Penn State women’s hockey forward Matilde Fantin will be unavailable for the Nittany Lions for an extended period due to a lingering injury from last season, head coach Jeff Kampersal said.

Fantin played in 26 games for Penn State during the 2025-26 season.

“She’ll be out at least through Thanksgiving, and then probably make an assessment after that, or probably after the new year,” Kampersal said during media availability Wednesday.

Fantin showed up in big moments for Penn State a season ago.

Last year she scored her first collegiate goal against No. 9 St. Lawrence, had an assist against No. 2 Ohio State, and notched three points against Syracuse in her first game back from representing Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Fantin also scored against No. 6 UConn during the NCAA Regional Final last season at Pegula Ice Arena.

In total, Fantin had 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists.

The exact type of injury has not been disclosed, but Kampersal said that Fantin is in “good hands with the training staff and [is] working hard to get back.”

No. 4 Penn State Women’s Hockey is set to open the 2026 season against No. 2 Ohio State on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Pegula Ice Arena for ‘Raise the Banner’ night, where they will honor last year’s AHA Championship.