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No. 8 Penn State Women’s Hockey Completes Sweep Against Robert Morris

No. 8 Penn State women’s hockey (25-4-1, 17-0 AHA) swept Robert Morris (8-20-3, 2-13-2 AHA) to continue their undefeated streak in the AHA.

Katie DeSa registered a shutout in game one against the Colonials while the Penn State offense breezed past Robert Morris in game two to complete the sweep.

Game One

Penn State came onto the ice fast, already bombarding Maggie Hatch with the puck seconds into play. Stella Retrum tapped the puck into the net to strike first for the Nittany Lions only minutes into the first period.

The dominance from the Nittany Lions did not stop there. Brianna Brooks and Karley Garcia skated up to the net but could not find the back of it.

Robert Morris did not get a single shot on the net until five minutes into the period when Katie DeSa stopped the puck. Despite getting the opportunity on the net, Penn State took the ice right back.

Nicole Hall and Tessa Janecke went wide of the net just to miss Hatch. To add to the momentum, the Colonials were called for a tripping penalty to put the Nittany Lions on the power play. 

While Penn State was able to set up for the advantage, the team could not score on the power play. Hatch and the Colonial defense held up throughout the two minutes.

After back-and-forth play, Katelyn Roberts shot the puck from the top of the circle for it to trickle into the net. With five minutes left in the first frame, Penn State led 2-0.

The rest of the period belonged to Penn State, and the offense did not let up despite being ahead two goals early in the game.

Penn State started the second period on the power play after Robert Morris was called for a delay of game penalty. Like before, the power play could not generate any offense for the Nittany Lions, causing them to go 0-2 on the advantage. 

Leah Stecker came close to the net but was blocked by a Colonial defender. Grace Outwater also went wide of the net after taking the puck from Robert Morris. 

Janecke and Allyson Herbert were both called for penalties, leading to four-on-four hockey. The puck bounced between the teams until Roberts took advantage of an open net to secure her second goal of the night. The score was now 3-0 in favor of Penn State. 

Midway through the second period, Robert Morris had a surge of offense, and the puck started flying toward DeSa. She stood on her head until Penn State returned the puck to the offensive zone. 

Abby Stonehouse, Janecke, and Hall crept up to Hatch but were stopped before they could extend their lead. The Nittany Lions kept their control of the puck as time winded down to mark the end of the period. 

The first three minutes of the final frame kept Hatch on her toes as the Nittany Lions peppered her with pucks. Maddy Christian got three shots toward Hatch, who deflected each one. After a shot from Alyssa Machado, she took a penalty for boarding. 

The first couple of seconds of the power play turned into five-on-three hockey when Janecke took an interference call. The Nittany Lion defense stood tall turning the power play as they blocked Colonial shots in front of the net. 

Penn State took back the puck after the penalty and was put back on the power play after a tripping penalty on Robert Morris. Lyndie Lobdell and Brooks were close to finding the back of the net, but their shot was just off target. The power play winded down once again without a goal.

A crisp cross-ice pass from Lobdell to Mckenna Walsh allowed her to find the top corner of the net to score. Midway through the last period, the Nittany Lions were rolling 4-0. 

Stecker was called for cross-checking, putting Penn State special teams back on the ice. Robert Morris peppered the net with shots, but DeSa stood tall, turning away every attempt to keep the puck out.

With four minutes remaining, Janecke threaded the puck into the net to make the score 5-0. As time ran out, Penn State remained in control of the puck. 

Game Two

The Nittany Lions continued their dominance from the night before into the final game of the series. Lucy Phillips was now in the net for Robert Morris, replacing Maggie Hatch.

Janecke and Stonehouse tried for the back of the net but met Phillips’ glove. Lobdell had a good look toward the net but could not complete the motion. Brianna Brooks got stuck behind a defender on her shot but managed to put her rebound in the hands of Phillips.

Robert Morris was able to skate to the offensive zone to try to get past DeSa. Despite the ice tilting toward the Colonials, the Nittany Lions took the puck back. Taya MacDonald’s shot was deflected by Phillips when she broke away.

Robert Morris was called for roughing, drawing the first penalty of the game. The Colonials broke away with the puck and almost had a short-handed goal before DeSa stopped the puck. Penn State took over but could not get past Phillips or the special teams.

Stonehouse tapped the puck into the net as defenders surrounded her to strike first.

Penn State kept up the intensity after the power play ended. The Nittany Lions were put back on the advantage after a tripping call was assessed on the Colonials midway through the first period. Penn State could not find an opening like in the previous power play.

After the end of the Nittany Lion power play, Roberts was booked to the box for roughing. The power play was uneventful, with Penn State quickly killing it.

The final two minutes of the first period was quiet for both teams with Penn State leading 1-0.

Robert Morris started the second period off hot but Penn State quickly took control of the puck. Hall was able to take a flying puck into the net to make the score 2-0 minutes into the second period.

Robert Morris quickly rebounded and scored to make the game a one-score battle.

The Colonials were called for hooking, putting Penn State on the power play once again. The advantage was quickly shut down by the Colonial special teams. The Nittany Lions had another opportunity as the Colonials were called for tripping.

Brooks took the puck from Karley Garcia to blast the puck past Phillips to make the game 3-1.

The Nittany Lions went back on the power play again after an interference call on the Colonials. It was unsuccessful for Penn State and quickly killed.

Gaining momentum, Robert Morris was able to get past DeSa to make the score 3-2 with five minutes left in the second period.

Penn State gained control of the puck to try to pull away from the Colonials but was stopped each time by Phillips. The second period ended with Penn State in control of the puck.

The third period started with Lauren Barbro in the net for the Nittany Lions. Penn State continued to control the puck. Walsh was assessed for a hooking call, putting Robert Morris on the power play.

On a breakaway, Janecke was able to secure a shorthanded goal to start to put the game away for the Nittany Lions. Still, on the power play, Robert Morris was trying to slip a goal past Barbro. Then, the Nittany Lions went on the power play again after a body-checking penalty. Stecker was able to score from the top of the circle on the power play to extend the lead to 5-2.

Robert Morris was desperate to score but Barbro was able to block each shot to keep Penn State in the lead. However, Penn State was in control of the puck for the last five minutes of play, still firing at Phillips and running the clock down to zero.

Takeaways

  • Penalties are still a problem for the Nittany Lions. Despite being successful on the penalty kill, Penn State could not stay out of the penalty box.
  • Katie DeSa had a strong series once again. After a shutout in the first game and allowing only 2 goals in the second game, she is the backbone of the team. She was eventually replaced by Lauren Barbro
  • The offense did not struggle to get started in either game of the series. The Penn State offense had a solid weekend and did not waste anytime with the puck.

What’s Next?

Penn State will return home to Pegula Ice Arena to take on Mercyhurst at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 7.

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About the Author

Alex Smith

Alex is a second-year Journalism major from Sarasota, Florida. Alex is a huge Tampa Bay sports fan and even has a cat named Kucherov. You can contact her at [email protected].

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