Oct. 30, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion women's hockey team begins its second season in College Hockey America when Robert Morris visits Pegula Ice Arena Thursday (7 p.m.) and Friday (4 p.m.). Both games will be streamed live on BTN.com
| PENN STATE (2-5-1, 0-0-0 CHA) vs. ROBERT MORRIS (6-2-0, 0-0-0 CHA) | |
| Games 9-10: Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2013 • Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pa. | |
| VENUE | Pegula Ice Arena (5,782) |
| STREAMING COVERAGE | BTN.com |
| LIVE STATS | | |
| SERIES RECORD | 0-4-0 |
| LAST MEETING | Feb. 23, 2013; RMU 4-2 |
| NEXT TIME OUT | Nov. 9-10 vs. Syracuse at Pegula Ice Arena |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
TICKETS (Ticket Home Page)
Fans can purchase season tickets for $50 or single-game tickets for $5. All Penn State students gain free entry with valid ID and can sit in the Roar Zone. Men's hockey premium season ticket holders gain complimentary admission as well. Seating will be general admission on the north side of the building behind the team benches in sections 108-112.
PROMOTIONS & PARKING (Women's Hockey Parking Map)
Fans who attend Thursday's game dressed in a Halloween costume will receive free entry. Visit the Pegula Ice Arena box office near Gate A to redeem a ticket. Everyone wearing a costume will be eligible for prizes given out during the game. Also, free candy will be available on the North Concourse between Gates A and B.
Parking for Penn State women's hockey games is free in certain lots around Pegula Ice Arena including Shields & Wagner Yellow Lots H as well as Orange Lot F near Holuba Hall and East Area Locker Room. The Limited Bag Policy is in effect for these contests unless contents are in a clear, gallon-sized bag.
GAME NOTES
• Penn State welcomes Robert Morris for the first conference game at PIA
• Nittany Lions fell in both games to New Hampshire last week
• Five Nittany Lions tallied six goals against UNH
• Taylor Gross and Shannon Yoxheimer led the Nittany Lions with three points each
• Balanced Nittany Lion offense touts eight different goal scorers this season
• Penn State's freshmen and sophomores have tallied 35 of team's 44 points
• RMU coming off two-game sweep of Vermont last week at home
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Following an opening night loss to RPI, Robert Morris (6-2-0, 0-0-0 CHA) has ticked off six wins in its past seven games. Chief among the victories was a 3-0 win over previously unbeaten and ranked Boston University on Oct. 19. Last week, the Colonials swept Vermont, 4-3 and 6-4.
RMU has as new shot-stopper in freshman Jessica Dodds who has rattled off five wins and earned back-to-back CHA Rookie of the Week honors (Oct. 14, Oct. 21). Dodds has a goals-against average of 1.78, a .919 save percentage and two shutouts. Another freshman, Brittany Howard, has led the Colonial attack with three goals and nine assists, earning CHA Rookie of the Week honors on Monday. The balanced RMU offense sees 11 different Colonials bag goals led by Maeve Garvey (4) and Thea Imbrogno (4). Rebecca Vint has three goals and three assists as well. Last season, Vint tallied five goals in the first meeting between the two teams.
SERIES HISTORY vs. ROBERT MORRIS
All-Time Series: RMU leads 4-0-0
PSU Streak: 4 losses
First Meeting: 11/10/12, RMU 7-1
Last Meeting: 2/23/13, RMU 4-2
Last PSU Win: n/a
Last RMU Win: 2/23/13, 4-2
Largest PSU Win: n/a
Largest RMU Win: 7-1, 11/10/12
LAST FOUR MEETINGS vs. RMU
2/23/13: L, 2-4 - A
2/22/13: L, 1-4 - A
11/11/12: L, 1-4 - H
11/10/12: L, 1-7 - H
COMMON ENEMY
Penn State and Robert Morris have both played Vermont twice this season. The Nittany Lions came away from their weekend in Burlington with a 1-0-1 record thanks to a 3-3 tie and a 4-2 win. The Colonials swept the Catamounts last weekend at home, 4-3 and 6-4.
NITTANY LIONS BATTLE, FALL TO UNH
Penn State dropped two games in hard-fought fashion to New Hampshire (Oct. 26-27) this past weekend, 8-5 and 3-1.
On Saturday night, five different Nittany Lions registered goals as the two teams combined to score 13 goals in the contest, the most in PSU program history. Penn State had leads of 1-0 and 4-3, but couldn't hold on as New Hampshire scored five of the final six goals in the game. UNH pulled away by breaking a 5-5 deadlock with three straight goals over the last 3:39. Laura Bowman, Sarah Nielsen, Jess Desorcie, Kelly Seward and Taylor Gross tallied goals for Penn State.
Sunday's game was played at a completely different pace, which included scoreless periods in the first and third. All four goals by both teams came in the second as Taylor Gross's third goal of the year cut the UNH lead in half. The Wildcats increased its lead to two with 29 seconds left and held on for the sweep. Celine Whitlinger made 32 saves, her third game with at least 30 saves this season. Shannon Yoxheimer notched three points on three assists during the weekend set.
RECORD-SETTING SATURDAY
Multiple records were set at Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday night against New Hampshire.
Fastest goal by PSU: Laura Bowman, :40 Most combined goals in a game: 13 Most goals allowed in a game: 8
PICK YOUR POISON
Penn State has had the fortune of multiple contributors on the offensive end. Eight Nittany Lions have scored a goal this season, while 14 have registered a point. Shannon Yoxheimer leads the team with 8 points, while linemate Taylor Gross has 7 and Sarah Nielsen has 5. Hannah Hoenshell also has 5 points, including a two-assist game on Saturday against UNH. The Minnetonka connection of Laura Bowman and Amy Petersen have combined for 4 goals (Bowman) and 3 assists (Petersen), while defenders Kelly Seward (3 goals) and Jordin Pardoski (3 assists) have supplied some offense.
YOUTH SUPPLIES THE OFFENSE
The four additions of freshmen Laura Bowman, Amy Petersen, Sarah Nielsen and Kelly Seward have injected an instant bump in scoring production with 15 of the team's 44 points. Nielsen leads the newcomers with 5 points, Bowman has tallied 4 goals, Seward has notched 3 goals, while Petersen has dished 3 assists. To prove the youth of the team, 35 of the team's 44 points (79.6%) were collectively tallied by freshmen and sophomores.
WHITLINGER STANDS TALL
Celine Whitlinger, a 5-9 Californian goaltender, has been outstanding in net for Penn State. Whitlinger (2-2-0) has already surpassed her win total from a year ago and has stopped 93.5 percent of the shots she's seen. In 14 appearances for Penn State, Whitlinger has a career .939 save percentage and a 3-9-0 record.
UPGRADED SCHEDULE
For the third time in four weeks, the Nittany Lions will face a team receiving votes in the national rankings. Quinnipiac is now ranked in both polls, while New Hampshire and Robert Morris are both receiving votes this week. Next week's opponent, Syracuse, is also earning votes in the polls. Last season, Penn State played just one ranked opponent, Mercyhurst (four times), while Robert Morris earned votes during the first series in Nov. 2012.
PENN STATE HAS A #NEWDEN
The Nittany Lions opened its new $90 million home, Pegula Ice Arena, on Oct. 18 against Union in a 2-1 loss. The next day, PSU would earn a 2-1 victory for the program's first win at Pegula. In all, Penn State will host 17 games in the state-of-the-art arena that seats 5,782. The team's first season at PIA begins with an eight-game home stand over 23 days.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State concludes its eight-game home stand when it hosts Syracuse next week at Pegula Ice Arena. The first game will take place Saturday, Nov. 9 with the series finale set for Sunday, Nov. 10. Both games will begin at 2 p.m. Penn State is in search of its first point against the Orange.