No. 3 Penn State women’s hockey (31-5, 34-2 AHA) defeated Syracuse (15-18-4, 10-13-3 AHA) 2-1 to take the series and advance to the AHA Tournament Finals on Saturday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena.

Despite the close score, Penn State dominated for much of the game, and another strong performance by Tessa Janecke propelled the Nittany Lions to the semifinal victory.

How It Happened

Jeff Kampersal rolled with the third line of Matilde Fantin, Mya Vaslet, and Nicole Hall starting on the ice for the opening faceoff.

Fantin won the draw to begin the game. The contest’s first shot belonged to Abby Stonehouse, as Syracuse goalie Ava Drabyk turned her away from the high slot.

Less than two minutes in, the Nittany Lions were awarded their first power play courtesy of a tripping minor by the Orange. Penn State had trouble maintaining possession, and with two blocked shots by defenseman Jessica Cheung, Syracuse got the kill.

A good shift by the Nittany Lion first line followed, but they only managed a lone shot by Stonehouse on the possession.

Just over halfway through the period, Tessa Janecke made a great play to keep possession through the Syracuse defense, but Drabyk deflected her shot to keep the game scoreless. She would get another chance a couple of minutes later, a Katelyn Roberts pass in the neutral zone sprung Janecke free, as she went glove high on Drabyk to give Penn State the lead.

TESSA JANECKE puts Penn State on the board in the 1st!! pic.twitter.com/QGh0233FJI

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) February 28, 2026

1-0 would remain the score going into intermission, with the Orange not even mustering a shot on net the entire first period.

Two minutes into the middle frame, Syracuse finally registered a shot on net, but Katie DeSa made the stop in her first action of the game.

The Nittany Lions would go on their first penalty kill after a trip by DeSa. Roberts served the time for her goalie in the box. Jackson Kinsler gave the Orange their first goal of the series on the power play, beating DeSa in the crease.

Soon after, Grace Outwater had a great look in front of the net but was stuffed by the blocker of Drabyk. Syracuse would commit a cross-checking penalty on the shift, giving Penn State its second chance on the power play. Despite good shots by Danica Maynard and Fantin, the Nittany Lions would come up short on the man-advantage.

With under eight minutes left in the second, Syracuse’s Rylee McLeod found herself all alone on the breakaway. She tried to go five-hole, but DeSa shut the door, keeping the game tied.

In the final minutes of the period, Penn State was given another power play, with Janecke drawing a holding call. Third time proved to be the charm for the Nittany Lions, as Stonehouse deflected a shot by Outwater to take the lead.

ABBY STONEHOUSE GETS IT IN THE NET TO END THE 2ND! pic.twitter.com/HLB8Sk7fMo

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) February 28, 2026

Syracuse had a chance on a two-on-two in the final seconds, but DeSa made the pad save to keep her time up 2-1 going into the final period.

In the opening minute of the third, the Nittany Lions found themselves on yet another man-advantage after a Syracuse cross-checking minor. The penalty chance was cut short after Leah Stecker was called for slashing less than 30 seconds into the power play. Four-on-four wouldn’t solve a thing, and both penalties would be killed.

Hall would soon find herself with a great chance after an Orange turnover in the neutral zone; her shot would beat everything but the post to keep the score at 2-1.

With a little over 10 minutes left to play, a tripping call at the Penn State blue line gave the Nittany Lions a fifth power play. Yet again, Syracuse killed it off to keep the game within one.

As the game neared its close, DeSa made a great glove save on Nea Tervonen to keep the lead. Penn State would subsequently burn its timeout.

After the Orange used a timeout of their own, and with Drabyk pulled, Emma Gnade fired one from the high slot but was robbed by the glove of DeSa. A faceoff win by Janecke with seven seconds left secured the 2-1 win for the Nittany Lions.

Takeaways

• Tessa Janecke continues to excel in her short time back with the team. She scored four goals in two games during the semifinal series sweep.
• While scoring fewer goals than Friday, the Nittany Lions’ offense was just as sharp, controlling the pace of the game and outshooting the Orange 30-16.
• Katie DeSa was great despite limited action in front of her; an incredibly clutch third period ensured a Penn State victory.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will next hit the ice to host second-seeded Mercyhurst in the AHA Finals. The winner-take-all game will take place on Saturday, March 7th, with puck drop being at 2 p.m. No broadcast location has been announced at this time.