Penn State women’s hockey swept RIT to move on in the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) postseason. In Friday’s game, the women struggled to maintain the lead. Despite two goals from Tessa Janecke and a short-handed goal from Maddy Christian, RIT came back. However, it was not enough, and the Nittany Lions survived 3-2.

Game two was a different story for Penn State as the team dominated the ice and recorded a 4-0 shutout. Christian and Janecke scored their second goals of the series, while McKenna Walsh and Abby Stonehouse got their first to advance to the AHA championship.

While both games were different, the outcomes can be credited to the team’s resilience. Head coach Jeff Kampersal emphasized the team’s resilience, especially in postseason hockey.

“Our kids are resilient, and they will win,” he said.

The Nittany Lions blocked 22 shots in the series against RIT, showing the willingness to put their bodies on the line for the team. The team also dominated in faceoffs once again. In game one, the Nittany Lions won 66.2% of faceoffs while in game two, they won 72.2%.

“We got the start off of the opening faceoff to get the first goal of the game,” Kampersal said.

Janecke was responsible for winning the majority of the faceoffs in the series. Out of the 43 faceoffs Penn State won in game one, Janecke accounted for 26 of them — over 60% of the team’s total wins. This highlighted her dominance in the circle and her role in establishing possession for Penn State.

“It’s vital to the game,” she said.

In addition to Janecke’s faceoff success, she found the net three times in the semifinals. Two goals came within five minutes of each other while the third put the game on ice, sending the team to the championship. To her, all the credit went to her linemates.

“I kind of was just in the right spot at the right time,” she said. “My linemates got me the puck.”

While she is not on Janecke’s line, Christian is also someone who has cemented intensity into her style of play. The Nittany Lion racked up two goals on the series, bringing her up to 31 points on the season.

Kampersal commented on Christian’s progress and how she has become a top player on the roster.

“She has a ton of speed and transition, with catching people off guard,” he said.

With Christian’s goal in game two, she became tied for fourth on the Penn State single-season leaderboard.  

The Nittany Lions hope to keep up the intensity as they host Mercyhurst in the AHA championship at 2 p.m. on March 8.