4-0 Icers.

9:44 left in the third and the Icers will go on another PP after a goalie interference penalty against Drexel.

And before things can even get going, Drexel picks up another penalty, giving the Icers a two-man advantage for the next 1 minute, 36 seconds.

Big difference from the Drexel powerplays here, as you can definitely tell Penn State has a two-man advantage. The puck hasn't left the Drexel zone since the second penalty was called and the Icers have already put four shots on net with the puck sliding harmlessly through the crease a couple of times.

The first Drexel penalty has expired, and the 24 seconds remaining on the other one quickly tick away, as well. Back to full strength.

Chris Cerutti just took a shot to the face from an apparent high stick that wasn't called. He skated over to the bench, as Coach Balboni lit into the referee for not making a call.

Balboni has been unhappy with the officials on a few occasions tonight, with the referee blowing the play dead a few times claiming the Drexel goalie had froze the puck despite the puck still being loose around the crease.

And now, Tranter called for a tripping penalty, which surely won't make Balboni a whole lot happier with the officiating.

Only 4:02 remaining now, score remains 4-0, Icers.

There goes the shutout. Drexel puts away a powerplay goal past Teddy Hume. A failed clearing attempt by Conte led to a shot in front of the net and the first goal of the night for the Dragons. Icers still lead 4-1, with just over two minutes left.

And that's it for tonight. The Icers bounce back from last night's disappointing loss with a 4-1 victory tonight.

Well, that's all for now. Be sure to check the Collegian on Monday for full coverage of both of this weekend's games.

Final Score: Icers 4, Dragons 1.

-Paul

Well, it certainly has not been a good weekend for Penn State sports fans. Last night, the No. 3 Penn State Icers lost to unranked Drexel for the first time ever, 3-2. The Icers had been 21-0-0 all-time against the Dragons before a goal in the final 30 seconds of last night's matchup put Drexel ahead for good.

Ironically, the newest edition of the ACHA rankings were released yesterday before the Icers took the ice. It is the second time in a row a top-ranked team has lost after the rankings were released. The last time the ACHA released a new poll, No. 1 Illinois lost for the first time in over a year.

On top of the Icers loss, as most of you know Penn State football ended their national title hopes with the loss today. Also, the field hockey team was upset in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament yesterday. On a brighter note, the Lady Icers were able to snap their seven-game losing streak with an 8-0 win over UConn.

Well now that you have your update on the forgettable weekend for Penn State sports, stick around for some updates on the Icers' rematch tonight with Drexel, which is already underway.

-Paul