No. 6 Penn State Women’s Hockey Steamrolls Delaware 5-0 In First Ever Meeting
Penn State (5-0, 1-0 AHA) opened up conference play with a dominant win over Vermont (1-4, 0-1 AHA), in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Nittany Lions stay perfect on the season, while senior goalie Katie DeSa recorded her second shutout of the season.
How It Happened
Penn State looked dominant right from the jump, starting the game with a power play attempt as Delaware defenseman Emma MacIntyre got called for an interference minor just over 30 seconds from the opening puck drop.
Penn State had some good looks on the man advantage, but Delaware goalie Charlotte Payne kept it scoreless, and the Blue Hens got the kill.
The Nittany Lions were able to get on the board soon after, though. Matilde Fantin got behind the defense and let off a backhand shot. Payne made the pad save, but couldn’t control the rebound, and Grace Outwater was able to tap it in to make the game 1-0.
GO taps in the rebound to give us an early lead
— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) October 10, 2025#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/VCnfpOsDWx
Penn State was able to keep the pressure up in the following minutes. Outwater, in particular, had a couple of other opportunities, but Payne turned them all away.
Katie DeSa had her number called as the period neared its close, and she responded, keeping the Blue Hens off the board after one.
Penn State kept the momentum going into the second period. Just under three minutes in, freshman defenseman Sophie Morrow entered the zone and sniped one for her first collegiate goal.
The Nittany Lions wouldn’t soon let up. They continued to get good chances and eventually found themselves in a 2-on-1 situation entering the offensive zone. Maddy Christian set up Outwater for a one-timer, and she made the most of it, expanding the Penn State lead.
Maddy sets up GO with some
— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) October 10, 2025and she’s got five goals in five games
#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/PLOTuVyOwa
Penn State found themselves on the power play again when Meera Smith of Delaware got rung up for a hooking minor.
The kill proved not to be an issue for the Blue Hens as they looked strong, blocking a string of Nittany Lion shots.
Delaware would get their opportunity up a man soon after. Grace Tullock found herself in the box after committing a hooking penalty with seven minutes left in the period.
Katie DeSa and the Penn State penalty kill were unfazed by the Blue Hen power play unit as the home team struggled to really get anything going, and the game was at even strength in no time.
The Lions looked determined to widen the score gap before the third, but Payne kept it relatively under control for Delaware after the second.
The offensive surge for Penn State didn’t stop going into the third frame. Payne fought off a barrage of shots for the first five minutes of the period, not letting the Nittany Lions pull further away.
Another chance for the Penn State power play unit came up after another hooking penalty on Delaware. The girls weren’t able to find the back of the net.
After a bodychecking penalty on Leah Stecker, the Nittany Lions found themselves shorthanded again.
This was hardly a setback for Penn State, as Outwater found her way behind the Delaware power play unit and netted her third of the game on the shorthanded breakaway opportunity. This marked her second career hat trick.
It never got better for Delaware. DeSa turned away any shot that came her way, and as the game neared its close, Maddy Christian capitalized on another Penn State breakaway, cementing the score at 5-0.
Takeaways
- This was a complete offensive onslaught for the Nittany Lions, outshooting Delaware 51 to 10.
- Grace Outwater continues her outstanding start to the year. Her second career hat trick gives her a team-leading six goals in just five games to begin the season.
- Katie DeSa notched her second shutout of the year, and while she wasn’t tested very much, a shutout is never anything to scoff at.
What’s Next?
Penn State Women’s Hockey will finish its first-ever series with Delaware at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 11. The game will take place at Fred Rust Ice Arena in Newark, Delaware. The game will be available live on FloHockey.
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