No. 12 Penn State Women’s Hockey Sweeps Mercyhurst
No. 12 Penn State women’s hockey (15-4, 8-0 AHA) swept Mercyhurst (7-11-1, 4-0 AHA) in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Katie DeSa got the start in both games but Magdalena Luggin and Jorden Mattison split the series for Mercyhurst.
Game One
The series against Mercyhurst was quiet throughout the first period until Lyndie Lobdell was called for tripping, giving the Lakers the first advantage of the game.
After Mercyhurst tried to score on the power play, the Nittany Lions killed the penalty. Katelyn Roberts had a shot but it went wide past the net.
Kendall Butze shot toward Luggin, where she was stopped, keeping the first period quiet. Maddy Christian tried herself but met the same fate as Butze. The first period ended with the score remaining 0-0.
The second period started with a power play for Mercyhurst as Brianna Brooks was called for tripping seconds into the second period.
Multiple shots came DeSa’s way, but she was ready for each one. The penalty was killed by the Penn State special teams.
Lobdell tried to skate into the offensive zone to score but was blocked by a Mercyhurst defender. Grace Tullock tried to socre as well but met Luggin at the net.
After a face off in the Mercyhurst zone, Janecke won the face off to pass the puck to Christian. She shot it past Luggin to strike first in the match up.
Three minutes after, Christian struck again, scoring the second goal of the same with four minutes left in the second.
Looking to get even, Mercyhurst scored to cut the lead in half before heading into the locker room to start the third period.
The third period started with a slashing penalty on Tiffany Hill, giving the Lakers another chance to even the score.
As soon as the power play started, Mercyhurst got past DeSa to make the score 2-2.
Not letting the game get away from them, Grace Outwater shot from the left face off dot to take the lead.
Mercyhurst dominated the game for the next eight minutes, but the score remained the same. The skaters kept the puck in the Penn State zone, continuously shooting at DeSa.
Janecke secured the empty net goal to put the game away after Mercyhurst pulled Luggin.
Game Two
The Lakers started off strong, taking control of the puck immediately. DeSa met Mercyhurst skaters desperate to score early. She stopped each puck that came her way.
Tiffany Hill broke away and charged toward Mattison to get the first shot on the game for Penn State. Despite the ice tilting toward Penn State early in the game, the Lakers remained dominant.
Mercyhurst kept shooting at DeSa, with the shots on goal tallying at 5-1 seven minutes in the first period.
After a neutral zone face off, Penn State took control of the puck for the first time this game. Kendall Butze went toward Mattison, where it was blocked. Brianna Brooks took the rebound but met the same fate as Butze. Grace Tullock took a shot, but the puck went. Despite being unsuccessful, the Nittany Lions had generated some offense.
Tessa Janecke passed the puck to Alyssa Machado, who buried it past Mattison, striking first in the second game of the series.
Penn State kept up the intensity when Abby Stonehouse shot the puck, which was met by Mattison’s glove.
The Nittany Lions kept striking at Mattison, where she gloved each one. Janecke came close to brushing the puck in but a Mercyhurst defender blocked the shot.
The Lakers took control of the puck, skating down the ice at DeSa. The team did not let up, bombarding pucks at DeSa. After knocking on the door, a puck trickled into the net, tying the game for Mercyhurst.
The Lakers kept the puck in the offensive end, not giving Penn State a chance to take the lead late in the first.
The first period ended tied, with Mercyhurst leading the shots 12-8.
Penn State won the face off to start off the second period. Mercyhurst quickly intercepted the puck and disposed of it toward DeSa.
Maddy Christian took the puck from the Lakers to get the offense going for the Nittany Lions. Soon after, Mercyhurst committed an interference penalty to put Penn State on the power play for the first time in the game.
Lyndie Lobdell shot the puck toward Mattison, but it was stopped by a Mercyhurst defender. Katelyn Roberts also took a shot but the puck was denied. The penalty was unsuccessful for the Nittany Lions, who generated only three shots on the advantage.
Directly after, Mercyhurst went on the power play because Leah Stecker committed a roughing penalty. The Lakers were on fire on the advantage, generating five shots early into the power play.
Penn State killed the power play midway through the second period. The Lakers kept up after the advantage, staying dominant on the ice.
Penn State took the puck back and started to take the puck back to the offensive zone. Grace Outwater tried to put the puck in but was denied by Mattison.
Mercyhurst was called for tripping, sending Penn State back out on the power play. Stecker was the lone shooter during the power play.
After the power play, Janecke broke away and skated down the ice to dump the puck into the back of the net.
Outwaer was called for tripping, sending the Lakers on the power play for the second time. Immediately after the start, Mercyhurst evened the score once again with less than a minute left in the second period.
By the end of the second period, the game was tied at 2-2, and Mercyhurst still led in shots 15-13.
Penn State won the face off to start the final frame. Lobdell went wide of the net. Brooks tried taking the puck from behind the net but it was blocked by a Laker defender.
Roberts tried to score but was denied by Mattison. Mercyhurst had not had control of the puck thus far into the third period.
That changed when a Laker skated into the offensive zone, starting to shoot toward DeSa. All of the shots were unsuccessful, keeping the score tied midway through the third period.
Both teams were scrambling, desperate to take the lead. Janecke was knocking at Mattison’s door but she refused to let the puck in.
After generating three shots in four minutes, Janecke finally flicked it into the net for her second goal of the game.
With five minutes left in the series, Penn State had control of the puck. Machado, Lobdell, and Brooks fired at Mattison, trying to put the game away.
With two minutes left, Mercyhurst pulled Mattison to give the team an extra skater on the ice. The attempt was unsuccessful, Penn State winning the game 3-2.
Takeaways
- Janecke dominated the weekend by scoring three goals in the series, aiding Penn State on putting each game away. She also stayed out of the sin bin, something she had struggled with this season.
- DeSa yet again proved that she is the backbone of this team. She had several key saves, helping Penn State remain undefeated in conference play.
- While the Nittany Lions are undefeated in conference play, the team has a month off. The team cannot let up the intensity for the second half of the season.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will ring in the new year against Bemidji State at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 3, in the East West Showcase in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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