Icecats have underdog role in 16th-straight postseason

Once there, the goal is to take home the title.

That award is usually won by the team with the best record, which is indicative of the strength of the team.

But every so often an underdog will surprise everyone and steal the championship.

That is the role the Arizona Icecats find themselves in as they travel to Ames, Iowa, for the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament. Seeded eighth out of eight teams, the Icecats (15-9-1) begin play today at 9 a.m. Tucson time against top-seeded Penn State (22-3-1 in ACHA games).

"This team wants Penn State and wants it bad," Icecat head coach Leo Golembiewski said.

The two teams have met in nationals the last two years in a row, with the Icers coming out on top both times by the score of 4-2.

"We've had a pretty intense rivalry," Penn State head coach Joe Battista said. "We've met so many times in the national tournament it just breeds competitiveness between us."

The Icecats play each of the three teams in Pool A, with games against host-team and fourth-ranked Iowa State set for tomorrow and fifth-ranked Eastern Michigan on Friday.

If Arizona finishes as the top team in its pool, it will meet the winner of Pool B in the championship game Saturday. If the Icecats finish second in their pool, they will play in the consolation game, also Saturday.

"In nationals it's anybody's game," Icecat senior center Ben Ruston said. "If you come to work hard and come to play hard, then you can take the title."

Arizona made it to the tournament with 15 freshmen on the roster, including four of the team's top five scorers.

"I'm definitely nervous," freshman right wing Marc Harris said. "It's my first tournament and we're playing the host and No. 1 teams. I'd get butterflies if we were playing the worst team for the national title."

Battista said the fact that Arizona is seeded so low has his team worried.

"They have the advantage of being the underdog," he said. "They've got nothing to lose."

Ruston said the Icecats just have to stay focused.

"I figure if we don't make any mistakes we'll do well," he said. "Every game we lost was because we screwed up somewhere."

Golembiewski said he feels the Icecats are well prepared for the tournament, considering they played 18 of their 26 games against teams ranked in the top 10.

"We started out with the weakest part of the schedule and then it was into the fire," he said.