Nov. 12, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion women's hockey team looks to win its first College Hockey America game this weekend during a two-game set at RIT Friday and Saturday. The opener is set for a 7 p.m. opening faceoff, while Saturday's game will begin at 3 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on AmericaOneSports.com.
| PENN STATE (2-9-1, 0-4-0 CHA) at RIT (5-5-1, 1-0-1 CHA) | |
| Games 13-14: Nov. 15-16, 2013 • Ritter Arena • Rochester, N.Y. | |
| VENUE | Ritter Arena (2,100) |
| STREAMING COVERAGE | AmericaOneSports.com |
| LIVE STATS | Live Stats |
| SERIES RECORD | 0-5-1 |
| LAST MEETING | March 2, 2013; RIT 3-2 (OT) |
| NEXT TIME OUT | Nov. 22-23 at Lindenwood |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
GAME NOTES
• Penn State hits the road for the first time in 34 days at RIT Friday & Saturday
• Nittany Lions have dropped last 6 games including 2 tough games vs. Syracuse
• Jordin Pardoski, Kendra Rasmussen, Amy Petersen & Taylor Gross scored vs. SU
• Nicole Paniccia saved 38 shots, Celine Whitlinger stopped 51 against the Orange
• Nittany Lion freshmen & sophomores have tallied 40 of team's 53 points
• Balanced Penn State offense touts 11 different goal scorers this season
• RIT has five-series streak of winning the 1st game, but falling or tying the 2nd game
• Tigers are led by goaltender Ali Binnington and forward Kourtney Kunichika
NITTANY LIONS BATTLE, FALL TO `CUSE
The Nittany Lions are still searching for their first win over Syracuse following a pair of heartbreaking losses to the Orange (2-1, 4-3 (OT) this past weekend. Jordan Pardoski tallied a first-period tying goal on Saturday, but the Orange scored a third-period goal to win, 2-1. Nicole Paniccia made 38 saves.
On Sunday, the Nittany Lions led for the majority of the game, opening a 2-0 lead through 39 minutes on goals by Kendra Rasmussen and Taylor Gross. Nevertheless, Syracuse began the come back with a late second-period goal on the power play and an equalizing goal just 3:37 into the third. Penn State powered back on Amy Petersen's first collegiate goal at 6:56 for a 3-2 lead. The Orange tied the game again with just 6:06 remaining to force overtime, eventually finding the game-winning goal 1:27 into the extra session. Celine Whitlinger made 51 saves, including the first 34 shots she saw on net, to keep Penn State in position to win.
YOUTH SUPPLIES THE OFFENSE
The addition of four freshmen: Laura Bowman, Amy Petersen, Sarah Nielsen and Kelly Seward have injected an instant bump in scoring production with 18 of the team's 53 points. To prove the youth of the team, 40 of the team's 53 points (75.6%) were collectively tallied by freshmen and sophomores. Eight of the team's top nine point scorers are underclassmen.
WHITLINGER STANDS TALL
Celine Whitlinger, a 5-9 Californian goaltender, has been outstanding in net for Penn State. Whitlinger (2-4-0) has already surpassed her win total from a year ago and has stopped 92.2 percent of the shots she's seen. In 16 appearances for Penn State, Whitlinger has a career .932 save percentage and a 3-11-0 record, while averaging 38.4 saves per game.
UPGRADED SCHEDULE
For the fourth time in five weeks, the Nittany Lions faced a team receiving votes in the national rankings. Quinnipiac is now ranked in both polls, while Robert Morris and Syracuse are both receiving votes this week. New Hampshire was also receiving votes when the Wildcats came to Hockey Valley. Last season, Penn State played just one ranked opponent, Mercyhurst (four times), while Robert Morris earned votes during the first series in Nov. 2012.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
RIT (5-5-1, 1-0-1 CHA) opened its CHA season with a successful weekend at Lindenwood, earning a 3-0 victory and a 1-1 tie. Prior to that, the Tigers had split four straight weekends, winning the opening game of the weekend before falling in the second game. The Tigers score 2.4 goals per game and allow 2.7 goals a game, while converting 21.3 percent of power play opportunities. On the penalty kill, RIT has stopped 82.3 of opponents' power plays.
Offensively, the Tigers sport a balanced lineup with 17 different point scorers led by Kourtney Kunichika's five goals and four assists. Kolbee McCrea is second on the team with seven points thanks to four goals and three assists. Celeste Brown is tied with McCrea for second on the squad with four markers. In net, Ali Binnington (5-3-1) has started nine of 11 games with a .927 save percentage and a GAA of 2.08.
SERIES HISTORY vs. RIT
All-Time Series: RIT leads 5-0-1
PSU Streak: 4 losses
First Meeting: 10/25/12, RIT 4-1
Last Meeting: 3/2/13, RIT 3-2 (OT)
Last PSU Win: n/a
Last RIT Win: 3/2/13, 3-2 (OT)
Largest PSU Win: n/a
Largest RIT Win: 4-0, 2/16/12
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State continues its road swing with a flight to Lindenwood Friday and Saturday. The opening game of the series is set for 8 p.m. ET, while the series finale will take place at 3 p.m. ET.