Penn State women’s hockey is undefeated in the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA). Through two weeks of conference play, the team has swept Syracuse and Lindenwood.

Additionally, Penn State is 11-3 with losses to Northeastern, UConn, and Cornell. The Nittany Lions have had a hot start to the season, one that head coach Jeff Kampersal deemed successful.

“It’s a really good start,” Kampersal said. “We’ve been able to do it at home, too, which is big.”

All the conference games for Penn State have been at Pegula Ice Arena so far, which makes a difference in games. The second half of the season, however, might be a different story for the Nittany Lions.

Without home ice advantage, the team may struggle. Penn State went into overtime against Lindenwood on Friday but dominated in front of a fuller crowd on Saturday.

“It’s hard at home on Friday at 2 p.m. when the students are still in class, and younger kids don’t get out of school at 3 p.m.,” Kampersal said. “We’ve got to create our own energy moving forward.”

However, Penn State sometimes relies on players to bring the spark needed to win the game. In the past series against Lindenwood, junior forward Kendall Butze brought that spark, especially in the second game.

Butze had a milestone game with a career-high six points off of five assists and one goal. Her presence on the ice has aided the team in remaining undefeated in the conference.

From her assist at the beginning of the game to Maddy Christian, to her goal toward the end of the third period, Butze lit up the rink with her dynamic play, showcasing her ability to energize her team when it mattered most.

“She really loves to play the game,” Kampersal said about Butze. “Her love for the game makes her creative, curious, and one of a few players that play their heart out.”

Butze, however, credited everyone on the ice for her stellar performance.

“I couldn’t do without everyone else on the ice putting those goals in,” she said.

In the overtime win against Lindenwood, Penn State battled despite being short a forward, showing the effort the entire team put into the game. Kampersal dubbed the team as a “selfless group,” emphasizing that each player needs to dominate in all three frames.

“We have an awesome group,” he said. “Our group just needs to be a little bit more alpha and take the shot when they have the opportunity.”