Sept. 30, 2013
By Jackson Thibodeau, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's hockey head coach Josh Brandwene will be sending a very young squad out onto the ice this season, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be an inexperienced group lacing up their skates in 2013-14.
The Nittany Lions are returning 24 of 27 student-athletes from last year's inaugural campaign, meaning over 90 percent of the team's offensive production from last season will be accounted for on the ice again this year.
Despite returning so many players, the team is still very young, as 19 of the 28 Lions on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores.
Brandwene and team veterans are unfazed by the teams youth, however, because to them youth doesn't mean inexperience--it means opportunity.
"We have a tremendous opportunity in front of us," Brandwene said. "It's the greatest place to be in sports when you're hungry, you've got that look, you've got something to prove and nothing to lose."
So what exactly does this group want to prove?
That age and collegiate ice time aren't the only factors contributing to experience--but effort, leadership and resilience do, as well.
"All the adversity we've dealt with has made this group incredibly gritty and incredibly resilient," said Brandwene, referring to last year's inaugural season and all that surrounded being a brand new program.
But how can such a young team and a young program already possess these qualities?
Because they have been forced to dig deeper to find them, as they are the ones planting the seeds of this program.
Rather than adopting a previously established identity, this team is still in the process of creating their own.
"Part of our identity is that we are a new team, so we expect everyone to feel comfortable becoming leaders and assuming accountability and responsibility right away," said senior forward and assistant captain Jenna Welch.
Exemplifying these attributes is sophomore defender and assistant captain Jordin Pardoski, who is proving that her young age doesn't mean she is inexperienced.
"(Jordin) is just a quintessential Penn Stater," Brandwene said. "She is so experienced with the number of years she's been here."
Pardoski wasn't alone in seizing the opportunity to become a leader and contribute immediately upon stepping foot on campus. She is a part of the 15-person sophomore class that makes up over one-half of the roster and significantly impacted the team on and off the ice a season ago when they were freshmen.
The sophomore class doesn't only consist of an assistant captain, but also the team's leading goal scorers and top defender. As freshmen, Shannon Yoxheimer tallied 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) and Jill Holdcroft netted 10 goals for the Blue and White. Defensively, California-native Micayla Catanzariti proved to be a defensive force as she blocked 57 shots on the season.
The sophomores must await the beginning of the regular season to build on their statistical successes from last year, but as they wait they are focusing on further establishing their identities as young leaders and molding this year's freshmen.
"If a new player has a question, we're (the coaching staff) not answering it, they're answering it," Brandwene said. "That's exactly what I was hoping for going into our second season."
Compared to last year's freshman class, this year's is very small with only four newcomers. Forwards Amy Petersen, Sarah Nielsen and Laura Bowman will look to add to the offensive production for the Nittany Lions, while defender Kelly Seward will aim to help senior goaltender Nicole Paniccia lower her 3.11 goals against average from last season.
Just like last season, the freshman class will be expected to rise to the challenge of being young leaders this year.
"We don't look to one or two people on this team for leadership," said Welch. "We feed off of each other as a whole."
The Nittany Lions open this year's campaign on the road when they travel to Burlington to face Vermont on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. That begins a four-game road trip, before the team returns home to defend their new home ice at Pegula Ice Arena for the first time against Union on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.