In the second period against Syracuse on Friday night, Penn State women’s hockey captain Tessa Janecke collided with an Orange player, which led to her ejection for boarding.

Despite their captain leaving the game, Penn State players stood strong and closed out the series, beating Syracuse 5-2 and leaving with a series sweep.

Head coach Jeff Kampersal said Janecke’s aggression makes it difficult to keep her disciplined and out of the box.

“It’s a work in progress all the time,” he said. “It’s hard because she is a very aggressive player.”

This season, Janecke has been called for nine penalties for 29 minutes in 12 games. Kampersal doesn’t blame her, however.

“She’s much stronger and faster than everybody that she plays,” he said. “Her body can send somebody flying, and it’s a very difficult role that she’s in.”

Regardless of the ejection, the team stood tall with four goals coming after the captain’s exit. Those goals came from Abby Stonehouse, Leah Stecker, Stella Retrum, and Maddy Christian.

Christian scored two goals in the second game against Syracuse, something that Kampersal took note of.

“Christian has completely stepped up and arrived,” he said. “She worked really hard this summer, and her hard work is paying off.”

Christian has the most goals on the team, tallying at seven on the season.

Lyndie Lobdell also had a stellar game, recording her second three-point game of the season and three assists. Kampersal praised her as well, highlighting her as a player.

“She’s a leader, and she’s vocal,” he said. ” She’ll stand up for her teammates.”

The graduate student has two goals on the season.

The chemistry between each line has been key for the Nittany Lions. Although Janecke often centers the first line, they still were successful, with Stella Retrum scoring a goal late in the third period. The second line generated offense, with Christian scoring twice in the game.

Overall, the Nittany Lions rallied to secure a sweep on the weekend to head into the bye week on a high note. Kampersal said how nice it was to enter the bye week, looking forward to resetting the team before facing conference foe Lindenwood on November 15.

“It’s nice that we have a break now,” he said. “We’ve gone through six weekends, so it’s good to have a break.”