Nov. 21, 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 Lindenwood Friday and Saturday. The opener is set for 8 p.m. ET, while Saturday's game will begin at 3 p.m. ET Both games will be streamed live on AmericaOneSports.com from Lindenwood Ice Arena.
| PENN STATE (2-11-1, 0-6-0 CHA) at LINDENWOOD (0-12-2, 0-3-1 CHA) | |
| Games 15-16: Nov. 22-23, 2013 • Lindenwood Ice Arena • Wentzville, Mo. | |
| VENUE | Lindenwood Ice Arena (1,000) |
| STREAMING COVERAGE | AmericaOneSports.com |
| LIVE STATS | Live Stats |
| SERIES RECORD | Lindenwood leads 2-1-1 |
| LAST MEETING | Feb. 9, 2013; 3-3 (OT) at Penn State |
| NEXT TIME OUT | Nov. 30 vs. Maine at Pegula Ice Arena |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
GAME NOTES
• Penn State travels to Lindenwood as both teams look for first CHA win in 2013-14
• Nittany Lions have dropped last 8 games including last 4 by one goal
• Taylor Gross and Jill Holdcroft scored RIT as PSU built two third-period leads
• Holdcroft scored the program's first short-handed goal against RIT in a 3-2 loss
• Nicole Paniccia saved 36 shots & Celine Whitlinger stopped 37 against the Tigers
• Nittany Lion freshmen & sophomores have tallied 45 of team's 59 points
• Balanced Penn State offense touts 11 different goal scorers this season
• LU is winless to start the season, but ahead of PSU in the CHA standings at 0-3-1
• Lindenwood is led by All-CHA Second Team goaltender Nicole Hensley
RIT COMES BACK TWICE TO SWEEP PSU
Penn State held one-goal leads in the third period of both games at RIT, only to fall to the Tigers in one-goal fashion last weekend (Nov. 15-16). Taylor Gross scored the Friday's first goal with nine minutes to go and Nicole Paniccia stopped 36 of 38 Tiger attempts, but it wasn't enough.
The following day, Jill Holdcroft staked Penn State a 2-0 lead in the first period on a power-play goal and the program's first short-handed tally. Nevertheless, the Tigers cut the lead in half near the end of the second period, tied the game early in the third and tallied the eventual game-winning goal with 12:25 to go. Celine Whitlinger saved 37 in the series finale, while Emily Laurenzi helped on two goals during the weekend.
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 17 of the team's 59 points. To prove the youth of the team, 45 of the team's 59 points (76.3%) 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 (2-5-0) has already surpassed her win total from a year ago and has stopped 92.3 percent of the shots she's seen. In 17 appearances for Penn State, Whitlinger has a career .931 save percentage, while averaging 38.3 saves per game.
PANICCIA BOUNCING BACK
Senior netminder Nicole Paniccia is returning to her stellar form following a pair of tough efforts. In the last two games against Syracuse and RIT, Paniccia has a goals-against average of 2.03 with 74 saves and a .949 save percentage. In her previous two outings against New Hampshire and Robert Morris, Paniccia had a goals-against average of 5.58 with 61 saves and an .847 save percentage.
PICK YOUR POISON
Penn State has had the fortune of multiple contributors on the offensive end. Eleven Nittany Lions have scored a goal this season, while 17have registered a point. Taylor Gross leads the team with 9 points, while Shannon Yoxheimer has 8. Hannah Hoenshell and Laura Bowman each have six points.
IN THE THICK OF THINGS
Penn State's record of 7-26-2 last season is a little deceiving when considering how close the Nittany Lions were in many of their losses. In fact, 12 of the 26 losses were decided by two goals or less. This year, five of 11 losses are by a goal and Penn State is 1-5-1 in games decided by one goal or less, including the past four games against Syracuse and RIT. In the last three losses, Penn State has owned a third-period lead. PSU is 2-11-2 all-time in games decided by less than a goal.
SCOUTING LINDENWOOD
Lindenwood (0-12-2, 0-3-1 CHA) is in the same position as Penn State entering this weekend's series: searching for the first conference win of the year. LU has faced a schedule full of WCHA foes, going 0-9-1 against the likes of Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota State and Bemidji State, before starting 0-3-1 in CHA play. Both ties have come in Missouri with Bemidji State (Sept. 28) and RIT. (Nov. 9).
All-CHA Second-Teamer Nicole Hensley has started all 14 games in net, making a nation-leading 499 saves (.909 save percentage) and 3.84 GAA. Lindenwood's offense is spread amongst four multi-goal scorers in Jocelyn Slattery (4), Kendra Broad (2), Alyssa West (2) and Katie Erickson (2). LU averages one goal a game, while allowing 3.8 goals per game. In conference play, the scoring number has held steady and the goals-against number has come down to 2.5 per game.
SERIES HISTORY vs. LINDENWOOD
All-Time Series: Lindenwood leads 2-1-1
PSU Streak: 1 tie
First Meeting: 11/16/12, LU 5-1
Last Meeting: 2/9/13, 3-3 (OT)
Last PSU Win: 11/17/12, 3-2
Last LU Win: 2/8/13, 3-1
Largest PSU Win: 3-2, 11/17/12
Largest LU Win: 5-1, 11/16/12
LAST FOUR MEETINGS vs. LINDENWOOD
2/9/13: T (OT), 3-3 - H
2/8/13: L, 1-3 - H
11/17/12: W, 3-2 - A
11/16/12: L, 1-5 - A
COMMON ENEMIES
Penn State and Lindenwood have both played Robert Morris and RIT this season. The Nittany Lions went 0-4-0, while Lindenwood went 0-3-1.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State will return home following four consecutive games on the road to face Maine on Saturday, Nov. 30. The game is set for 2 p.m. ET at Pegula Ice Arena. Fans attending the game can gain free admission by bringing an unwrapped new or gently used toy to Gate A. All toys will be donated to Toys for Tots.