Jan. 23, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion women's hockey team returns to action after a two-week layoff to face fellow College Hockey America foe Syracuse Friday and Saturday. Penn State then caps its three-game road swing with a non-conference matchup at Princeton on Tuesday.
| PENN STATE (4-17-2, 1-9-0 CHA) at SYRACUSE (12-9-2, 4-4-2 CHA) | |
| Games 24-25: Jan. 24-25, 2014 • Tennity Ice Pavilion • Syracuse, N.Y. | |
| VENUE | Tennity Ice Pavilion (1,000) |
| STREAMING COVERAGE | AmericaOneSports.com ($) |
| LIVE STATS | Live Stats |
| SERIES RECORD | 0-6-0 |
| LAST MEETING | Nov. 10, 2013; SU 4-3 (OT) at PSU |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
| PENN STATE (4-17-2, 1-9-0 CHA) at PRINCETON (9-8-3, 6-6-2 ECAC) | |
| Game 26: Jan. 28, 2014 • Hobey Baker Rink • Princeton, N.J. | |
| VENUE | Hobey Baker Rink (2,093) |
| STREAMING COVERAGE | IvyLeagueDigitalNetwork.com ($) |
| LIVE STATS | Live Stats |
| SERIES RECORD | 0-1-0 |
| LAST MEETING | Jan. 29, 2013; PRIN 3-0 at PSU |
| NEXT TIME OUT | Jan. 31-Feb. 1 vs. RIT at Pegula Ice Arena |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
GAME NOTES
• Penn State hits the road for a three-game road trip to Syracuse and Princeton
• The Nittany Lions have failed to defeat Syracuse in six tries, played PU once last year
• Hanna Hoenshell (Player), Nicole Paniccia (Goalie) earned CHA weekly awards Jan. 13
• Nittany Lions defeated Colgate Jan. 11 in OT following an OT loss to the Raiders Jan. 10
• Penn State freshmen & sophomores have tallied 66 of team's 82 points
• Syracuse has won five of its past six games overall
• Princeton is 0-2-1 in its past three games following a four-game winning streak
SCOUTING THE ORANGE
After returning from its month-long break knocking off Vermont in two straight games, Syracuse (12-9-2, 4-4-2 CHA) split two games with RIT (4-3 loss on the road and a 5-4 victory at home) winning a game against Colgate in between the two. The two-game split allows RIT to stay a point ahead of the Orange in the CHA standings with Syracuse playing their next four games at home. The power play has been key to Syracuse winning four of their past five games having scored on six of 22 power play opportunities during that stretch. The defense and goaltending have been solid for Syracuse with both goaltenders giving up just over two goals a game on average on the season.
SERIES HISTORY vs. SYRACUSE
All-Time Series: SU leads 6-0-0
PSU Streak: 6 losses
First Meeting: 10/13/12, SU 4-0
Last Meeting: 11/10/13, SU 4-3 OT
Last PSU Win: n/a
Last SU Win: 11/10/13, 4-3 OT
Largest PSU Win: n/a
Largest SU Win: 6-0, 10/14/12
LAST FOUR MEETINGS vs. SU
11/10/13: L, 3-4 (OT) -H
11/9/13: L, 1-2 - H
1/26/13: L, 1-4 - A
1/25/13: L, 0-1 - A
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
After a four-game win streak including their first two matchups of 2014, the Tigers (9-8-3, 6-6-2 ECAC Hockey) host the Nittany Lions looking to end their three-game winless skid. The Tigers find themselves at fifth place in the ECAC, only seven points behind conference-leading Harvard who are ranked fifth in the nation. The Tigers are led by Denna Laing who has totaled 15 points on the season thus far. Princeton has had problems with their power plays and penalty kills recording goals on only 10% of their player advantages while giving up goals on 23% of their penalty kills. Despite being greatly outscored (42-21) in the first two periods of their games, Princeton's ability to score late in games (26 goals in the third period and overtime) has allowed them to stay over .500 on the season.
SERIES HISTORY vs. PRINCETON
All-Time Series: PU leads 1-0-0
PSU Streak: 1 loss
First Meeting: 1/29/13, PU 3-0
Last Meeting: 1/29/13, PU 3-0
Last PSU Win: n/a
Last PU Win: 1/29/13, PU 3-0
Largest PSU Win: n/a
Largest PU Win: 1/29/13, PU 3-0
PANICCIA, HOENSHELL COLLECT CHA WEEKLY LAURELS
Senior goaltender Nicole Paniccia and sophomore forward Hannah Hoenshell were named College Hockey America's Goaltender and Player of the Week, respectively, Monday (Jan. 13) afternoon.
Paniccia had her best showing of the season on Saturday in a 2-1 overtime win over Colgate, stopping 39 of 40 attempts as Penn State broke a five-game losing streak. For Paniccia, she posted a .975 save percentage and won her first game of the season, snapping a 21-game winless drought. Paniccia posted double-digit save totals for the first three periods (13, 14 and 10), while stopping two more in OT. The award is the first for Paniccia in her collegiate career.
The hero in overtime was Hoenshell with her game-winning goal following an assist on the game-tying goal in the second period, which forced the extra frame. Hoenshell's pass across to Laura Bowman tied the game with 1:55 remaining in the second period before her tremendous stick handling gave PSU its first OT win in program history. Hoenshell posted a plus-two rating in the victory, which snapped a five-game skid for the Nittany Lions. The night before, Hoenshell tallied four shots and blocked two shots in a tough 3-2 overtime loss to the Raiders.
NITTANY LIONS SPLIT WITH THE RAIDERS
Following a tough 3-2 overtime loss Friday, Jan. 10, Penn State flipped the script to take a 2-1 game on Saturday, Jan. 11 over Colgate. In Friday's game, Jill Holdcroft and Taylor Gross scored second-period goals to give PSU a 2-1 lead, which broke a scoreless drought of 292 minutes. Despite Celine Whitlinger's 29 saves, the Raiders come back to force overtime and score a power-play goal in the extra frame for the win.
The next day was the Hannah Hoenshell and Nicole Paniccia show. Paniccia stopped 39 shots before Laura Bowman tied the game on a Hoenshell cross-ice pass in the second period. In OT, Hoenshell dazzled her way around the Raider defense for PSU's first overtime winner in program history, a 2-1 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 23 of the team's 82 points. To prove the youth of the team, 66 of the team's 82 points (80.5%) have been collectively tallied by freshmen and sophomores. Nine of the team's top 10 point scorers are underclassmen.
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. Shannon Yoxheimer leads the team with 12 points, while Taylor Gross and Hannah Hoenshell each have 11 points. Laura Bowman and Amy Petersen have nine points each.
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, seven of 17 losses are by a goal and Penn State is 2-7-2 in games decided by one goal or less. PSU is 3-13-3 all-time in games decided by less than a goal.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State returns home where they'll begin a three-week home stand with two games against RIT. The two-game series against RIT will give the Nittany Lions a chance to earn two wins against the Tigers who took both games in Rochester by one goal each. The first game is scheduled for Friday, January 31 at 7 p.m. with the second game at 2 p.m. the next day.
SKATE FOR THE CURE GAME
Penn State's Feb. 1 game against RIT will be the second annual Skate for the Cure. The event where fans are encouraged to wear pink to the rink will feature auctions and donations to benefit Pink Zone and THON. The Nittany Lions have been raising money throughout the year with online auctions of its pink jerseys to be worn against RIT. A second set of jerseys are available through Feb. 3 with more items available at Pegula Ice Arena. Following the game, fans are invited to join the Nittany Lions on the ice for a free skate.