No. 12 Penn State women’s hockey fell to Merrimack 3-1 in the opening game of the Smashville Women’s Collegiate Hockey Showcase in Nashville, Tennessee.

The lone Penn State score came from captain Tessa Janecke.

How It Happened

The weekend in Nashville started with Janecke winning the faceoff.

Maddy Christian took the first shot of the game, which went wide. Penn State could not handle the rebound, sending it down the ice into Merrimack’s hands.

Merrimack committed a penalty putting Penn State on the power play for the first time in the tournament. Janecke tried to send the puck in but was denied by the Merrimack goaltender, Margaux Favre.

A quick shot on the net by Lyndie Lobdell could not find a tip into the back of the net as time winded down on the power play. Merrimack took the momentum swing and brought the puck down into the offensive end but met Katie DeSa’s gloves.

The puck ended up back in the Nittany Lion territory but the team could not set up before the puck was lost into the neutral zone.

Midway through the first period, neither team had generated any offense. Both teams were hungry to score, but the puck was just being passed back and forth down the ice.

A penalty committed by Leah Stecker put Merrimack on the power play, setting up special teams for Penn State.

Penn State successfully killed the penalty keeping the period scoreless with four minutes left in the first.

Efficient passing from Merrimack led to an almost goal, but DeSa was ready for each shot toward her.

The first period ended with Penn State leading in shots 10-7, the game remaining scoreless.

Despite winning the face-off, Merrimack was called for a hooking penalty seconds into the second period.

Janecke had a quick shot, but Favre made the save as big stops prevented the Nittany Lions from scoring early on the power play.

Brianna Brooks’ pass could not get passed the blue line to try to score on the advantage. On a two-on-one, Penn State could not find the back of the net. The power play was killed by the Warriors.

Seconds after the kill, Merrimack found itself back in the box for high-sticking. However, the team’s penalty kill was all over the Nittany Lions, not letting them set up.

After being denied the whole penalty, Janecke shot a one-timer into the net, putting Penn State up 1-0 five minutes into the second period.

15:00 | 2nd: TESSA!!! Janecke scores on the power-play to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/z00UNV4V5y

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) November 29, 2024

Tiffany Hill skated into the offensive zone but couldn’t get past Favre.

The Warriors could not set up an offense after the Penn State goal. However, the ice tilted toward Merrimack when the team surprised DeSa, letting a puck into the net and tying the game.

An almost goal for the Nittany Lions brought motivation to take the lead back. The whistle blew early, leading the referees to signal there was no goal.

Merrimack snuck in front of DeSa and shot past her to put the Warriors in the lead for the first time in the game. Penn State desperately tried to tie the game, but Favre was ready for every shot, receiving a standing ovation from the Merrimack crowd.

The second period ended 2-1 in favor of the Warriors.

The third period started with Merrimack controlling the puck, the momentum continuing into the final frame. Despite leading, the Warriors took an early timeout to regroup.

The Nittany Lions could not get past Favre as she blocked every shot coming at her, even Janecke’s powerful one-timer.

Midway through the final frame, Merrimack was still dominating the game. Penn State could not get any offense going in the third period, as the Warrior defense had control of any pass coming from a Penn State player.

In a spur of power, Penn State was able to get three shots on Favre but they were all denied. The shots came from Janecke and Stecker.

Desperate, the Penn State offense kept firing shots at Favre, fighting to keep up with the Warriors. Favre was having herself a game.

Head coach Jeff Kampersal pulled DeSa with one minute to play, but Merrimack capitalized on the empty-net opportunity and made the score 3-1.

Takeaways

• The Penn State offense was slowed down this game. The Merrimack defense was on top of star players like Christian and Outwater, limiting the opportunities for the Nittany Lions.
• The power play did not shine like it had been the past couple of games, never finding the net.
• DeSa did not perform like her usual self, allowing the Warriors some easy goals. She was surprised by multiple Merrimack scores.

What’s Next?

Penn State will take on the loser of the Clarkson and St. Thomas game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 30, for the fight for third place.