No. 7 Penn State women’s hockey (31-6-1, 22-1-0 AHA) lost to No. 8 St. Lawrence (22-11-5, 13-6-3 ECAC) 4-1 in the NCAA regional semifinals in Columbus, Ohio.

The Nittany Lion offense was silenced until Kendall Butze was able to break through the St. Lawrence defense. However, the lone goal was not enough to keep the Penn State season alive.

How It Happened

Penn State won the faceoff to start the NCAA tournament. The Nittany Lions and Saints were equal in the first minutes of play on the offense and defense. While St. Lawrence had a breakaway, Katie DeSa was prepared to deflect the shot.

Despite the ice tilting toward the Nittany Lions, sloppy passes and miscommunications prevented them from scoring.

Midway through the first period, both teams were equal, with both having three shots on goal.

Tiffany Hill took a shot on a one-on-one opportunity but was stopped by Emma-Sofie Nordström. The puck continued to bounce back and forth.

Abby Hustler for St. Lawrence skated around DeSa to get in the back of the goal, scoring 1-0.

Seconds after, Kennedy Wilson beat Kendall Butze in a race to the goal to extend the lead 2-0, with the Saints owning the momentum.

Tessa Janecke was called for a hooking penalty late in the first period. St. Lawrence peppered DeSa during the power play until Hustler struck again from the top right post. The Nittany Lions were down 3-0 at the end of the first period.

The Saints won the faceoff to start the second period. Abby Stonehouse put up a shot, but it was gloved by Nordström. St. Lawrence continued to create chances for themselves five minutes into the second frame.

St. Lawrence took a cross-checking penalty to put Penn State on the advantage. The Nittany Lions could not find any rhythm on the power play, while the Saints dominated the kill.

Midway through the second period, the score remained 3-0.

Hill took a tripping penalty to send the Saints back onto the power play. The Nittany Lions were able to kill the penalty, but the Saints were creeping toward the net.

With five minutes left in the second period, Penn State was starting to pick up on offense with 23 shots, but still could not find the back of the net.

St. Lawrence took a tripping penalty to give Penn State momentum. The Nittany Lions were desperate, not being able to set up on the power play. The period ended with the Saints still in the lead.

The final frame started with Penn State winning the faceoff. The puck was bouncing back and forth. The Saints, so far, had controlled the goals and faceoffs.

Midway through the third period, Penn State could not break through past Nordström.

Alyssa Machado was put into the penalty box for roughing, feeding into the Saint dominance. Maddy Christian tried burying the puck on a short-handed goal but was knocked over by a defender.

After they killed the penalty, the Saints went on the kill after a hooking call. Head coach Jeff Kampersal took out DeSa to add another skater to the ice.

Butze was able to break through Nordström to get the Nittany Lions on the board late in the third period.

The Nittany Lions were desperate to continue their season but could not hold on against the Saints. DeSa had been pulled with less than two minutes left in the game. In a fight for the puck, the Saints intercepted, leading to an empty net goal to put the season away.

Takeaways

• Penn State was completely shut down in this game despite the late goal. The offense was on fire throughout the entire season until St. Lawrence put it out.
• DeSa, who had been a solid goaltender, was stopped in this game. Her save percentage was 0.885%, which was not up to her usual performance.
• Looking to next season, the team will be losing seven seniors. The team will look to replace notable players such as Lyndie Lobdell and Brianna Brooks.

What’s Next?

The Penn State women’s hockey season is now over with the loss to St. Lawrence in the NCAA regionals.