No. 11 Penn State Women’s Hockey Shut Out RIT 3-0
Penn State women’s hockey (18-4-1, 8-0) shut out RIT (11-9-3, 4-4-1) 3-0 to open the first series back in Pegula Ice Arena of the new year.
Katie DeSa and Sarah Coe started in their respective nets. Brianna Brooks and Abby Stonehouse were the goal scorers in the shutout game.
How It Happened
Penn State won the faceoff, creating a dominant start for the Nittany Lions.
Tessa Janecke and Tiffany Hill tried to get the puck in the net but were stopped by Coe. Penn State continued to dominate and create physical shots toward RIT.
Five minutes into the game, Maddy Christian took a tripping penalty for the first power play of the game. The Nittany Lions continued to clear the puck into the RIT zone, killing the power play.
Brianna Brooks had control of the puck but lost it to RIT, who shot it into the bread basket of DeSa. Bringing it back into the offensive zone, a bouncing rebound from Janecke landed in the stick of Abby Stonehouse to shoot it into the back of the net.
Midway through the first period, Penn State led 1-0 and in shots 9-3.
Katelyn Roberts shot from the left side but was stopped by Coe. Grace Outwater dished a backward pass to Hill, but Hill lost control of the puck, sending it into the neutral zone.
The Nittany Lions took the puck back with Garcia hammering shots toward Coe, which was deflected. Penn State did not allow the Tigers to bring the puck back into the offensive zone, taking a strong defensive stance.
In the last two minutes of the first period, the Nittany Lions continued to dominate the ice. By the end of the first, Penn State led in shots 16-5.
RIT won the faceoff, but it didn’t matter as Brooks skated into the offensive zone, received a pass from Roberts, and tipped the puck in.
The Nittany Lions continued the defensive stance, creating turnovers and limiting the Tigers from generating an offense. Despite allowing two goals, Coe continued to make huge saves for RIT.
RIT had too many skaters on the ice, putting Penn State on the power play for the first time. The Nittany Lions were pressured the entire advantage with the Tiger special teams dominating the power play. Both teams couldn’t get anything started on the power play.
Penn State started to let up on defense, which allowed RIT to get the offense going. However, sloppy shots and discipline brought Penn State back to the power play after the Tigers committed a hooking penalty. The Tigers dominated on the penalty kill, not allowing the Nittany Lions to get set up in the zone.
As time winded down, Penn State started to pound Coe with shots, not letting up after a lack-luster power play.
McKenna Walsh was thrown in the penalty box for slashing, giving RIT another chance on the advantage.
The final frame started with half of the power play remaining for RIT. The Penn State defense continued to shine and allowed only one shot toward DeSa.
Hill took control of the puck and took a quick shot from a half angle but met Coe’s gloves. Trying to add another goal to her night, Stonehouse skated toward the net but was pushed into the goal, leading to another power play for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State kept the puck in the offensive zone for the power play but did not have the opportunity to get many shots on the net. The power play had not been successful for either team in the first game of the series.
Brooks found herself wide open in the slot to put it past Coe to give Penn State a 3-0 lead halfway through the final frame.
RIT started to get desperate, shooting rapidly toward DeSa. However, with that, Penn State drew a tripping penalty. The Nittany Lions went back on the power play for the third time in the game.
Lyndie Lobdell attacked from the rear center but was denied by Coe. The rest of the power play was quiet for the Nittany Lions, leading them to go 0-3 on the advantage.
Penn State stayed in control of the puck for the remainder of the match, securing the first win of the series.
The Nittany Lions led the shots 48-18.
Takeaways
- The Nittany Lion power play did not get anything going throughout the entire game. The RIT defense was on top of Penn State, barely allowing any shots on the net during the advantage.
- DeSa once again proved that she is a star in front of the net. She saved every shot that came her way in all three periods.
- Penalties still remain to be a problem for Penn State. Although the team only had two penalties, RIT had multiple chances to score and make the game closer than it was.
What’s Next?
Penn State will work to close out the series against RIT at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 11, at Pegula Ice Arena.
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