Feb. 28, 2015
1 Lindenwood (10-21-2, 7-11-1 CHA) |
Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) University Park, Pa. • Pegula Ice Arena • Attendance: 476 | 3 Penn State (17-15-4, 9-9-2 CHA) |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Feb. 28, 2015 - Bella Sutton (Shoreview, Minn.) had a hand in all of the Nittany Lions' goals, leading the Penn State women's hockey team to a 3-1 win in the first round of the College Hockey America (CHA) Tournament. With the victory and two-game sweep, Penn State advances to the CHA Tournament semifinal game for the first time in program history.
The Nittany Lions will face No. 2 seed Syracuse in the CHA Tournament semifinal game on Fri., March 6 at No. 1 seed Mercyhurst.
Sutton scored the Nittany Lions' first and third goals and assisted on the game-winner. Shannon Yoxheimer (Jackson, Mich.) tallied her second game-winning goal in as many contests, while Celine Whitlinger (Garden Grove, Calif.) made 24 saves for her second-straight win.
The Nittany Lions (17-15-4) had a stroke of luck and a well-placed shot to put them on the board early in the game. Two minutes in, Sutton went to clear the puck from her own blue line and it went directly to the Lady Lions' net. Nicole Hensley made the initial stop but as she went to stand up to retrieve the puck, it trickled over the line behind her for the 1-0 lead.
Lindenwood (10-21-2) continued to battle, however, and was able to get one of its own at 11:24. Stationed in front of Whitlinger, Lyndsay Kirkham lifted the puck top shelf to tie the score at 1-1.
But Penn State refused to back down and regained control with the eventual game-winner 1:39 later. Sutton sent a shot on net from the nearside boards, and Yoxheimer scooped up the rebound in front of the net and backhanded it in to put Penn State up, 2-1. The tally marked Yoxheimer's second-straight game-winner.
The Blue and While continued to generate offense in the second period and with the player advantage, sealed the Lady Lions' fate. On the power play, Sutton capitalized on a bad clear in front of Lindenwood's net. She intercepted the puck and her slap shot went past Hensley for the 3-1 score.
Penn State out-shot Lindenwood, 28-25, with Micayla Catanzariti (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Laura Bowman (Minnetonka, Minn.) each taking a team-best four.
On the power play, Penn State was 1-for-3, recording nine shots. Lindenwood was 1-for-6 with 10 shots.
The Nittany Lions built on their strong shot blocking game from the previous night, getting in the way of 20 Lady Lion shots as compared to Lindenwood's five blocks. Sutton led the charge with four blocks on the day.
Penn State also maintained its success in the faceoff circle following a strong performance yesterday. The Nittany Lions won 29-of-40 puck drops, with Emily Laurenzi (Townsend, Del.) earning a 12-4 mark.
Whitlinger, who only allowed one goal during the weekend, made 24 saves to put her record at 13-10-1. Hensley finishes the season with a 10-17-2 mark.