No. 12 Penn State women’s hockey (3-4-1) defeated Franklin Pierce (1-2) with a score of 6-0 in the first leg of a two-game home series.

Six players scored for the Nittany Lions in their victory over the Ravens and four buried their first goals of the season. Penn State was on the throttle early and never let up, playing a complete game in its resounding win.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions entered the series with Junior Josie Bothun in net for her 63rd consecutive start. Junior Suzette Faucher got the start for the ravens.

The Nittany Lions started the game with an early powerplay after Memphis Mertens got caught hooking. The powerplay started rough, however, as Franklin Pierce was awarded a penalty shot after getting tripped on a breakaway. Bothun turned away the shot from Jenna Ruiz and the game remained scoreless. After a goalless advantage, the Nittany Lions stifled their opposition with an aggressive forecheck and maintained a lethal presence in the offensive zone.

Their consistent pressure was rewarded when Alyssa Machado cashed in from the low slot to put the Nittany Lions up 1-0.

The Nittany Lions continued to press for the rest of the of the period and their defense reigned supreme, as Penn State totaled 15 shots to Franklin Pierce’s 4, blocking 2 shots as well.

Penn State didn’t waste any time adding to their lead when Olivia Wallin put the puck between the legs of Faucher in the first minute of the second period, putting the score at 2-0 and tallying her first goal of the season.

The Nittany Lions found themselves in penalty trouble for the third time in the still-young game after an interference minor by Machado but came away unscathed after allowing zero shots to the Ravens during the kill.

Penn State extended its lead to 3-0 at the back half of the second period off of the stick of Maeve Connolly as she batted down Izzy Heminger’s shot from the point for a slick finish.

Penn State almost struck again in the final seconds of the period, but Faucher denied freshman Tessa Janekce’s silky dangle in front of the net and the game went to the second intermission.

Liking what she saw at the end of the second, Janecke found herself in the same situation in front of the net to open the third period. With a defender on her hip, she put the puck on the backhand and buried the puck this time for a Nittany Lion score, putting the game at 4-0. This was the freshman’s fifth goal of the season and eighth point in nine games in blue and white.

As Franklin Pierce maintained one of its only sustained offensive pressures of the game towards the end of the third, a miscommunication on defense for the Ravens left Eleri MacKay all alone on the clear for a breakaway chance. She had time to break down Faucher and finished the play for Penn State’s fifth unanswered goal and her first of the season.

Finally, to end the period, the Nittany Lions peppered the net with four shots in quick succession and defenseman Mallory Uihlein was able to find the rebound and chip the puck over Faucher to seal the score at 6-0.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions were a brick wall on the penalty kill this game, not allowing a shot on four different man-down occasions. They also found themselves in the box for a whopping twelve minutes and conceded a penalty shot. While the penalty kill is an obvious strength of the squad, Penn State will look to cut down on the amount of penalties taken.
• Penn State dominated the faceoff dot today, winning 33-of-50 draws. This ability to regain possession of the puck after stoppages helped the Nittany Lions maintain their pressure in the offensive zone and break down Franklin Pierce’s defense.
• Goalie Josie Bothun recorded her first shutout of the year. She only had to turn away fifteen shots this game so her defense deserves a lot of credit too.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions take the show on the road next weekend for a two game series to open CHA conference play against Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri. Their first match is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. on October 28.