THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Freshman Deja McClendon Katie Silvis/Collegian Deja McClendon (18) makes a play against George Washington. Special teams play could make or break Jeers By Anthony Barton COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER When assistant coach Josh Hand thinks of a game-changer, he isn't thinking about a single Penn State Icers team. ICERS To him, the most important game-changer in hockey is special teams play both the powerplay and the penalty kill. When two competitive teams meet, the success or failure of those two units can give one team the edge. "If two evenly matched teams meet, the way hockey is supposed to go is you play five-on-five and nobody scores until a penalty is taken," Hand said. "Then a team goes down four on-five, and the other is able to capita The leers' series sweep against Pittsburgh this weekend proved that point, as the team went 3-for -7 on powerplays, while limiting the Panthers to only one goal in 11 r, it ,- , fi - \ C Tuesday iqountry Might ITAPI/2cfr3 "J r F - l' r F-- j.i- Celebrate with all your Zeno's Seasonal Favorites 1: AM . $ Bottle B Shop Good Biews—Quich )rirot 70% e s : t e u x de mo rt ts sl i ttry , tie some sort cloctmor have seen cm advertsment m The college newspaper chances with the man-advantage. Junior forward Paul Daley said the team did better than he expected on special teams in the first two games. The assistant captain, who plays on both the powerplay and the penalty kill, said he only expects the special teams' play to get better as the season moves along. One player Daley said always stands out on the Jeers' penalty kill is senior forward and captain Marek Polidor. "He goes a million miles an hour, blocks shots and just makes things happen," Daley said. "He's probably our best penalty killer and is just exciting to watch." Polidor attributed his success to playing alongside senior forward Chris Pronchik. The two have been paired together on the penal ty kill for the better part of two seasons, and he said the chem istry shows. "We know what each other are doing on the PK, so it helps out a lot," Polidor said. "The trick is to Medical Many great candidates are applying to medical school every year, and the numbers are rising. , In this competitive field, Pre Med Assistance ‘i i i can help you stand out among the candidates applying to the . • schools that are the best fit for you. From school selection and application reviews, to _ le mock interviews and re M 1 analysis, Pre Med Assistance is the complete resource for stance.com the pre med student. School... I made ASSISTANCE The Nittany Lions are asking a lot of freshman Deja McClendon. But at the same time, it hasn't seemed to faze hr Not e - bit. ler. Not one bit. McClendon, a WOMEN'S starting outside VOLLEYBALL hitter on the No. 4 Penn women's volleyball team (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten) had another impressive weekend, leading the Lions with 28 combined kills in sweeps of Michigan State and then-No. 19 Michigan on Friday and Saturday. Against the Wolverines, the 18- year-old freshman was especially sharp, recording a "double-dou ble" with a team-leading 14 kills and 10 digs. The Louisville, Ky. native was also efficient, notching a .407 hit ting percentage. At one point in the second set against Michigan, McClendon tal lied three straight Penn State kills and in the third set, the highly touted freshman dominated the stat sheet with six kills and five digs. just be quick on your feet, get in shooting lanes and take away passes. I think Chris and I do a good job of that." Polidor liked what he saw from the penalty kill unit this weekend, but said the powerplay can always improve. "We really need to focus on the powerplay and get more quality scoring opportunities, get more shots on net and generate more traffic in front of the net," Polidor said. "If we do that, it will lead to more goals." Senior forward and assistant captain Tim O'Brien said at the end of the day, the Jeers' goal tender is one of, if not the most important part of the team's penalty kill. That goalie is senior Teddy Hume, who played a major role in allowing only one power play goal in 11 chances over the weekend. "I think he did an extremely good job on Friday night and then we didn't give him much help on Saturday," O'Brien said. "He hung in there when the game was close. It was a one-goal game through BY'S LICES BIGGER THAN "'FACE! II (814) 234-4862 300 S Pugh St # 101 State College, PA EMI SPORTS By Jake Kaplan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER -= fl4lXt r . 4/\ f Vt. \ A +." Day 2 ::- S i j 1 2f gi 111,..4. r 1 2 a ,61! - W,. g *8 hi continues to excel "I think she's great," senior opposite hitter and co-captain Blair Brown said. "I think we're asking her to do a lot for our team. As a freshman it's unbelievable that she can pick so many things up so quickly." With 15 matches under her belt, McClendon is ninth in the confer ence in hitting percentage (.356) and ranks 10th in kills (166). Through six weeks, she has earned two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. The one aspect of her game she deemed a "problem area" is her defensive play, but one would not be able to tell from her back-row performance Saturday night. The 6-foot-1 freshman was second on the team in digs in the match and has 98 in 2010, also second on Penn State. "Pm really happy because I feel like my defense got a lot better and really, that's my problem area," McClendon said Saturday night McClendon, who had never played in the back row before coming to Penn State, said senior libero Alyssa D'Errico and senior defensive specialist Cathy Quilico out the whole game on Saturday how far the leers go this season. so I think that he did a pretty good "When we get on special teams, job in net." especially the powerplay, we need Polidor said the Jeers will face to make sure we're in a position to competitive ACHA teams capitalize," Polidor said. "Special throughout the season where the teams play can win or lose games game might not be decided during for us." five-on-five play. Special teams could determine To e-mail reporter: acbsls2@psu.edu Paul Daley (27) skates on goal during the Blue-White scrimmage one and there's no telling what you can achieve New challenges. Global insight. Opportunities to grow. An internship at Ernst & Young offers you all this and more. From day one, you'll be part of an inclusive environment that welcomes your point of view and supports whatever you bring to the table. We're looking for future leaders, so this is your chance to show us what you've got. What's next for your future? Text EYEDGE to 58592 to learn more about our people, culture and opportunities. LI ERNST &YOUNG Quality In Everything Welt TUESDAY, Ocr. 5, 2010 I 9 have been helping her with defense in practice. D'Errico said after Friday night's match, there is not much more the team can ask from McClendon, especially consider ing her inexperience from the back row. "She's exceeding a lot of expec tations in her ability to play back row, especially at such a high level," said D'Errico, who leads the Lions with 196 digs. "I'm excited. I love playing with her. She's just a great, great per son." Michigan coach Mark Rosen said it's tough to prepare for the Lions because of their plethora of dangerous hitters, referring to the trio of McClendon, Brown and middle hitter Arielle Wilson as a triple-threat. "[McClendon] had a great match," Rosen said after Saturday night's match. 'And obviously we knew [about the talented Penn State freshmen], we all recruited them. We were hoping they'd wear a different color. But she did a great job." To e-mail reporter: 105142@psu.edu Dana Heller/Collegian UNIVERSUM TOP 100
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