Dec. 11, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
By Tyler Feldman, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's hockey team (8-7-3, 3-4-1 CHA) returns home to Pegula Ice Arena Friday night and Saturday afternoon to face off in a two-game set against No. 6 Mercyhurst (16-2-2, 7-1-0 CHA).
With Mercyhurst sitting comfortably in first place in the conference, this is by far the most challenging series the Nittany Lions will encounter to date this season. Even with Penn State getting off to a hot start, the Lakers are undefeated, 7-0-1, since their loss to Syracuse on Nov 8.
"Every day is a test for us to get better at our process," said head coach Josh Brandwene. "Whether it's practice. Whether it's meeting preparation. Whether it's an opponent on Friday night. It's a warrior mindset. We take everything as a challenge."
"[Those losses] definitely motivate all of us," said junior forward Amy Petersen. "We know what it's like to lose by that amount, and it's not fun. We want to prove that we're better than that. It makes us work that much harder. They are always a fun team to play against."
With 13 straight conference titles, 10 straight NCAA tournament appearances and 13 straight 20-win seasons, Mercyhurst knows what it takes to win.
This weekend's games are the first of four contests against the Lakers this season. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. The Blue and White will then travel to Erie, Pa., Valentine's Day weekend to complete the home and away conference series.
What To Watch: Penn State
Goaltending
One of Penn State's greatest strengths is its play between the pipes. The weekend combination of Celine Whitlinger in game one and Hannah Ehresmann in game two has given opponents a difficult time all season long. Just last week, she captured her conference-best third College Hockey America (CHA) Goaltender of the Week honors. The junior net minder has two shutouts on the season to go along with a 2.56 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
Her play and experience has helped ease the collegiate transition for the freshman Ehresmann, who has posted an impressive 1.95 GAA and a .938 save percentage in nine starts this season.
"She [Whitlinger] definitely motivates me to try my best," said Ehresmann. "I look up to her, especially in practice and games; I can watch what she does and try to improve my game by watching her."
For Penn State to skate in equal stride with the Lakers this upcoming weekend, Whitlinger and Ehresmann are going to have to continue their strong play in net.
Special Teams With 12 power play goals and two short-handed goals through 18 games, the Nittany Lions know what it takes to alter the momentum of a close game. Last week on the road against Robert Morris, the Blue and White penalty killing units held the Colonials scoreless on nine power play opportunities, while netting two short-handed goals and a power play goal. With the positive direction practices have gone this week, the Nittany Lions are intending to carry their special teams momentum into the games against the Lakers this weekend. "We have tremendous confidence on both sides of special teams, and I'm really pleased with the continued growth and continued development on both the power play and the penalty kill," said Brandwene. Amy Petersen, who leads the team with 10 goals (three power play goals), stressed the significance of efficient special teams, as well. "It's definitely important," said Petersen. "We focus on [special teams] a lot in our practices, so we try to stick to our game plan and not worry about theirs." So far this season, Penn State's power play is converting at 20.3 percent and its penalty kill's success rate is 78.2 percent. Returning Home The last month and a half for the Nittany Lions has included a lot of miles. Eight of the last 10 games have been played on the road. With that being said, the Blue and White's next six games will be played in Pegula Ice Arena. "We've spent a lot of time on the road this semester," said Brandwene. "We've been road warriors and we are all so looking forward to playing in our own barn here this weekend. I'm looking forward to playing here in front of the greatest fans in North America here at this beautiful building." Playing in the home barn is great, but Saturday afternoon's contest is more than just a game. In fact, it is Penn State's THON game, where the program collectively raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund in the fight against pediatric cancer. "It's always fun to play at home," said Petersen. "We're having our THON game on Saturday, which is always a fun game because we are playing for a cause bigger than just our team. So it's definitely fun to be at home for the first time we play them this year."