No. 12 Penn State women’s hockey (0-1) fell to No. 13 Northeastern (1-0) 3-1 on Thursday night at Pegula Ice Arena.

Junior forward Katelyn Roberts had the lone goal for the Nittany Lions. Northeastern scored on an empty net to put the game away.

How It Happened

Penn State won the faceoff to start off strong, skating into Northeastern’s end within the first seconds of the game. Junior Maddy Christian skated the puck in to set up a shot but lost her edge and turned the puck over to the Huskies, giving them defensive dominance.

Momentum swung towards Penn State when Northeastern’s Morgan Jackson got called for interference, giving the Nittany Lions a chance to put a shot in the net.

With 19 seconds left on the power play, Northeastern’s Skylar Irving went to the penalty box for hooking, allowing Penn State to capitalize on the advantage, giving it a five-on-three opportunity. Roberts skated in, trying for the first goal of the season, but sent her shot wide.

The penalty clock winded down, and Penn State had one shot-on-goal to show for it.

Not letting up with an offensive push, Roberts took the puck off the faceoff and powered it through the gloves of goaltender Paige Taborski.

11:28 | 1st: ROBBY!!! Katelyn Roberts scores the first goal of the 2024-25 season! #WeArePennState #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/tQvJJfu0wE

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) September 26, 2024

On a rebound, Irving took the goal in herself to even the score. She was assisted by Jaden Bogden.

Seconds after, junior Leah Stecker took a holding penalty, allowing Northeastern to carry on the power from the previous goal. Getting sloppy, Jules Constantinople took a tripping penalty, with four-on-four hockey starting. On a breakaway, Roberts tried taking in the puck herself but was blocked by Northeastern’s Taborski.

Northeastern’s Ella Blackmore went wide of the net, coming from the rear center of the attack zone. Carrying off of her energy, Lily Brazis fired a shot from the center of the zone but was gloved down by Katie DeSa.

Senior defenseman Karley Garcia was called for high-sticking, causing the Nittany Lions to go on the penalty kill. Just as the Huskies were getting into a groove, Rylie Jones went into the box for high-sticking for the last 45 seconds of the period.

The Nittany Lions started the second period on the power play. The score was 1-1, with Penn State leading 6-3 in shots.

Penn State started the second period on the power play carrying over from Jones’ high-sticking penalty. The Huskies took control of the puck immediately, firing a shot toward DeSa moments into the second period.

The Nittany Lions took the puck back but had nothing to show for it, with Northeastern killing the penalty.

After the penalty, Brianna Brooks came up from behind the net but missed, adding a shot-on-goal for Penn State. Immediately after, McKenna Walsh took the puck in but Taborski deflected the shot off of her glove.

Northeastern took control defensively, winning faceoff after faceoff and denying Penn State opportunities to score. The Huskies would not let the Nittany Lions skate into their zone.

Penn State went back on the penalty after Brooks took a tripping call midway through the second period, continuing Northeastern’s campaign to even the score. After captain Tessa Janecke went at it with a Northeastern player, she received a two-minute penalty for roughing.

DeSa denied a back-door shot from Northeastern captain Taze Thompson, not allowing the Huskies to score. However, after Lyndie Lobdell got sent to the box for cross-checking, Lily Shannon came from the left side and hammered her shot past DeSa to take the lead.

Penn State went on the power play, desperate to even the score. Going at the net, Penn State saw shots from Stonehouse, Roberts, and Janecke, all going wide. As Northeastern killed the penalty, they were back in the box seconds later alongside Penn State. Maddy Christian and Rylie Jones, respectfully, took penalties for cross-checking, sending the game into four-on-four action.

From the blue line, Kendall Butze took a shot but went wide left of the net. The Huskies took charge of the puck back into the Nittany Lions zone.

With 1:27 left to play, Thompson got the puck through DeSa but after much review, the referees determined the goal was scored after the whistle.

The second period ended with no change in the score, the Huskies still led the Nittany Lions 2-1. Penn State led the shots 17-15.

Janecke won the faceoff to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Alyssa Machado shot the puck from behind the net, but the shot was saved by Taborski.

Northeastern went back on the penalty kill after Tristan Thompson took the penalty for tripping.

Penn State couldn’t capitalize on the advantage, letting Northeastern kill the penalty.

Freshman Nicole Hall took a shot top-shelf but met the hands of Taborski. The score remained 2-1 in favor of the Huskies midway through the final period.

Going through her skates, Brooks tried for the net but went to the stick of Northeastern, causing a turnover. Getting the puck back, Penn State could not set up for a goal, giving the puck right back to the Huskies.

Brooks and Janecke both took shots toward the net, but both were saved by Taborski, denying Penn State a goal.

Once again, the Huskies took control of the puck, giving Penn State limited opportunities late in the third.

With less than three seconds left, Penn State took an offensive stance, desperate to tie the game. Leah Stecker’s shot from behind the net was blocked by Northeastern’s Taze Thompson.

Needing an extra skater, Penn State pulled DeSa out of the end, and with one minute left in the game, Eloïse Caron skated in to put the game away, making the score 3-1.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions continued to take penalty after penalty, which gave Northeastern multiple chances to score on the power play. For the first game of the season, the team looked extremely undisciplined. Although Northeastern took around the same number of penalties, Penn State looked under less control than at the end of last season.
• The power play needs work. Penn State was given multiple opportunities to capitalize on Northeastern’s mistakes but were lacking in power through the shots-on-goal. In addition, the team could not set up for power plays, limiting their chances as well.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will once again face off against No. 13 Northeastern at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 27, at Pegula Ice Arena.