Jan. 11, 2013
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - In a career night for freshman goaltender Celine Whitlinger, the Penn State women's hockey team battled through 56 minutes of scoreless play against Union before falling, 1-0, on the road in Schenectady, N.Y., Friday night. With the loss, Penn State drops to 7-13-1, (1-8-1 CHA), while Union improves to 6-11-3 (0-7-3 ECAC).
Whitlinger (Garden Grove, Calif.) stopped a career-high 48 shots, but a Stefanie Thomson rebound attempt with four minutes remaining slipped by the Nittany Lion goalie to give the Dutchwomen the lead and the win.
Penn State and Union square off again at 4 p.m. Saturday at Messa Rink.
With time winding down in the third period, Union's Haley Welch blasted a shot at Whitlinger, who couldn't corral the puck midair. After follow-up attempts from the Dutchwomen, Thomson slid a shot low through the scrum and into the back of the goal to light the lamp for the lone score of the game. Welch and Christine Valente claimed assists on the goal.
Union finished the game with a 49-14 shot advantage to go along with a 25-20 edge in faceoffs. Emily Laurenzi (Townsend, Del.) and Jess Desorcie (Westford, Vt.) paced the Lions with 6-6 and 5-3 marks, respectively. Taylor Gross (Colorado Springs, Colo.) notched a trio of shots, while Kendra Rasmussen (Sartell, Minn.), Jill Holdcroft (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa.) and Laurenzi added a pair of attempts each. The teams combined to finish 0-5 on the power play.
The Dutchwomen tallied 33 shots in the first two periods but could not beat Whitlinger and the Penn State defense.