No. 4 Penn State women’s hockey (18-2, 12-0 AHA) kicked off the new year with a loss to No. 2 Ohio State (16-3, 11-3 WCHA) 5-1 on Friday night in Columbus.

The Nittany Lions couldn’t get much going all night long, and their fate was cemented with a four-goal second period by the Buckeyes.

How It Happened

Tessa Janecke won the faceoff to get the game started. Ohio State started strong, rattling off a series of shots before one finally got behind Katie DeSa to open up scoring four minutes into the game.

The Buckeyes continued to apply pressure, but couldn’t manage to beat DeSa. With just over six minutes left in the opening period, both Penn State’s Leah Stecker and Ohio State’s Macy Rasmussen were sent to the box for roughing. No goals resulted from the four-on-four play.

Mya Vaslet was called for cross-checking soon after, but the Nittany Lions’ penalty kill stood strong to keep the game 1-0 after one. But Penn State had a lot to think about going into the locker room after being outshot 17-5 in the first.

Joy Dunne scored for the Buckeyes just 16 seconds into the middle frame. Maxine Cimoroni continued to pour it on with another goal three minutes later to make it 3-0 Ohio State.

Penn State got its first man-advantage opportunity after a Buckeye hooking penalty. The penalty chance was stifled by a strong penalty kill from Ohio State.

The Penn State power play unit would get another go at it almost halfway through the period. This time, it would seemingly go even worse for the Nittany Lions, giving up a shorthanded goal to increase their deficit to four. However, Maddy Christian would net one just 24 seconds later to get Penn State on the board with a power play goal.

Leah and Maddy connect in transition to get us on the board! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/EWLpom7vfF

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) January 3, 2026

Ohio State would soon make it a four-goal difference again with a goal scored by Maxine Cimoroni for her second of the game.

Penn State would come up short on another power play chance and go into the third down 5-1.

The Nittany Lions would go on the penalty kill early in the third after Abby Stonehouse got called for roughing. Penn State would kill the penalty with little issue.

Penn State would come up short on yet another power play chance with five minutes left in the game. After more back-and-forth play, the time ran out on the Nittany Lions, who lost 5-1.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions simply couldn’t keep up offensively, as they were outshot 45-24.
• Katie DeSa had one of her worst games, allowing five goals, her most of the season.
• Penn State was dominated in the faceoff circle, losing 37 of 58 faceoffs.

What’s Next?

Penn State will look to rebound in the conclusion of its series with Ohio State on Saturday, January 3, with puck drop scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the OSU Ice Rink in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.