Sept. 25, 2014
| PENN STATE vs. WESTERN | |
| Friday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. | |
| Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY CENTRAL |
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Follow Us: @PennStateWHKY | Facebook | Instagram2013-14 Statistics: Penn State | WesternPromotions: Free admission to all!
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's hockey puts the final touches on the 2014-15 preseason when it welcomes Western University of London, Ontario to Pegula Ice Arena Friday night. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. on Homecoming Parade Night and admission is free.
ADMISSION & BAG POLICY
Fans attending Penn State women's hockey games at Pegula Ice Arena will have to comply with Penn State University's Bag Policy. Fans are advised that no bags larger than backpacks may be brought into the stadium grounds. This includes duffle bags and purses larger than 8.5" x 11" x 6" and all bags will be searched. For more information visit the Safety Policy SY44 Page or Penn State's Bag Policy Page.
PARKING INFORMATION
Parking for Friday's game is free, but fans must be aware that multiple events will be occurring in the Penn State sports complex on Friday night. Fans are advised to park in Jordan East or Beaver West, with additional parking availability in Orange F. There is also a concert taking place at the Bryce Jordan Center. Parking for that event is $10. If you're attending women's hockey, tell the parking attendant which event you'll be going to and you will not be charged.
The homecoming parade is slated to begin at 6 p.m. from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, running down Curtin Road to Bigler Road toward Pollack Road. These roads will be shut down around 5:30 p.m. As the parade moves on, these roads will open, but traffic could be heavy in the area surrounding Pegula Ice Arena.
2014-15 PENN STATE WOMEN'S HOCKEY PREVIEW
The third year of Penn State women's hockey at the varsity level looks to make 2014-15 the most successful campaign yet.
With 16 letterwinners, nine of its top 10 scorers and 80 percent of its scoring returning from last season, this year's Penn State squad is poised to take the next step. Add to the mix an experienced junior goaltender who led the team in wins along with eight talented freshmen and a transfer forward and the recipe is there for success.
The Nittany Lions will especially call upon 2013-14 leading scorers Hannah Hoenshell (5 goals, 12 assists), Laura Bowman (10 goals, 6 assists), Shannon Yoxheimer (8 goals, 8 assists) and Amy Petersen (5 goals, 10 assists).
Hoenshell led PSU with two game-winning goals last season, including the program's first overtime goal against Colgate in January. Bowman was named to the 2013-14 All-CHA Rookie Team, while Yoxheimer earned the same honor in 2012-13 thanks to a 31-point season.
O CAPTAIN(S)! MY CAPTAIN(S)!
Without a senior on the squad, three juniors and a sophomore have been called upon to be the leaders on and off the ice.
Yoxheimer, along with fellow junior Jordin Pardoski, will lead the Nittany Lions as captains. Pardoski, one of two current Nittany Lions to play in every varsity game, will lead from the blue line. Pardoski is Penn State's all-time leader in goals (6), assists (12) and points (18) by a defenseman.
Another Penn State blue liner, junior Sarah Wilkie, will be one of two alternate captains along with Bowman. Wilkie, one of the strongest leaders in the locker room, is a tough-nosed, bright defenseman who played just 19 games last year due to a season-ending injury in mid-January.
CALIFORNIAN SET TO SHINE IN NET ONCE AGAIN
Junior goaltender Celine Whitlinger is ready to be the No. 1 option this year after splitting time in net the past two seasons.
The 5-8 Californian has led the Nittany Lions in save percentage (.923) and saves per game (37.44) during her two years in Hockey Valley. Last year, Whitlinger made 559 saves in nearly 900 minutes of action, earning a team-high three wins.
Whitlinger won't be alone this year as a talented rookie in Hannah Ehresmann will search for minutes in the crease. Ehresmann, who has been reunited with former Minnetonka High School teammates Bowman and Petersen, is a highly touted newcomer who will push Whitlinger during the year. Fellow newcomer Amber Greene also adds depth to the goaltending corps.
EXPERIENCED DEFENSE RETURNS TO HOCKEY VALLEY
Penn State has the luxury of possibly trotting out six returning members of its defense who have accounted for a combined 312 games played. Unlike the past two years where PSU's defensive experience was trumped by its opponents' offensive maturity, the Nittany Lions will flip the script in year three.
Led by Pardoski and Wilkie, Jeanette Bateman (70 games) and Paige Jahnke (69 games) lend the Lions needed experience that two years of games provides. Sophomore Kelly Seward was a breakout star for Penn State in 2013-14 as her length and skill gave opposing offenses fits. She also rocketed in three goals from the point with a potent shot.
Junior Stephanie Walkom (21 games) has proven effective the past two seasons by stepping up when her teammates have succumbed to injuries. Walkom was named PSU's most improved player in 2012-13 by the coaching staff.
Newcomers to the defensive regime are Shoreview, Minn. native Bella Sutton and Littleton, Colo. product Remi Martin. Depending on the opponent, the versatile Irene Kiroplis could feature on the blue line as well as on a forward line.
DEEP OFFENSIVE LINES READY TO PRODUCE
Penn State's most robust offense in its three-year history is ready to take the ice this October. Hoenshell, Bowman, Yoxheimer and Petersen alone accounted for 64 of the team's 120 points last season, and the foursome will have some extra help this year.
Minnesota freshmen forwards Caitlin Reilly and Christi Vetter add to Penn State's firepower in 2014-15. Reilly, a left-winger, tallied 209 points in her four-year career at Benilde St. Margaret's and last year scored 44 goals and 40 assists as a senior, which culminated in a state finals appearance.
Vetter tallied 163 points in four years of hockey at Lakeview North, leading the squad to a pair of finals appearances in the state tournament. Vetter was a member of the USA Hockey U18 National Team in 2012 and was one of the final cuts for the 2013 World Championship team that earned silver in Finland.
Another key addition to the offensive ranks is that of Hannah Bramm, a junior transfer from national powerhouse Minnesota Duluth. Bramm played in 63 games for the Bulldogs, compiling 13 points on four goals and nine assists.
Those three newcomers help bolster a veteran crew of juniors Jill Holdcroft (14 career goals), Emily Laurenzi (14 career points) and Kendra Rasmussen, who played defense for much of the last half of the 2013-14 campaign.
Sarah Nielsen, a key center, and speedster Micayla Catanzariti, round out Penn State's returning offensive weapons. Newcomer Aly Hardy also looks to help the Nittany Lion offense as a freshman.
DIFFICULT SCHEDULE AWAITS NITTANY LIONS
After playing a full-fledged Division I schedule in 2013-14 that featured four games against NCAA Women's Frozen Four participant Mercyhurst and 17 contests against the top 15 in the PairWise rankings, PSU is set for another challenging slate this season.
The toughest opponent of the year will come in game one (Oct. 3) as the NIttany Lions travel to perennial powerhouse and last year's NCAA runner-up, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers had their quest for a fourth-straight title upended by Clarkson in the title game last year. The next day, Penn State will play St. Cloud State at UM's Ridder Arena.
Other key difficult non-conference matchups are against a pair of top ECAC Hockey squads in Quinnipiac (Oct. 11-12) and Princeton (Oct. 26-27) at Pegula Ice Arena. PSU's other non-conference home series is against Ohio State (Jan. 3-4) as the Buckeyes visit Hockey Valley.
Away non-conference series bring the Nittany Lions to Union (Oct. 17-18), Colgate (Nov. 7-8) and New Hampshire (Jan. 23-24). All three series are rematches from last year.
In conference play, the much improved CHA will be more contested than ever now that the league has an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament awaiting the season's conclusion.
Mercyhurst won its 13th straight regular-season crown, but RIT won the tournament over the Lakers. Robert Morris was the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament a year ago after a program-record 24 wins.
RIT finished third last year and eliminated PSU in the first-round playoffs for the second straight year en route to its first CHA Tournament win.
Syracuse finished fourth a year ago, but was second in 2012-13 and is poised for another solid year in chase of Mercyhurst. The Nittany Lions again play four games against Lindenwood, who have finished fifth the past two seasons in the CHA.