No. 8 Penn State women’s hockey (29-5-1, 20-1-0 AHA) beat RIT (16-16-4, 8-11-2 AHA) 3-2 to secure the first win of the series in the AHA semifinals.

The Nittany Lions had a dominant start, but the Tigers came back quickly to keep the game close.

How It Happened

RIT won the faceoff to start the game and brought it to the offensive zone. However, Abby Stonehouse skated the puck in the RIT zone and passed it to Tessa Janecke, who scored seconds into the first period.

Penn State continued to dominate the ice, denying any opportunity to RIT. Janecke skated in front of the net to tap the puck in from Katelyn Roberts for her second goal of the game. The RIT fans in the building were quickly silenced five minutes into the game.

Midway through the first period, RIT had not shot toward the net yet, while Penn State had eight on the board. Alyssa Machado passed the puck to Maddy Christian but the pass was broken up by the Tiger defense, stopping the third goal of the night.

With three minutes left in the first period, the Tigers shot toward Katie Desa’s gloves but tallied one shot on goal.

RIT was called for tripping with one minute left before the first intermission, putting the Nittany Lions on the power play.

Despite the RIT defense keeping the Penn State offense at bay, the first period ended with the Tigers empty-handed, with the Nittany Lions leading them 2-0 and heading back on the power play.

The power play was quickly killed by the RIT special teams, with the Tigers clearing the puck multiple times on the Nittany Lion advantage. DeSa had her first real test as a Tiger came her way after the power play, but she deflected the puck.

The Tigers stayed in their offensive zone, taking some of the momentum from Penn State. Penn State quickly rebounded, took the puck back from RIT, and brought it back into the offensive zone.

Christian was assessed for a high-sticking penalty midway through the second period. During the power play, DeSa was peppered by pucks. She stood on her head throughout the entire two minutes. The Penn State special teams dominated as well, clearing the puck any chance they had.

However, with 20 seconds left on the advantage, Karley Garcia was called for holding. Christian’s penalty expired but Garcia’s had just started.

Fresh out of the sin bin, Christian skated the puck in herself to score a shorthanded goal, making the score 3-0. The Nittany Lions returned to full strength after the goal by Christian and a dominant performance by special teams.

Grace Tullock was then called for hooking, putting Penn State back on the penalty kill. Again, the Nittany Lions killed the penalty with ease and the Tigers could not generate any offense.

With five minutes left in the second period, both teams were quiet on the ice. The silence continued until the Tigers struck from the faceoff circle to put a dent into their now two-goal deficit to end the second period.

The final frame started with the puck in the Penn State zone as RIT tried to continue with the rhythm they had found at the end of the second period.

Janecke found herself in the penalty box after an elbowing call. Seconds into the advantage, the Tigers fired past DeSa to make the score 3-2.

Penn State was desperate to silence a loud RIT team in the third period and took over in the offensive zone. The Tigers were able to wedge their sticks in between passes between the Nittany Lions, interrupting their momentum.

Penn State was peppering Sarah Coe midway through the final frame to put the game away but could not find the back of the net. The Nittany Lion offense struggled the rest of the period but caught a break when RIT was called for interference.

Janecke had a clear shot but fanned on it to send the puck down the ice midway through the penalty. The penalty was killed by RIT with one minute left in regulation.

The last minute was intense, with both teams battling to control the puck. Kendall Butze and Brac Kelley were sent to the penalty box for cross-checking. The Nittany Lions were able to survive game one.

Takeaways

• Janecke continued to have a historic season, scoring her 22nd and 23rd goals of the season. Her two goals set the tone for the rest of the game, emphasizing her role as captain.
• DeSa was challenged in this opening game of the semi-finals. With her save percentage dropping to .867%, she looks to help keep the team alive in the postseason.
• The team as a whole came together during this game, with the offense, defense, and special teams working cohesively. While the team did let up and struggle in the third period, they were able to close out the game due to their chemistry.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions look to close out the semi-finals against RIT at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at Pegula Ice Arena.