Oct. 24, 2012
Game Notes | Yearbook | Live Video ($)
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion women's hockey team welcomes RIT to Greenberg Ice Pavilion for a two-game series starting Thursday at 7 p.m. The finale is set for a 7:30 p.m. opening faceoff on Friday as admission to both games is free. The series will be streamed live on AmericaOneSports.com ($) with live stats through GoPSUsports.com GameTracker and updates on Twitter (@PennStateWHKY).
ADMISSION & PARKING
Fans attending this week's games are able to park in Orange Lots C, F or G Monday-Friday after 5:00 p.m. If the free lots are full, paid parking can be found in the Eisenhower Deck located on Eisenhower Road off Bigler Road. Orange Lot H is also available on the east side of University Drive. There will not be shuttle service from Orange Lot H.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-4-0, 0-2-0 CHA) vs. RIT TIGERS (3-3-0, 0-2-0 CHA)
Games 7-8: October 25-26, 2012 • 7 p.m. // 7:30 p.m. • Greenberg Ice Pavilion • University Park, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE: Greenberg Ice Pavilion (1,300)
STREAMING COVERAGE: AmericaOneSports.com Video ($)
SERIES RECORD: 0-0-0
LAST MEETING: First Meeting, 10/25
NEXT SERIES: 11/2-3 vs. Sacred Heart
GAME NOTES
• Penn State hosts to RIT for two-game set on Thursday and Friday
• This is the first varsity meeting between the Lions and RIT
• Both teams looking for their first CHA victory in their inaugural D-I seasons
• Penn State split its games at Sacred Heart (2-1 loss, 6-1 win)
• Shannon Yoxheimer earned CHA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday
• Six different Lions scored against Sacred Heart in Saturday's 6-1 win
• RIT split its home weekend against Princeton (2-1 loss) and Yale (3-0 win)
• The Tigers won the 2012 NCAA Division III championship
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
SCOUTING THE TIGERS RIT (3-3-0, 0-2-0 CHA) split last weekend's home games against Princeton (2-1 loss) and Yale (3-0 win). The Yale victory was RIT's second shutout in four games. After dropping its opening two games to Mercyhurst (6-2, 7-0), the Tigers are 3-1, while outscoring Sacred Heart and Yale 18-2 in the three victories.
Leading the way offensively is Kim Schlattman with four goals and Celeste Brown with three tallies. The Tigers have had well-rounded scoring all year with 11 different players tallying a goal. At the top of the point list (5) are Ellesha Fortuna, Ariane Yokoyama and Schlattman.
In net, a rotation of Ali Binnington (2-1-0) and Laura Chamberlain (1-2-0) has emerged. Binnington has seen the majority of the minutes (231:21), sporting a 2.59 goals against average with a .896 save percentage. Chamberlain (126:55) has a 3.31 GAA and a .879 save percentage.
On the penalty front, the Tigers have committed 35 minors this season, but killing off 27 of 32 penalties. On the power play, RIT has the identical number as its opponents, scoring on 5 of 32 opportunities. The Tigers have been especially impressive on faceoffs with a .527 winning percentage.
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions (2-4-0, 0-2-0 CHA) split a weekend series at Sacred Heart, falling in the opener 2-1 and winning the finale 6-1. Penn State was led by freshman forward Shannon Yoxheimer with two goals and an assist.
In the opener, the Pioneers opened a 2-0 lead through two periods and didn't allow the Nittany Lions on the board until Yoxheimer slammed home a scramble in front of the net with 2:31 left in the game and an extra skater on the ice. Taylor Gross and Birdie Shaw were credited with assists as junior goaltender Nicole Paniccia made 26 saves in the loss.
The following day Penn State came out firing, scoring on three straight power-plays en route to a 6-1 rout. Gross, Yoxheimer and Jeanette Bateman tallied each of the power play goals for a 3-1 lead through two periods. Jess Desorcie, Hannah Hoenshell and Jordin Pardoski added a trio of third-period goals as Penn State featured six different goal scorers. Jenna Welch, Madison Smiddy, Gross and Yoxheimer had multi-point days. Paniccia had 25 saves for a 51-save weekend.
YOXHEIMER NAMED CHA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For her efforts against Sacred Heart, Shannon Yoxheimer was named CHA Offensive Player of the Week for a three-point weekend and a game-winning goal over the Pioneers. Yoxheimer leads the team with four goals and is tied with Taylor Gross for points with five. Yoxheimer is the first Nittany Lion to receive CHA Offensive Player of the Weeks honors and joins fellow classmate Micayla Catanzariti (Rookie of the Week, Oct. 8) on the honor roll.
ANOTHER WEEKEND OF FIRSTS
The second road trip in Penn State women's hockey history resulted in another split result, but it was not without some firsts. The Nittany Lions tallied six goals in Saturday's victory, the most in the short history of the program and the largest margin of victory (5). Additionally, the Lions tallied eight assists, which matched the inaugural game.
Individually, Jeanette Bateman, Jordin Pardoski and Hannah Hoenshell scored their first collegiate goals on Saturday. Jess Desorcie tallied her first Penn State varsity goal, while Lindsay Reihl and Jenna Welch recorded their first Penn State points on assists. Welch had a two-helper game as did Madison Smiddy, who notched her first multi-point game. Cara Mendelson and Hoenshell hit the ice for the first time, bringing the total number of Nittany Lions to see ice time to 23.
This weekend features Penn State's fourth first-time opponent in RIT. The Tigers reclassified to Division I this season and accepted an invitation to the CHA in the off-season. RIT won the NCAA Division III national title in 2011-12. Next week, Sacred Heart visits Greenberg Ice Pavilion, representing the first repeat opponent of the program.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Penn State had a varsity team debut for the first time since 1994 (women's soccer) when the women's hockey team defeated Vermont, 5-3. The successful debut was the first since 1977 when the men's volleyball team defeated East Stroudsburg.
Game: Oct. 6, 2012 at Vermont, 2:00 p.m.
Win: Nicole Paniccia, Oct. 6 at Vermont, 5-3
Goal: Shannon Yoxheimer
Multi-Goal Game: Micayla Catanzariti
Game-Winning Goal: Shannon Yoxheimer
Assists: Taylor Gross, Emily Laurenzi
Multi-Assist Game: Jess Desorcie
Faceoff: Emily Laurenzi
Faceoff win: Emily Laurenzi
Shot: Katie Zinn
Save: Nicole Paniccia
Empty-Net Goal: Birdie Shaw
CATANZARITI HONORED
Freshman forward Micayla Catanzariti was named College Hockey America's Rookie of the Week on Oct. 8. Catanzariti led the Nittany Lions to a win in their inaugural opener on Saturday with two goals and an assist at Vermont. Catanzariti was also named Highmark's Penn State Women's Student-Athlete of the Week.
PUCK STOPPERS
Penn State has relied on steady goaltending all season in the form of Nicole Paniccia and Celine Whitlinger. The duo saw 77 shots and made 71 saves (.922), paced by Whitlinger's 40 stops at Vermont. Paniccia picked up the first win in school history on Oct. 6. Against Syracuse, Paniccia made a school-record and career-high 53 saves against Syracuse while Whitlinger made 38 stops in Sunday's loss. Paniccia was the only netminder to see time last weekend at Sacred Heart, stopping 51 shots and allowing only three goals.
SCORING STREAKS
Penn State opened its varsity account in scoring fashion, scoring in the first four periods. The Nittany Lions tallied one goal in the opening frame, then two in each of the next two periods before scoring once in the opening period of game two. Vermont held the Nittany Lions scoreless over the final 50:12 of Sunday's game. After a scoreless weekend against Syracuse, Penn State was shut out for the first 57:29 against Sacred Heart, bringing the scoreless streak to 227:41. Nevertheless, Penn State scored seven times over the final 62:31 at Sacred Heart.
FIRST HEAD COACH
A 1991 graduate of Penn State, head coach Josh Brandwene is the first to lead the Nittany Lions. A four-year hockey player at PSU, Brandwene brings 20 years of coaching experience to Happy Valley. Brandwene picked up his first win in the team's debut on Saturday at Vermont.
CAPTAIN, OUR CAPTAIN
Junior forward Taylor Gross will lead Penn State as its first captain. The University of Connecticut transfer appeared in 48 games for the Huskies before joining Penn State's club side in January 2012. In September, the team voted fellow UConn transfer Jenna Welch and senior defender Lindsay Reihl as assistant captains. Gross tallied two assists in the win over Vermont on Saturday.
ON SCHEDULE
Pegula Ice Arena, a $90 million state-of-the-art facility, will serve as the home of the Penn State hockey programs in 2012-13. As of Oct. 1, 2012, almost all the steel has been put in place for the project. Construction is set to conclude in time for the 2012-13 season.
For more information on Pegula Ice Arena, visit page 5 of the game notes.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions continue their six-game home stand by welcoming Sacred Heart to Greenberg Pavilion on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 2-3. Friday's opener is set for a 7:30 p.m. faceoff before Saturday's 2 p.m. puck drop. Both games will have live streaming through AmericaOneSports.com, live stats on GoPSUsports.com GameTracker and updates through Twitter (@PennStateWHKY).
--NITTANY LIONS--