The Penn State West Hockey ship took an interesting detour Nov. 11. Early that morning, they set sail to participate in a tournament at the Naval Academy in Maryland.
Penn State West's first game began at 4:30 p.m. against Lafayette University. In a disappointing effort, Penn State West was defeated 9-1. Coach Denny Zeravica was extremely disappointed and thought the poor performance was due to the six-hour trip the same morning.
That evening was just some time to relax and hang out as a team. They reflected on the massacre that occurred earlier and prepared for battle the next morning against Wake Forest.
Penn State West came out flying and looked like the team they have proven they really can be. At the end of regulation, Penn State West won a nail-biter 14-2 with goals by just about everyone. This final game of the tournament boosted Penn State West's ego and acted as wind in the sails of the Penn State West Hockey ship.
In fact, the Navy tournament did give a boost to the Penn State West team.
On Nov. 19, Penn State West faced Youngstown State University, a formidable opponent.
Penn State West's physical play dominated the bigger, but weaker, Youngstown squad. By the time the first period was over, Penn State West had their opponents afraid and held the game in their clutches.
By the time the game was over, Penn State West took a 7-3 victory, but the score wasn't even a good representation of the dominance that took place.