The Penn State Icers received 26 out of a possible 37 first place votes in the final American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) poll, locking up the No. 1 overall seed at the National Tournament in Cleveland in March. Penn State, which still has two games left to play, is 25-3-1 so far on the season.
This will be the first year that the ACHA National Tournament will feature a 20-team field. Last year it included only 16 teams, but during the league meetings in Naples, Florida in June, 4 more teams were added. The single-elimination format will stay the same, with the top 12 seeds receiving byes in the first round. The change comes at a cost however, as there will be no more consolation games for teams that lose on the first day.
The Icers will play their first game on Saturday, March 3 at 5 p.m. Penn State will take on the winner of No. 6 Rutgers vs. No. 17 West Virginia, both teams that the Icers played this season. They first knocked off Rutgers twice, 13-2 on December 2 and 9-0 on December 3, and later in the season beat West Virginia 8-0 on January 20 and 6-1 on January 21.
The Icers will be back in action this weekend on Friday (Feb. 17) at 7 p.m. against Duquesne before closing out the season on February 24 against Kent State at 7 p.m.
For more information about the ACHA National Tournament, you can check out the bracket or visit their website.
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