Nov. 28, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion women's hockey team will look go win back-to-back games for the first time this season when Maine visits Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest. Fans who bring new or lightly used toys for donation will receive free entry at Gate A. All donations go to Toys for Tots.
| PENN STATE (3-12-1, 1-7-0 CHA) vs. MAINE (0-11-3, 0-7-3 Hockey East) | |
| Game 17: Nov. 30, 2013 • Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pa. | |
| VENUE | Pegula Ice Arena (5,782) |
| STREAMING COVERAGE | AmericaOneSports.com |
| LIVE STATS | |
| SERIES RECORD | 0-0-0 |
| LAST MEETING | n/a, first meeting Nov. 30 |
| NEXT TIME OUT | Dec. 6-7 at Mercyhurst |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
GAME NOTES
• Penn State welcomes Maine for Saturday contest at Pegula Ice Arena • Nittany Lions snapped an nine-game skid at Lindenwood on Sunday • Five different goal scorers contributed in series split at Lindenwood • Shannon Yoxheimer, Hannah Hoenshell & Emily Laurenzi each tallied two points • Celine Whitlinger picked up her third win of the year with 36 saves vs. LU • Nittany Lion freshmen & sophomores have tallied 56 of team's 71 points • Balanced Penn State offense touts 11 different goal scorers this season • Maine is winless to start the season and has dropped the last six games
NITTANY LIONS EARN SPLIT AT LINDENWOOD
Jordin Pardoski staked Penn State an early 1-0 lead but the Lions fell 2-1 in the series opener at Lindenwood on Friday, Nov. 22. Nevertheless, Penn State bounced back the following day in a 4-1 win to salvage a series split and earn the team's first win in CHA play this season. Celine Whitlinger allowed just one goal and saved 36 shots, while Hannah Hoenshell and Shannon Yoxheimer each tallied a goal and an assist. Taylor Gross and Laura Bowman accounted for the remaining goals as Penn State moved to 2-3-1 all-time against Lindenwood. Emily Laurenzi tallied two assists 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 20 of the team's 71 points. To prove the youth of the team, 56 of the team's 71 points (78.9%) were collectively tallied by freshmen and sophomores. Eight of the team's top nine point scorers are underclassmen.
WHITLINGER STANDS TALL
Celine Whitlinger, a 5-8 Californian goaltender, has been outstanding in net for Penn State. Whitlinger (3-5-0) has already surpassed her win total from a year ago and has stopped 92.8 percent of the shots she's seen. In 18 appearances for Penn State, Whitlinger has a career .934 save percentage, while averaging 38.2 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 three games against Syracuse, RIT and Lindenwood, Paniccia has a goals-against average of 2.04 with 107 saves and a .947 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 17 have registered a point. Taylor Gross and Shannon Yoxheimer lead the team with 10 points apiece, while Hannah Hoenshell and Laura Bowman have eight and seven points, respectively.
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, six of 12 losses are by a goal and Penn State is 1-6-1 in games decided by one goal or less, including the past five losses against Syracuse, RIT and Lindenwood. PSU is 2-12-2 all-time in games decided by less than a goal.
PSU'S POWERFUL PENALTY KILLING
The Nittany Lions have been efficient in their penalty killing of late, shutting out their opponents in three of the past four games. RIT and Lindenwood went a combined 2-for-15 (13.3%) on the power play. Prior to the RIT series, opponents went 15-for-47 (31.9%)
SCOUTING MAINE
Maine (0-11-3, 0-7-3) has struggled early in the season, still searching for its first game heading into a road weekend at Robert Morris and Penn State. The Black Bears and Colonials face off Friday evening at RMU. Maine is currently on a six-game losing streak, giving up an average of five goals per game during the skid. Kelly McDonald and Jennifer Moore lead the team with five points apiece, while Audra Richards leads the team with four goals. Kayla Kaluzny and Brianne Kilgour each have four points for the Bears. In net, Meghann Treacy has been in the net for all but one game as she has a .897 save percentage and a 3.88 goals-against average.
COMMON ENEMIES
Penn State and Maine have three common opponents thus far in the season. The Nittany Lions are 1-3-1 against Vermont, New Hampshire and Quinnipiac, while Maine is 0-4-1.
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 began with an eight-game home stand over 23 days. The Maine contest is the first game at PIA for the Nittany Lions since Nov. 9 against Syracuse.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State will return to action with a two-game series at Mercyhurst on Dec. 6-7. The games are the final ones of the fall semester. Penn State's second half of the season starts Jan. 3-4 at Ohio State.