No. 5 Penn State women’s hockey (4-3-0, 4-1-0 AHA) defeated Lindenwood (4-5-0, 1-4-0, AHA) 5-4 in a regulation thriller at Pegula Ice Arena.

Sophie Morrow scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period to give Penn State the win.

How It Happened

Tiril Arntzen won the opening faceoff for Lindenwood and moved the puck into Penn State’s zone, but the Nittany Lions did a good job from letting the Lions generate any scoring chances.

Abby Stonehouse had a nice pass to Kylie Amelkovich, but she didn’t play the puck cleanly. Lindenwod forced a turnover.

Lindenwood had the first shot of the game with 18:31 left to play in the first period. Maddy Campbell knocked it away with her pad.

Penn State’s first chance came with 16:46 left in the first period. Amelkovich gave the Nittany Lions a chance before Ebba Ridderstolpe made a good effort to keep the game scoreless.

Taya MacDonald had a nice chance to the net, but was stopped by Ridderstolpe. Amelkovich had a chance shortly after but was denied once more.

Lorelai Nelson had a shot on net with 11:30 remaining in the first period. Ridderstolpe made another pad save to keep the game scoreless.

The Nittany Lions’ McKenna Walsh was sent to the penatly box with 11:02 remaining in the first period for body checking, giving Lindenwood it’s first power play. Lindenwood’s Michaela Paulinyova had the first shot on the power play, but was denied by Campbell.

The Lions pressured Campbell early on the power play. She did her job keeping the game knotted at 0-0. Penn State’s penalty kill was able to kill the power play without letting up a goal.

Walsh didn’t take long to make an impact after leaving the box. She netted her first goal of the season off an assist from Sophie Morrow with 8:55 remaining, putting Penn State up 1-0.

Sofia Ismael later split the Lindenwood defense, but her shot was denied. Stonehouse delivered a big hit to get the puck back deep in Lindenwood territory, but couldn’t get a shot off.

Stonehouse had a one-timer chance, but just missed it. The Nittany Lions put a ton of pressure in the offensive zone, but failed to find the back of the net.

The Nittany Lions blocked back-to-back shot attempts late in the period before Campbell turned away a chance from Arntzen, sending Penn State into the first intermission with the lead.

Lindenwood wasted little time evening the score in the second period. A turnover deep in Penn State’s zone allowed Paige Cline to net her fourth goal of the season with 19:14 remaining. Paulinyova picked up the assist as the Lions tied the game 1-1.

Megan Hosman’s one-timer was blocked by Thea Rustbakken, the Nittany Lions put pressure on in Lindenwood’s zone early in the second. Ridderstolpe made some good saves to keep the game tied 1-1.

Paulinyova was called for hooking with 15:44 left in the period, and Penn State needed just 19 seconds to capitalize. Amelkovich buried her third goal of the season on the power play, putting the Nittany Lions back up 2-1.

Alanna Devlin was then sent to the penalty box for hooking. Giving Lindenwood their third power play of the game.

Ellie Muscedere had a nice chance on the power play, but Campbell was able to make a glove save. Rustbakken slapped a one-timer that was denied after a butterfly save from Campbell.

The Lions generated some offensive pressure on the power play. It paid off after Silje Gundersen’s one-timer got past Campbell with 12:23 left to play in the second. It was assisted by Elina Zilliox, tying the game up 2-2.

Lindenwood struck again just 1:09 later. Krisztina Weiler found the back of the net with 11:14 left in the period, giving the Lions their first lead of the game 3-2.

Amelkovich brought Penn State back even with 6:35 remaining, scoring her second goal of the game during a delayed penalty against Lindenwood to tie it back up 3-3.

The Nittany Lions went back on the power play with 3:30 remaining in the period. Paulinyova went to the box for a two-minute minor for holding, which gave Penn State another power play.

The Nittany Lions were unable to generate much on the power play. They did keep the puck deep in Lindenwood’s zone to end the second period with the tied game 3-3.

Penn State came out to start the third period with back-to-back shot attempts. They were both turned away by Ridderstolpe. The Nittany Lions continued to pressure Ridderstolpe, who did her job of keeping the game tied.

A Devlin shot rang the post. Penn State dominated the first couple minutes of the third period, but couldn’t get a goal after countless opportunities.

Amelkovich pushed forward a stunning pass that left the net wide open, but Ismael failed to finish it.

The Nittany Lions beat Ridderstolpe after some clean puck movement. Grace Outwater netted her fourth goal of the season with 12:07 remaining in the third. The goal was assisted by Nicole Hall, giving Penn State a 4-3 lead.

Lindenwood found a chance after a 2-on-1 to tie the game with 8:57 remaining. Cline netted her second goal of the game and fifth goal of the season.

Morrow found the back of the net for the first time on the season with 5:22 remaining in the period. The goal was assisted by Mikah Keller to give Penn State a 5-4 lead.

The Lions pulled the goalie with two minutes remaining, giving them an extra attacker on the ice. Penn State had a few chances on the empty net, but the Lindenwood defense held firm, not allowing a goal in the final seconds.

Takeaways

• Lindenwood came out swinging in the second period. Penn State had to match its physicality on offense and defense.
• Penn State outshot Lindenwood 50-25.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will be back in action against Lindenwood at noon on Saturday, October 17, at Pegula Ice Arena. Folks can watch the game on Big Ten Plus.