No. 8 Penn State women’s hockey (30-5-1, 21-1-0 AHA) dominated RIT (16-17-4, 8-12-2 AHA) 4-0 on Saturday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena to advance to the AHA Championship.

The Nittany Lions easily took care of business, with the first goal halfway through the first period. Offensive pressure led to three more goals en route to the victory.

How It Happened

Both teams felt each other out to begin the game. RIT took a few shots, but Penn State quickly kicked into gear and sent a barrage of shots toward the net.

For about the first half of the period, Penn State controlled the puck. It paid off at 11:21 in the period, as Maddy Christian scored to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.

Penn State continued to apply the pressure from there. The Nittany Lions took shot after shot, and eventually, McKenna Walsh scored to give them a 2-0 lead at 16:19 in the first period.

Both Penn State and RIT exchanged momentum spells during the second period. There were five faceoffs in the first five minutes of the period, and Penn State won four of them.

Tessa Janecke appeared to score a goal in the later minutes of the period. However, a challenge by RIT was successful, as a video review led to an overturned call.

As it had throughout the first two periods, Penn State came out firing on all cylinders in the third period. It didn’t take long for another goal, as Abby Stonehouse scored to make it 3-0 at 5:40 in the sequence.

At 12:00, Janecke was assessed a tripping minor. RIT took three shots, but none went in as Penn State successfully killed the penalty.

At 17:03, Janecke scored an empty-netter to make it 4-0, which effectively ended the game.

Takeaways

• Penn State is now in the AHA Championship for the third consecutive season. If the Nittany Lions aren’t the class of the conference, who is?
• The Nittany Lions were great offensively, but their defense was outstanding. RIT had only 11 shots on goal as it barely had a chance to control the puck.
• Tiffany Hill and Janecke each had two points today. Janecke had a goal and an assist, while Hill had two assists. Hill now has nine assists this season.

What’s Next

Penn State faces Mercyhurst or Syracuse in the AHA Championship on Saturday, March 8. The time and place are to be determined.