No. 11 Penn State women’s hockey (2-4) lost to No. 6 Colgate (5-0) on a goal with one minute remaining on Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena. This win completed the two-game sweep for the Raiders.

Penn State’s offense was nearly silent for two periods, recording just nine shots. The Nittany Lions leveled the game in the third period, but a late goal sealed the sweep for Colgate.

On the bright side, Nittany Lions’ goaltender Josie Bothun recorded 37 saves on 39 shots. A strong performance from Bothun and the rest of the Penn State defense kept this game close.

How It Happened

Saturday’s contest began with both teams taking the time to participate in a ceremonial puck drop for the fight against Breast Cancer and the annual Pink Game. Many players from both sides chose to use pink tape on their sticks.

Once play began, Penn State drew two penalties within the first five minutes of play. Despite having an extra skater for four minutes, the Nittany Lions only generated two shots on goal. Colgate defended well and was able to clear the puck out of the defensive zone consistently.

After the penalties expired, the Raiders created a few dangerous shots on goal. Nittany Lions’ goaltender Josie Bothun made a few big saves to keep the game scoreless.

The Raiders finally beat Bothun after a shot from the point was deflected in front of the net. Colgate’s goal gave it a 1-0 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the period.

After one period, Penn State was being outshot 13-4. A dominant start by Colgate left the Nittany Lions down a goal.

The second period started the exact way the first period finished. Just seconds in, Bothun made a huge save, and the post was able to turn away the rebound. Penn State was able to escape danger, but Colgate clearly still had the momentum.

Penn State had another power play opportunity early in the period. The Nittany Lions generated three shots on goal but could not find the back of the net.

Penn State was able to kill back-to-back power plays. Bothun’s multiple stops were a big part of that, but the Nittany Lions’ defense looked really strong, too.

A scoreless second period kept the Raiders up one goal. Penn State’s defense played a really strong period, but the offense wasn’t generating much. Colgate was still leading in the shot category 26-9. The Nittany Lions were fortunate to be down just one goal.

Penn State gave up another penalty nearly five minutes into the final period of play. The defense played strong and only gave up a couple shots that were turned away easily.

Seconds after the power play expired, the Raiders were caught changing lines, and Lyndie Lobdell made no mistake in leveling the score. This was Lobdell’s first goal of the season, and it was a huge one.

Lyndie Lobdell: Certified sharp shooter. pic.twitter.com/DqXCOV2W5Q

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) October 8, 2022

After the goal, Penn State’s offense was flying. Within the next minute, Penn State recorded four shots. The most dangerous one came from Tessa Janecke, who hit the post from only a few feet away.

With exactly one minute remaining, though, Elyssa Biederman found the back of the net for Colgate to give the Raiders a 2-1 victory.

Takeaways

• Defense wins championships. Despite being outshot by large margin, Penn State gave itself a real chance to win a game against the No. 6 team in the country thanks to its solid defensive performance.
• The offense’s slow start really hurt the Nittany Lions. Generating nine shots in two periods is unacceptable and makes it nearly impossible to win. With that being said, after the Penn State goal, the Nittany Lions nearly doubled their shot total and almost got away with the rough start.
• Penn State drops to 2-4, which makes it hard to argue that a national ranking is still deserved. Losses have come against teams that are ranked higher in the country, as the Nittany Lions play a difficult schedule.

What’s Next

Penn State will travel to Boston College to play a two-game series beginning on October 14. Friday’s game will be at 6 p.m. and Saturday’s will be played at 2 p.m. Both games can streamed on ESPN+.