Nov. 8, 2012
Game Notes | Yearbook | Live Video ($) | Pegula Ice Arena Video Tour
SATURDAY: | SUNDAY:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's hockey welcomes defending CHA Tournament champion Robert Morris this weekend to Greenberg Ice Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday. The Nittany Lions and Colonials will square off on the ice for the first time in women's hockey varsity history as both games will start at 2:00 p.m. Each game will have live stats through GoPSUsports.com GameTracker and paid streaming video through AmericaOneSports.com.
PROMOTIONS
Spectators in attendance will receive team posters and schedule magnets while supplies last.
ADMISSION & PARKING
Fans attending this weekend's games are able to park for free in the surrounding Orange Lots C, F or G. Anticipating a large crowd for the NCAA field hockey tournament nearby, some of the lots may be full. If the free lots are full, paid parking can be found in the Eisenhower Deck located on Eisenhower Road off Bigler Road. Orange Lot H is also available on the east side of University Drive. Parking is prohibited in the Nittany Apartments lots and there will not be shuttle service from Orange Lot H.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (4-5-1, 0-3-1 CHA) vs. ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS (3-2-1, 0-0-0 CHA)
Games 11-12: November 10-11, 2012 // 2 p.m. & 2 p.m. // Greenberg Ice Pavilion // University Park, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE: Greenberg Ice Pavilion (1,300)
STREAMING COVERAGE: AmericaOneSports.com Video ($)
SERIES RECORD: 0-0-0
LAST MEETING: n/a, First Meeting, Nov. 10
NEXT SERIES: Nov. 16-17 at Lindenwood
GAME NOTES
• Penn State hosts Robert Morris for two-game set on Saturday and Sunday
• The Nittany Lions and Colonials meet for the first time in women's hockey
• PSU earned its first series sweep, beating Sacred Heart 6-0 and 8-2
• PSU posted its first shutout, hat trick and home victory vs. SHU on Nov. 2
• Lions had eight different goal scorers in 8-2 win over Sacred Herat on Nov. 3
• Shannon Yoxheimer is riding a six-game scoring streak dating to Oct. 19
• Penn State out-shot Sacred Heart 130-43 and won faceoffs 97-48 last weekend
• Robert Morris swept Vermont, 5-2 and 3-2, last weekend
• PSU went 1-1-0 vs. Vermont, winning 5-3 and losing 3-1
• The Nittany Lions and Colonials meet for the first time in women's hockey
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
The last CHA squad to begin the season, defending CHA tournament champion Robert Morris (3-2-1, 0-0-0 CHA) opens its conference campaign at Greenberg Ice Pavilion on Saturday. The Colonials swept Vermont in Burlington by scores of 6-2 and 3-2 (OT).
The RMU defense is anchored by reigning CHA Goaltender of the Week Kristen DiCiocco, who has posted a 2.54 GAA and a .910 save percentage in six starts. At UVM, DiCiocco turned away 52 shots between the two games, while allowing four goals, registering a save percentage of .929 in the series.
Offensively, Kristen Richards (4 goals, 3 assists, +6) leads a balanced attack in which eight Colonials have tallied the team's 17 goals. Kelsey Thomas, CHA Player of the Week two weekends ago, and Rebecca Vint each have six points this season with Thomas leading in goals (5).
As for special teams, the Colonials have struggled on the power play (1-for-21), but have kept opponents off the board when down a player (18-for-20). RMU also has gone 189-147 in faceoffs.
COMMON OPPONENT
Robert Morris and Penn State share an early-season non-conference opponent, Vermont. PSU opened its inaugural season at Vermont, winning the opener 5-3 before falling 3-1. Robert Morris took both games at UVM, out-scoring Vermont 9-4 after 6-2 and 3-2 (OT) victories.
EIGHT FROM EIGHT IN WIN OVER SHU
Penn State earned its first series sweep in program history, defeating Sacred Heart, 8-2, on Saturday (Nov. 3) afternoon at Greenberg Ice Pavilion. Eight different Nittany Lions tallied a goal with Jess Desorcie, Taylor Gross and Shannon Yoxheimer notching three-point days.
Yoxheimer opened the scoring before SHU tied it up early in the second period before Gross, Kendra Rasmussen and Jill Holdcroft scored successive goals for a 4-1 lead midway through the period.
After another SHU tally, PSU would rally off the last four goals, this time coming from Desorcie, Jenna Welch, Madison Smiddy and Emily Laurenzi. Welch, Smiddy and Laurenzi scored their first goals of the season for Penn State.
Nicole Paniccia made 23 saves in net for the Nittany Lions to improve to 4-3-1 on the season. Penn State dominated the game in the faceoff circle, 54-25, which led to a 64-25 shot advantage.
FIRST HOME WIN, SHUTOUT & HAT TRICK
Friday night, Nov. 2 at Greenberg Ice Pavilion was historic for Penn State as the women's hockey team won its first home game, 6-0, over Sacred Heart. The program's first shutout featured the first hat trick by Hannah Hoenshell. Shannon Yoxheimer scored twice and Jill Holdcroft scored her first ever goal in the rout.
Hoenshell opened the game's scoring seven minutes into the contest, which highlighted a 22-2 Penn State advantage in shots over the Pioneers.
The Nittany Lions would light the lamp three times in the second as Hoenshell, Yoxheimer and Holdcroft stretched the lead to 4-0.
In the third, Penn State would make it 5-0 just 10 seconds into the period on a Yoxheimer laser from the left wing and Hoenshell would cap her hat trick five minutes later for the 6-0 final score.
The Nittany Lions out-shot the Pioneers 66-18 as goaltenders Nicole Paniccia (11 saves) and Brooke Meyer (7 saves) combined for the school's first shutout.
NO STOPPING YOXHEIMER
Penn State's leading scorer, Shannon Yoxheimer, has been on a roll over the past three weeks, scoring seven of her team-high nine goals. In that stretch, Yoxheimer has scored in all six games after a three-game drought. The six-game streak started at Sacred Heart as she scored PSU's only goal and has continued with a career day vs. SHU on Nov. 3 as she scored a goal and career-high two assists. Yoxheimer also accounted for Penn State's first two game-winning goals, notching two goals at Vermont (Oct. 6) and the go-ahead goal at SHU (Oct. 20).
The rest of the game notes can be found in the PDF document.
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 Nov. 9, 2012, all the steel has been put in place for the project and the building held its official topping off ceremony on Friday. Construction is set to conclude in time for the 2012-13 season as the building will open Sept. 5, 2013.
Pegula Ice Arena Video Tour
For more information on Pegula Ice Arena, visit page 5 of the game notes.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions hit the road for the first time in a month when they travel to fellow CHA newcomer Lindenwood on Friday. The first game starts at 8 p.m. and the Saturday matchup is slated for 3 p.m. in Wentzville, Mo. The games will have live streaming through AmericaOneSports.com and updates through Twitter (@PennStateWHKY).
--NITTANY LIONS--