Saturday October 3-The Youngstown State mens hockey team went into the 2009 Battle of Ohio in Wooster, Ohio with one thing in mind and that was to win the tournament. But unfortunately for the Penguins they were matched up against the Kent State Golden Flashes, a team that the Penguins have not beaten in their last three matchups. Entering Saturdays matchup against Kent State the Penguins had their hands full and the Penguins came out flying to start. The Penguins matched every move the Golden Flashes made; however, before the first period was over the Penguins faced a 2-0 deficit due to a few bad bounces that the Golden Flashes capitalized on. The Golden Flashes scored the first of their six goals mid way through the first period when senior defensemen Jeremy Ragone lost his stick in the corner allowing the Golden Flashes to score rather easily in front of the net. "It was a freak play from the start, their was a delayed offsides call waved off and then my stick got tied up in the corner and the puck bounced right to the guy in front of our net." Ragone explained. This was not the only bad bounce the Penguins faced Saturday night. The second period the Penguins were in control until a bad pass bounced off the boards on a Penguin power play which sprung a Golden Flash forward on break away that beat the goalie Gary Biggs high blocker. After the third goal the Golden Flashes started to pull away and it was clear why the Golden Flashes are a top 15 team in the nation. Kent State continued to use their speed and tire out the Penguins. The Penguins did however, had plenty of chances to try and get back into the game but the Penguins could not find the back of the net. Entering the final period the Penguins faced a 4-0 deficit that could not be regained by the Penguins. Penalties put a stop to any comeback that the Penguins had in mind as much of the third period was spent in the Youngstown zone. The Golden Flashes mustered up 16 shots in the final frame to the Penguins 8. Leading to a final score of Kent State 6 Youngstown State 1 " I felt like we did enough to win but it just was not our night, the bounces did not go our way and they (Golden Flashes) capitalized on everyone of our mistakes." Said red shirt sophomore goaltender Gary Biggs. But the good news was the Penguins got a match up the next day against their much hated rival John Carroll. Sunday October 4- Entering Sundays match up against the John Carroll Blue Streaks the Penguins did not just want to win but they wanted to win big against their rival. The Penguin squad came out sluggish as both teams seemed hesitant to make the first mistake of the game. Much of the first period was spent digging the puck out of the corner and in the neutral zone. It was not until the second period till the Blue Streaks popped one into the back of the net beating goaltender John Snyder blocker side. The John Carroll goal seemed to spark the Penguin squad as they answered right back with high pressure which ended up in a goal three minutes later. The second period once again belonged to the Penguins as the Blue Streaks seemed to have a hard time even getting the puck into the Penguin zone. The Penguins notched another score with about 7 minutes left in the second. However, the Blue Streaks capitalized on a Penguin turnover as Blue Streak Captain Zack Skook shot the puck off goaltender John Snyder's shoulder into the back of the net. The Penguins entered the final frame tied up at 2 despite controlling the play. The final frame was a heated battle between the two teams and everyone in the stands could tell these teams wanted to win bad. Assistant captain Naaman Moorman however, decided to take the game into his own hands and scored two deceive goals that put away the John Carroll Blue Streaks. " It was good for our team to prove to ourselves that we were capable of putting away a team." Explains assistant coach Mike Poljak. "This game was a real moral booster for our squad and it feels good to finally get our first win, but we know we can do much better." Poljak also explained. The final score was 4-2 Youngstown State and the Penguins moved to 1-3 on the year and look to improve their record this weekend in the ACHA showcase held at the Ice Zone in Boardman Ohio. The Penguins face off Friday night against the University of Central Oklahoma another top 25 school in the nation.