Penn State women’s hockey (32-5, 23-2 AHA) bested Mercyhurst (23-11-3, 17-6-2 AHA) 3-2 in the AHA Championship on Saturday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena.

Despite the Lakers tightening the gap in the final two minutes, the Nittany Lions controlled the pace of play and jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead. The victory marks the team’s fourth consecutive conference championship between the CHA and AHA.

How It Happened

Penn State won the opening faceoff and immediately gave the puck to the Lakers. Kendall Butze registered the first shot for the Nittany Lions, but it was gloved easily by Mercyhurst goaltender Magdalena Luggin.

Nearly three minutes into the action, Nicole Hall forced a turnover at her own blue line and turned it up ice. She found herself in a great scoring opportunity, but Luggin once again made the save. Tessa Janecke followed that up with a chance in the slot, but Mercyhurst slammed the door.

The pace of play was very slow to begin the game. Both teams struggled to keep the puck on the ice, deflecting it out of play on numerous occasions.

McKenna Walsh showed great hustle at the 13-minute mark, racing to beat out an icing. Penn State was able to keep the puck in the zone for a while, but never fully got set up.

Halfway through the frame, the Nittany Lions had their best opportunity thus far in the afternoon. Hall put a backhand on net from close range after Mya Valset fed it to the slot. Chaos ensued in the Mercyhurst crease, but Luggin eventually covered the puck to prompt a whistle.

Right off the ensuing faceoff, Vaslet found the back of the net, ripping one past Luggin while falling forward. Matilde Fantin earned the assist at 10:40, helping give Penn State a 1-0 lead.

Mya with a ROCKET to get us going #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/VtacvReQiW

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) March 7, 2026

The next five minutes of play featured just one shot, courtesy of Mercyhurst’s Sofia Ljung. Penn State had more than doubled the Lakers in the shot count for a majority of the first period.

Penn State’s next close call came after they found themselves in a three-on-one. Grace Outwater led the rush but could not connect on a pass. The Nittany Lions continued to control the pace of play, with the team tallying two more shots on goal shortly thereafter.

With just under three minutes left in the opening period, Janecke was called for a cross-check, the game’s first penalty. Penn State’s strong penalty kill unit would be put to the test against Mercyhurst’s top-five power play.

The Nittany Lions would ultimately win the battle, killing the penalty, and closing out the period with a one-goal advantage.

Mercyhurst won the faceoff to begin the second period. The Lakers immediately had two fantastic chances after the puck took a weird bounce in front of the crease, but Katie Desa stood tall.

Penn State spent the better part of three minutes applying intense offensive pressure. Despite an onslaught of shots, the Nittany Lions were unable to find the back of the net. Abby Stonehouse attempted to toe drag around the Mercyhurst defender as she gained the zone alone, but couldn’t handle the puck.

With seven-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second period, Hall deflected a Sophie Morrow shot past Luggin to give Penn State a 2-0 lead. Leah Stecker collected the secondary assist at 12:24.

Nicole with the redirect to double the lead#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/JuNZrbtt8j

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) March 7, 2026

Immediately following the goal, Jade Maisonneuve was called for kneeing, sending Penn State to its first power play. The Lakers would wind up killing off the penalty.

The teams skated five-on-five for just over 90 seconds before Mercyhurst committed another penalty. This time, Payten Evans headed to the box for interference. This time, Penn State was able to capitalize.

With less than a minute remaining on the man advantage, Katelyn Roberts redirected the puck as it trickled over the goal line. Janecke earned a point on the primary assist at 17:54, as the Nittany Lions took a 3-0 lead.

Put pucks on net and good things happen!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/6ixGYG08Cg

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) March 7, 2026

Time would expire in the second period with Penn State holding a commanding, three-goal lead.

In the third period, Penn State controlled the faceoff to begin the frame. After four minutes had passed, Mercyhurst finally got on the board. Abby Poitras converted the wraparound attempt on the backhand, making the score 3-1 in favor of Penn State. The goal was unassisted at 3:45.

With 12 minutes to go, the blue and white found itself on a three-on-one rush. After a couple of passes, Stonehouse took a shot that was saved by Luggin. The teams then exchanged three high-danger chances, with both goaltenders coming through in a big way for their respective teams. Outwater nearly gave the Nittany Lions an insurance goal, but Luggin said no.

Things started to get chippy as the teams were involved in some extracurricular activities following the whistle. Play continued with no penalties called. Moments later, Avery Bryk delivered a massive open-ice blow to Christian.

Mercyhurst pulled its goaltender with 2:35 remaining in regulation. With just over a minute left, the Lakers made it a one-goal game. Berlin Lolacher poked it through the five-hole off the assist from Julia Schalin at 18:41. The scoreboard read 3-2 with the AHA championship coming down to the wire.

With 20 seconds left on the clock, Sofia Nuutinen was called for hooking, with Taya MacDonald being called for a hold. The teams would skate four-on-four for the remainder of the game.

Janecke would clear the zone, securing the AHA Championship victory for Penn State and a spot in the NCAA regional final.

Takeaways

• Despite a messy start to the game for both teams, Penn State controlled the pace of play after scoring its first goal. The 3-0 lead ultimately proved to be too significant for Mercyhurst to overcome.
• The game grew to become very physical, featuring a couple of big hits and post-whistle scrums. The referees were fairly lenient on this, but a total of eight penalties were called during the action. The Nittany Lion penalty kill went a perfect 0-3, continuing its dominance.
• Penn State was strong in front of the net, with two out of the three goals coming courtesy of redirects. While both teams were relatively even on shots, 33-31 in favor of the blue and white, getting pucks on net worked out well for the home team.
• Both Desa and Luggin played excellently, making clutch stops at various points in the action. Desa finished the game with 29 saves, and Luggin finished with 30.
• With the win, Penn State ensured that the remainder of its season will be played at home. The Frozen Four will be played in University Park, something that would be incredibly advantageous if the Nittany Lions were to advance.

What’s Next?

Penn State will remain at home for the duration of the NCAA tournament. After securing a first-round bye, it will await its regional final draw, which will be announced on tomorrow’s selection show. The game will be played on Saturday, March 14, at Pegula Ice Arena.