No. 11 Penn State women’s hockey (2-3) failed to outlast No. 6 Colgate (4-0) 3-2 at Pegula Ice Arena Friday afternoon.

After falling behind by one score early in the second period, the Nittany Lions rattled off two consecutive goals courtesy of Katelyn Roberts and Mya Vaslet to snag a 2-1 late-game advantage.

However, the Nittany Lions underwent an adverse defensive stretch to close out the matchup, marked by allowing two third-period scores. The second, a strike by Danielle Serdachny, helped the Raiders capture a 3-2 advantage with 30 seconds left in regulation.

How It Happened

Despite entering the matchup as sizable underdogs, Penn State began the contest by immediately making its presence felt in the offensive zone. In less than five minutes of opening action, the Nittany Lions rattled off 10 shots, with seven attempts on net.

While Jeff Kampersal’s group failed to materialize any of its early chances into goals, Penn State earned its first power play of the afternoon following a Kristyna Kaltounková cross-checking penalty at the Raiders’ expense. During the advantage period, the Nittany Lions unsuccessfully cultivated any momentum on offense, leading to a zero-shot stretch.

However, just over 90 seconds later, Colgate picked up another penalty, putting the Nittany Lions at another two-minute edge. Penn State picked up three shots over the span, but goaltender Kayle Osborne amassed two clutch saves to keep the margin knotted up at 0-0.

The penalty streak continued for both squads, as Penn State notched its first mishap of the game late in the opening period. While Kampersal’s potent penalty kill group allowed a power play-high seven shots, the Nittany Lions were able to escape the first period without any damage on the scoreboard.

To start the second period, the back-and-forth battle continued with stout offensive stretches displayed by both squads. Just two minutes after intermission, junior Maeve Connolly jumpstarted three consecutive on-net attempts for the Nittany Lions, but Osborne’s reliable protection once again staved off Penn State’s attack.

Then, the Nittany Lions entered dangerous territory off of a Colgate breakaway assembled by forward Sara Stewart. The speedy freshman helped the Raiders garner four-straight rips on net, but in a similar theme, Penn State goalie Josie Bothun continued to buckle down for Kampersal’s unit in net.

After a mid-period hooking penalty committed by the Nittany Lions, the Raiders were gifted yet another power play opportunity. Seconds following Tessa Janecke’s entrance into the box, Colgate’s Kaltounková made up for her early mistake with a tie-breaking score courtesy of a deflection.

Facing a 1-0 deficit, the Nittany Lions transformed the setback into a pair of cohesive offensive sequences. Late in the second period, junior Alyssa Machado weaved through the Raiders’ final line of defense for a one-on-one try with Osborne. Despite coming up empty, the spark paved the way for Eleri MacKay, who nearly nabbed a top-shelf score that grazed the crossbar.

With two minutes left in the second, Penn State finally turned its power play prowess into a score when freshman forward Katelyn Roberts ripped a line-drive wrist shot directly into the back of the net. Following an active second period marked by 17 shots in the offensive end by the Nittany Lions, the home squad entered the final period tied up at 1-1.

Touting momentum on its side, Penn State’s high-flying offense continued to operate in attack mode early and often to begin the thrid. Less than two minutes in, Mya Vaslet fired and converted the Nittany Lions’ second straight unanswered goal, giving the upset-minded home squad a 2-1 advantage.

The back-and-forth affair continued, but the Raiders’ sticks caught fire toward the final 10-minute stretch to end the matchup. Colgate compiled 15 shots down the stretch, compared to just three by Penn State, which led to two scores, with the latter resulting in the game-winner.

Kaltounková hammered home the first goal to knot the matchup up at 2-2, but with 30 seconds remaining, Danielle Serdachny proved to be the hero, giving the Raiders a late-game 3-2 edge.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions were able to draw four penalties, but Colgate’s penalty kill far exceeded the home sqaud’s success on the powerplay. Penn State converted just one goal on four odd-man advantages. If Kampersal’s group is poised to make a deep conference-play run later in the campaign, the Nittany Lions will need to better capitalize on opposing mishaps.
• While Josie Bothun displayed stretches of excellence in net for Penn State, the junior allowed two shaky late-game strikes to derail the Nittany Lions’ upset bid. The defensive breakdowns were not a sole result of her lackluster net presence, but allowing a goal within the final minute of play could prove to be a momentum shifter for Penn State when attempting to tie up the series tomorrow afternoon.
• Although the Nittany Lions failed to come out on top, the undermatched upset-minded crew proved it has the ability to compete with the nation’s best. Kampersal and company gave No. 6 Colgate all it could handle Friday afternoon, which should amount to an early season positive.

What’s Next

Penn State will conclude its two-game home stand with Colgate at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 8, at Pegula Ice Arena. The matchup will air live on BTN+.