No. 8 Penn State women’s hockey (31-5-1, 22-1-0 AHA) dominated Mercyhurst (20-16-2, 13-7-1 AHA) on Saturday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena to win the AHA Championship.

The Nittany Lions handled business against the Lakers, with the first goal minutes into the first period. The rest of the game came with ease as they won the AHA Championship.

How It Happened

Penn State won the faceoff to get the game going for the Nittany Lions. Tessa Janecke took advantage of the hot start and fired at Magdalena Luggin.

Seconds later, Maddy Christian took the puck on the backhand, breezing past Luggin to take an early lead.

The Nittany Lions continued the intensity, still peppering Luggin with pucks. Mercyhurst was able to skate down the ice toward Katie DeSa for the first time five minutes into the period. She gloved the one shot that went her way.

The Nittany Lions regained control of the puck in the offensive zone. McKenna Walsh skated before Luggin but missed in front of the net. Midway through the first period, the ice was titled toward Penn State.

After a neutral zone faceoff, the Lakers skated in and shot into the pipes. The Nittany Lions took advantage of the loose puck, skating back into the Mercyhurst zone.

Brianna Brooks was passed the puck by Christian to fire the puck past Luggin, extending the lead to 2-0.

The rest of the period was quiet for both teams with Penn State ahead 2-0 and leading in shots on goal 15-7.

The momentum continued to favor the Nittany Lions to start the second period. Janecke took a shot from behind the net which was blocked by the Lakers’ defense.

After a turnover, Mercyhurst tapped the puck into the net to cut into the Penn State lead.

Despite the Laker goal, the Nittany Lions kept bombarding Luggin with shots. Taya MacDonald shot from the faceoff dot, meeting the glove of Luggin.

Halfway through the second period, Penn State was ahead with shots 27-9.

Grace Outwater tried to wrap around the net but could not finish the job. Katelyn Roberts shot around the faceoff circle and was unsuccessful in finding the back of the net.

The puck was bouncing back and forth between the teams with five minutes left to play in the second.

Coming from the Penn State zone, Abby Stonehouse passed the puck to Roberts, who shot it past Luggin to end the second period.

The final frame was quiet, with the puck going back and forth between zones. Penn State was looking to put the game on ice, while Mercyhurst wanted to get back into the game.

Midway through the final frame, Penn State was starting to pull away. The puck stayed in the offensive zone for the Nittany Lions, as they were creeping at the door.

The first penalty of the day was called on Tiffany Hill for tripping. The Nittany Lions killed the penalty with ease, while the Laker’s hopes of a comeback were quickly fading.

Brooks put the game away by drawing Luggin out of the net to breeze past her.

Time ran out, with Penn State winning the AHA Championship.

Takeaways

• The offense found its rhythm in this matchup against Mercyhurst. With 4 goals and 43 shots on the net, Penn State could not be stopped in this game.
• DeSa had a stellar game, with her save percentage being .929% She stood tall in the net and for the entire season.
• The defense played relentlessly but poised, which is important with the NCAA tournament just around the corner. The team only took one penalty the entire game, which factored into the dominant win.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions received an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Women’s Hockey Tournament. The tournament is slated to begin on Thursday, March 13.