Penn State women’s hockey (20-8-2, 10-1-1 CHA) took down Lindenwood (3-24-0, 3-10-0 CHA) 6-3 during Saturday’s senior night at Pegula Ice Arena.

Coming off a Friday night victory, the Nittany Lions had to work for a win for their seniors. After falling behind two goals early, Penn State had a strong second period which led the team to victory. Senior transfer Eleri MacKay scored the game-winning goal in the third period.

How It Happened

The action started right after puck drop, as both teams fired early shots on goal in the opening minutes. Lindenwood went on the advantage three minutes into the first period when Rene Gangarosa was caught for high-sticking. The team was able to kill the penalty and return to full strength with 15 minutes remaining in the first period.

With 9:18 remaining, the Nittany Lions went on the power play for the second time as Tessa Janecke was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking. Lindenwood fired off three shots on the net during the man advantage, but Penn State killed the power play once again.

Lindenwood notched the first goal of the contest with 2:33 remaining when Morgan Neitzke scored from behind the net. Chloe Corbin and Sydney Rarick were awarded assists on the opening goal.

The first period ended with Lindenwood having a one-goal advantage. Lindenwood had eight shots compared to just four for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were unable to establish any offensive threat in the opening 20 minutes.

The Nittany Lions came out of the locker room energized and tallied five shots on goal in the first two minutes of the second period. However, Lindenwood stretched its lead to 2-0 after Rarick scored from in front of goal. To make matters worse for the Nittany Lions, Lindenwood went on the power play for a face-off violation against Penn State. The Nittany Lions killed the power play for the third time.

Penn State rebounded and grabbed a goal back with 11:54 remaining. Senior Courtney Correia connected with a top-corner shot for the Nittany Lions with assists coming from Lexi Bedier and Olivia Wallin. Penn State trailed 2-1 heading into the second period media timeout.

It started to get chippy at Pegula with 9:32 remaining. The Nittany Lions went on the four-to-three-man advantage when three skaters all went to the box for roughing. Penn State scored again just minutes later. Wallin buried it home for the Nittany Lions, tying the game 2-2.

The penalty box stayed occupied throughout the contest. Correia was sent to sit down for two minutes after being called for roughing. Lindenwood was unable to capitalize on the power play once again, keeping the score all tied at two.

The second period concluded after a dominant response from coach Jeff Kampersal’s Nittany Lions. Penn State fired off 22 shots in the period compared to Lindenwood’s four.

The third period started strongly for Penn State. The Nittany Lions sent two more shots at Lindenwood goalie Natalie Ferenc in the opening minute. Penn State took its first lead of the game at the 16:44 minute mark when MacKay scored.

Penn State continued to gift Lindenwood opportunities throughout. At 13:11 remaining, Janecke committed another penalty for the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions’ insurance goal came at the mid-way point of the third period. Kiara Zanon scored an unassisted goal to make it a 4-2 game. MacKay scored her second of the afternoon on the power play moments later.

The third-period onslaught continued with 4:19 remaining. Alyssa Machado got on the scoresheet with a goal of her own to bring the Penn State lead to 6-2. Lindenwood got a goal back with just a few seconds left of play thanks to a Thea Jorgensen goal. Penn State won 6-3.

The slow start ended up being a non-factor at Pegula as the Nittany Lions took care of business in the second and third periods on their way to a series sweep of Lindenwood.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will take on Syracuse on Friday, February 3. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. for the conference match-up.