The final season for the Penn State Icers is rapidly drawing towards the finish line, and this weekend marks one of the milestones of this last campaign in the ACHA.
The Icers will battle the Ohio Bobcats and their seventh man at the funky bandbox that is the Bird Arena. There is no doubt that the Penn State - OU rivalry is the biggest and baddest in Division 1, despite what others might say.
Simply put, these two teams have a good, respective hate for each other that goes back to the days of 5 cent beers and chicken-wire fencing instead of glass above the boards at the Bird. Just ask any of the old Icers about their memories - good and bad - about playing in Athens.
For me, it will be one last weekend to climb the scaffold behind the Icers bench to call the action from the best "seat" in the house. As shaky as the perch can be at times, it was a great place to call the Icers' 5-0 whitewash of the Bobcats in the 2003 National Championship game - the last of the four straight for the "Class of Champions".
Winning at the Bird is not easy. The Icers since 1990 have a record of 10-13-3-3 on the ice surface that is 15 feet shorter than a regulation-size rink. Bobcats head coach Dan Morris always has a game plan that can frustrate the best teams, including Penn State.
The seventh man, especially Gang Green, can be intimidating. The noise is amplified by the low ceiling and tight confines of the arena. Sometimes in the past some in the crowd stepped over the line, but most have toned down their act in recent years. They are still "rabid", but in a good way.
One Icers player who is well aware of the history between the Bobcats and Icers is senior Kurt Collins.
The State College native grew up watching the Icers and OU, and has been a key member of the Icers in their battles against the Bobcats over the past four years.
Kurt and his fellow seniors want nothing more than another sweep in their final meetings with their long-time foe.
Should be a fun weekend!
The Icers will battle the Ohio Bobcats and their seventh man at the funky bandbox that is the Bird Arena. There is no doubt that the Penn State - OU rivalry is the biggest and baddest in Division 1, despite what others might say.
Simply put, these two teams have a good, respective hate for each other that goes back to the days of 5 cent beers and chicken-wire fencing instead of glass above the boards at the Bird. Just ask any of the old Icers about their memories - good and bad - about playing in Athens.
For me, it will be one last weekend to climb the scaffold behind the Icers bench to call the action from the best "seat" in the house. As shaky as the perch can be at times, it was a great place to call the Icers' 5-0 whitewash of the Bobcats in the 2003 National Championship game - the last of the four straight for the "Class of Champions".
Winning at the Bird is not easy. The Icers since 1990 have a record of 10-13-3-3 on the ice surface that is 15 feet shorter than a regulation-size rink. Bobcats head coach Dan Morris always has a game plan that can frustrate the best teams, including Penn State.
The seventh man, especially Gang Green, can be intimidating. The noise is amplified by the low ceiling and tight confines of the arena. Sometimes in the past some in the crowd stepped over the line, but most have toned down their act in recent years. They are still "rabid", but in a good way.
One Icers player who is well aware of the history between the Bobcats and Icers is senior Kurt Collins.
The State College native grew up watching the Icers and OU, and has been a key member of the Icers in their battles against the Bobcats over the past four years.
Kurt and his fellow seniors want nothing more than another sweep in their final meetings with their long-time foe.
Should be a fun weekend!
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