EVAN CARAVELLI/Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior left wing Shaun Brooks rushes toward Oklahoma's goal during Saturday's 4-0 loss. The Icecats will play at Weber State tonight and tomorrow at 7.

The UA Icecats embark on the first leg of a three-week road swing tonight and Saturday when they face No. 9 Weber State in Ogden, Utah.

The Icecats (9-8-1) are looking to avenge a Nov. 5 tie and Nov. 6 loss to WSU (16-7-3) and stay afloat in the American Collegiate Hockey Association tournament hunt.

"The next four games tell us whether we go to Nationals," Icecats head coach Leo Golembiewski said.

Golembiewski said UA's primary concern heading into Ogden is offensive execution, a lingering problem for the team throughout the season.

"We're still not putting the puck in the net," Golembiewski said. "Even without the DePaul games, we've outshot our opponents by nearly 130 shots. We're just not putting the puck in the net."

Against Oklahoma in last weekend's losses, the Icecats fired 72 shots on goal but only lit the goal lamp twice.

"Every time we face a goaltender, it seems he has his best performance," Golembiewski said.

Golembiewski said despite dropping two against the Sooners, the Icecats are playing hockey worthy of a national championship tournament berth.

"The guys played tough for 120 minutes (in last week's series)," he said. "We're a top-16 team. The politics of the (ACHA) rankings are disappointing.

"The best example, No. 16 Arizona ties No. 5 Weber State, and drops one after (WSU) comes back, and we drop two in the polls," Golembiewski said of the teams' earlier encounter.

The Icecats have struggled in the ACHA polls throughout the season, which poses a problem for their postseason destiny.

A top-16 ranking is necessary to qualify for the tournament, held March 3-6 in Bensenville, Ill.

The issues the Icecats face in the polls pale in comparison to the team's injury struggles.

Senior forward Mickey Meehan remains sidelined with a knee injury suffered Jan. 8, and an illegal check by Oklahoma's Justin Hall sidelined UA junior defenseman Mike Pelletier.

Pelletier was taken to the hospital with a concussion, and has since had three inconclusive CAT scans. He is awaiting an MRI, Golembiewski said.

"Mike doesn't stay down," fellow defenseman and brother D.J. Pelletier said. "It had to be serious for him to stay down. "

Golembiewski said that while Mike Pelletier's absence from the lineup hurts, he is more concerned about his personal health than his time on the ice.

In the void left by leaders Mike Pelletier and Meehan, other Icecats have stepped up, Golembiewski said

"(Cole) Dunlop and (Scott) Marshall are looking stronger and stronger every time out," he said.

Dunlop, a junior left-winger, tallied four goals and six assists in the DePaul series, while Marshall, a freshman center, notched goals against both DePaul and Oklahoma.

Golembiewski said UA needs continued steady play from Dunlop and Marshall, as well as a solid weekend from the defensive line.

The lines will get a facelift, with freshman Max Sliwinski and junior Nick Wedster taking the ice together at the blue line. They join juniors Jerald Zivic and Tim Wochok on the wings, with Marshall manning center.

While Arizona is looking to use this trip to bounce back from a disappointing Oklahoma series, they are not alone.

Weber State's last competition resulted in a 3-1 loss to the same Sooner team on Jan. 15.

WSU was scheduled to face Minot State last weekend, but MSU forfeited, giving Weber three tallies for the win column.

Golembiewski said UA is focused on basics and hopes to build momentum before continuing the road swing Feb. 4 in Tempe against ASU.

"We'll work hard, we'll play hard, and we'll just do what we do," he said.