No. 4 Penn State women’s hockey (0-2-0, 0-0-0 AHA) fell to No. 2 Ohio State (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) 2-1 at Pegula Ice Arena on Friday afternoon.

How It Happened

Jocelyn Amos won the opening faceoff for Ohio State, but did not get a shot off on net after taking it deep into Penn State territory.

The first shot of the game went to the Nittany Lions at 2:48 in the first period. Penn State’s Alanna Devlin had a beautiful pass to McKenna Walsh, but the shot was denied by Ohio State’s Rowan Houweling.

Penn State’s Sofia Ismael had a great break to the puck to generate a steal. The Nittany Lions were not able to generate a shot on net.

The first goal of the game went to Penn State 4:14 into the first period. Grace Outwater netted her second goal of the season after a stunning pass from Kylie Amelkovich to give Penn State the lead early.

Ohio State goes on the power play at 8:09 into the game for roughing on Ismael. The Buckeyes tied the game 8:22 in the first period with a goal on the power play by Hilda Svensson, assisted by Hayley McDonald.

Penn State goalie Maddy Campbell denied a one-timer by Ohio State’s Leah Wicks, making a great save to keep the game tied at one. The Buckeyes put a lot of pressure on Campbell early. She did her job keeping the puck out of the net.

Abby Stonehouse had a nice chance at the net, but was ultimately denied by Houweling.

Devlin went to the penalty box for the Nittany Lions for checking 16:14 into the first period, resulting in an Ohio State power play.

Ohio State’s Joy Dunne went to the penalty box at 17:19 in the first period for interference on the ice. Both teams were at 4-on-4 before Penn State got a short power play. Penn State was unable to generate a shot on the power play.

Amelkovich had a chance on net, but was denied by a good save by Houweling. Ohio State didn’t generate a shot shortly after the save.

The Buckeyes’ Sanni Vanhanen had a chance on net, but was stopped by Campbell. Penn State’s Megan Hosman read the puck well for a steal, but the Nittany Lions were unable to get a shot off on net.

The Buckeyes continued to pressure Campbell early in the second period. Penn State’s defense was able to clear the puck, keeping the game tied. The Nittany Lions didn’t generate a shot on net despite opportunities.

Penn State’s Nicole Hall was hit hard by Ohio State’s Jordan Baxter, resulting in Hall skating off the ice in pain. There was no penalty on the ice.

Ohio State’s Kassidy Carmichael went to the penalty box 13:38 into the second period for body checking on Danica Maynard. It was reviewed for a major, but was ultimately not called. Penn State was unable to generate a shot on the power play.

The Buckeyes’ Macy Rasmussen generated a steal and delivered a great pass to Baxter. Campbell made a solid save to keep it tied with 6:18 left in the second.

Outwater went to the penalty box for slashing 15:27 into the second. Ohio State’s Maxine Cimoroni hit the post, but Campbell covered it up. Amos had a nice shot on net but was denied again by Campbell. Despite a ton of pressure from the Buckeyes, they were unable to find the back of the net.

Shortly after the power play, Ohio State found the back of the net with 1:46 left in the second. Kaia Malachino delivered a pass to Rylee Bartz, who put it away to five the Buckeyes the lead late in the second period.

Ohio State’s Ellah Hause’s one-timer was denied by Campbell. Hause went to the penalty box for interference in the final seconds of the second period, giving the Nittany Lions the power play going into the third.

The Nittany Lions were able to get one shot off during the power play. Mikah Keller went to the penalty box 3:27 into the third period for slashing.

Stonehouse put her body on the line, delivering back-to-back blocks on the penalty kill. The Nittany Lions went back to full strength, still trailing.

Malachino ringed the post, but the puck did not find the back of the net.

Penn State pulled Campbell with 30 seconds left in regulation. The Nittany Lions didn’t score and dropped their second consecutive game to open the season.

Takeaway’s

• Penn State’s defense outshined the offense again, having 17 blocked shots on the night. The Nittany Lions generated more blocked shots than shots on net.
• Maddy Campbell showed that she is a good backup option to Morgan Stickney.
• Penn State’s offense was lackluster again tonight, failing to convert on the scoring chances it had.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will be back in action against Robert Morris at 6. p.m. on Friday, October 2, at Pegula Ice Arena. Folks can watch along on Big Ten Plus.