Last Friday, Penn State women’s hockey exploded with a 10-goal burst against Long Island, which tied a program record for the most goals scored in a game. Every Nittany Lion on the ice that day seemed to contribute, including Olivia Wallin, who recorded her first collegiate hat trick.

That afternoon in East Meadow, New York was a very good one to be a Nittany Lion, and it isn’t the only time in recent memory that Penn State has had that type of dominant, high-scoring game. The Nittany Lions have scored five goals on two occasions since January 14, with RIT and Cornell being victims of Natalie Heising, Kiara Zanon, and Co.

The offense that has recently been on display is a good sign of things to come. Though both currently hover near the .500 mark, Long Island and Cornell are far from pushover opponents. Deanna Fraser, who was in goal against Penn State, is a good goaltender who boasts a .910 save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average mark. Tindra Holm, who was in net for Long Island in the 10-0 thumping, is even better. She has a .931 save percentage, allows an average of 2.16 goals per game, and has claimed 11 wins and three shutouts this season.

Despite having struggled against goaltenders such as Arielle Desmet this season, Penn State is clearly doing something right once you look at the bigger picture and note the stats of both of the aforementioned goalies. There’s momentum in that locker room right now, and things are clicking at the perfect time. The CHA and NCAA tournaments are right around the corner following Penn State’s upcoming series against RIT, and going into them playing with such a hot hand is a very, very good thing for the Nittany Lions.

It makes sense, though, that Penn State has been playing so well lately. The Nittany Lions average 38.38 shots on goal per game, which is the best in their conference. The shot percentage is 0.089, which believe it or not, ranks second-best in the conference.

Does any of that come as a surprise? Not at all. There’s a strong argument that Penn State’s offense is overall the best in the CHA, too. Penn State leads the conference in points per game (9.24), goals scored per game (3.43), and assists per game (5.81), and it’s not that close. Keep in mind that Natalie Heising has 19 goals and has set program records this year, while Heising, Kiara Zanon, Lyndie Lobdell, Izzy Heminger, and Mallory Uihlein all rank in the top ten in assists per game in the CHA.

It’s no secret that Penn State is a talented team that has an elite-level offense. The recent play is a good sign that things are clicking at the right time for the Nittany Lions.