As the top-ranked Nittany Lions get ready for the Big Ten Tournament, they continue to make sure they are mentally ready for what should be a daunting May if things break their way.
After Penn State's nail-biting 14-13 win last weekend, a Rutgers rematch is set for 5 p.m. today in the Big Ten semifinals at the Scarlet Knights' HighPoint.com Stadium. Head coach Jeff Tambroni knows his squad will have to sharpen their game to beat the same team twice in a five-day stretch.
"We have to be realistic enough to believe we can play better," Tambroni said. "But also make sure that we make the adjustments necessary and not just run into Thursday's game the same way we did last week, because that won't work again. If there's confidence that we can play better, but also intelligence that some things need to be changed, then I hope that will play into our execution."
Defenseman Chris Sabia (Harleysville, Pa.), who was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year this week, understands the challenge that can come with playing a team twice in a season, much less within a week of their previous matchup.
"It's definitely tough," Sabia said. "Playing a team twice at all can be tough because you've both seen each other and prepared. But I think for us, we just take games one step at a time and prep the same way we always do. We don't really think about the fact that we've already played them."
Sabia was also named yesterday to the All-Big Ten first team with teammates Grant Ament (Doylestown, Pa.), the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and Mac O'Keefe (Syosset, N.Y.). He knows the team that does a better job preparing will come out on top between two teams that know each other's strengths and weaknesses.
"It's all preparation," Sabia said. "Last week definitely helped us out with being able to handle a ton of distractions — senior day, alumni weekend, among other things. We talked about it all week that you can focus on that stuff when the time is right, but when the game starts our focus has to be on playing as hard as we can for each other and come out with the win."
Penn State's tended to be its own worst enemy at times on Saturday.
"I think we played a little bit sloppy at times," Ament said. "We were in control of a lot of mistakes we made, but their goalie played really well, even robbing me on the doorstep one time. They're a very physical team, somewhat similar to us in that they're willing to get in a dogfight, and it's hard to play against sometimes. We know that now, and we'll make adjustments for (today)."
Tambroni was more complimentary of the way his attacking unit played against Rutgers, but gave credit to the Scarlet Knights for their competitiveness.
"I thought our attack played well," Tambroni said. "I mean we have some guys that didn't step up as much as they felt they should have on Saturday. I don't think we played our best game, but the element you don't want to overlook is the opponent we played in Rutgers."
"They did a really good job and had a great scouting report and game plan, so part of it was a product of how they played."
Distractions around last week's game will manifest themselves ahead of the Big Ten Tournament as well, although a different animal altogether with final exams for students at Penn State this week.
Tambroni has made sure his coaching staff is making life as easy as possible while they complete their academic work for the spring semester.
"It definitely becomes incumbent upon our coaching staff to make sure they have exactly what they need, but no more than that," Tambroni said. "I think if we can give them an opportunity to take care of business, we'll be more productive and efficient.
"Last week, we really tried to get out ahead of the game and we talked to our guys about creating plans of action, and not procrastinating while getting ahead of their studies. That's easier said than done, and there's physical fatigue from the season, as well as mental fatigue from guys working hard in the classroom and preparing as best as they can."
If Penn State is able to defeat Rutgers today, it will play the winner of Johns Hopkins and Maryland in the Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions haven't played Maryland since the start of Big Ten play, a 13-10 win at College Park Mar. 31. They defeated Hopkins 20-9 at Panzer Stadium on Apr. 21.
A pair of wins this weekend would mark Penn State's first Big Ten championship, and the first not won by Hopkins or Maryland. Ament knows Penn State's is experienced enough to compete against anyone.
"I think we're a pretty mature group, and we're aware of what has made us successful," Ament said. "With Hopkins, we did the little things really well that day, and we didn't play a complete game against Maryland, so hopefully we can flip the script in that regard. We'll prepare the same way we have throughout the season, and both sides have more info on each other to use to their advantage."
