Sept. 30, 2015
| PENN STATE vs. MINNESOTA | |
| Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m./Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. | |
| Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY CENTRAL |
TV: ESPN2 -->
Game 1: Live Video on BTN Plus ($) | --> | Live Video
Game 2: Live Video on BTN Plus ($) | --> | Live Video
Women's Hockey Blog
Game Notes: Penn State | Minnesota
2014-15 Statistics: Penn State | Minnesota
Promotion: Free t-shirts for the first 100 students each night
Friday night is a Family 4-Pack night
Follow Us: @PennStateWHKY | Facebook | Instagram
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's hockey team opens the 2015-16 regular season with the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers making their way to Happy Valley. The two-game series is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1 and Friday, Oct. 2. Both games are slated for a 7 p.m. start.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats will be provided via GoPSUsports.com. Fans can also access live audio/video via GoPSUsports.com for no charge.
BAG POLICY
Fans are reminded that bags may be subject to search upon entrance to the Pegula Ice Arena.
PROMOTIONS
Friday night's game will be a Family 4-Pack game. For $30, fans can purchase four tickets, four hot dogs and four soft drinks. Also, the first 100 students each night will receive a free t-shirt.
SCOUTING THE GOPHERS (0-0-0)
The defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers open the regular season following a 5-4 exhibition victory over the Minnesota Whitecaps last week.
The Gophers are currently at the top of both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine preseason national polls.
For the third-straight season, Gopher senior Hannah Brandt was named the WCHA Preseason Player of the Year. Also, freshman Sarah Potomak was named the WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year.
Minnesota returns 16 student-athletes from last season, including seven of the top-10 scorers.
Amanda Leveille returns for her senior season in net for the Golden Gophers. Leveille owns a career record of 69-5-4 in Maroon and Gold. She ranks fourth all-time in wins at Minnesota.
PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The Penn State women's hockey team has been picked fourth in the College Hockey America (CHA) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference office Sept. 21. The Nittany Lions received 12 points in the poll, four points shy of RIT.
TOUGH TEST EARLY
The Nittany Lions will open the 2015-16 regular season with a two-game series against the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, Thursday, Oct. 1.
Following the series against Minnesota, Penn State travels to Boston, Mass., for a weekend series against the No. 8 Boston Terriers.
LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD
After having the most successful season in program history last year, the Nittany Lions have the potential to continue their momentum into the 2015-16 season.
For the first time as a Division-I program, the Nittany Lions finished with a winning record (17-16-4) a and fourth place finish, its highest CHA conference regular season finish. Four times as many wins as the previous season, Penn State was the most improved NCAA team. The Blue and White earned its highest CHA Tournament seed at No. 4 and scored its most power play goals in a season with 23 and shorthanded goals with three.
Over the weekend of Dec. 12-13, the Nittany Lions not only defeated their first ranked opponent, they recorded a sweep in the process. At the Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State swept sixth-ranked Mercyhurst by scores of 2-1 and 5-3.
In the 2015 CHA Tournament, Penn State swept Lindenwood (1-0, 3-1) to advance to the CHA Semifinal for the first time in program history, but fell to the No. 2 seed, Syracuse, 2-0.
THE RETURNERS
Heading into the 2015-16 season, Penn State returns 23 letterwinners, nine of its top-10 scorers and 91 percent of its scoring from last season.
Upperclassmen Laura Bowman, Amy Petersen and Shannon Yoxheimer look to propel the Nittany Lion offense once again in 2015-16, as they accounted for 41 percent of the goal scoring from 2014-15. Between the trio, they also combined for 37 assists (Bowman - 14, Petersen - 15, Yoxheimer - 8).
It wasn't just the upperclassmen that contributed to the success of the program last year; the Nittany Lion underclassmen also made an impact on the ice.
The freshmen duo of Remi Martin and Bella Sutton made an immediate impact for the Penn State women's hockey team.
Martin, two-way a defender, dished out six assists, two of which led to power play goals.
Sutton had a breakout season for the Nittany Lions, as she was named to the CHA All-Rookie Team for her contributions throughout the year. Overall, Sutton finished fourth on the team in goals (seven) and tied for fifth in assists (eight).
The freshman from Shoreview, Minnesota, played a key role on the power play for Penn State as she was tied for third in CHA power play scoring with five goals and tied for fifth with eleven points (5g, 6a). Sutton also finished fifth in defenseman scoring and fifth in freshman scoring (7-8-15) in the CHA.
IN NET
The Nittany Lions will have a one-two punch in the net this year, as both Hannah Ehresmann and Celine Whitlinger return for Penn State.
Last season, Whitlinger played an integral part of a Penn State defense that lowered its goals-against average from 3.46 to 2.21 and goals allowed from 127 to 82.
Whitlinger was honored numerous times by the CHA for her outstanding work in the crease throughout the 2014-15 campaign. In all, she was named the CHA Goalie of the Week six times and the CHA Goalie of the Month twice (Dec. & Jan.).
Among the leaders in the CHA, Whitlinger ranked second in save pct. (.933), second in winning pct. (.540), third in saves (757) and third in goals-against average (2.17).
This past August, Whitlinger was one of three Division-I goalies to be invited to the 2015 USA Hockey Women's National Festival.
Ehresmann had an outstanding freshman year campaign as she was named to the All-CHA Rookie Team.
In her first collegiate game (Oct. 4), Ehresmann made 29 saves in a 3-2 win over St. Cloud State. A little over a week later (Oct. 12), she tallied 45 saves in a 1-1 tie against No. 8 Quinnipiac.
Both Ehresmann and Whitlinger participated in the first USA Hockey Women's National Team Goalie Development Camp last May.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Jordin Pardoski and Shannon Yoxheimer will captain the Nittany Lions during the 2015-16 campaign, while Laura Bowman and Sarah Wilkie will serve as alternate captains.
After serving as an alternate captain during her sophomore season (2013-14), Pardoski returns to the ice for a second-straight year as a captain. All-time in the Penn State rankings, Pardoski ranks third in games played (106) and ninth in power play goals (two).
Both Bowman and Wilkie are back for their second-straight year as alternate captains.
During the 2014-15 season, Bowman set a single-season Penn State record with 16 goals. Bowman also added 14 assists, which ranks fourth all-time at Penn State.
Last year, Wilkie played in seven games for the Nittany Lions. She tallied three shot and recorded a pair of blocked shots.
THE NEWCOMERS
In November of 2014 head coach Josh Brandwene signed four student-athletes to join the Nittany Lion family.
Kelsey Crow, Hannah England, Meike Meilleur and Victoria Samuelsson make up the Nittany Lion class of 2019.
On the incoming class Brandwene said, "The 2015 recruiting class continues our program's tradition of signing hard-working students who possess great character and outstanding hockey talent. As a group, they add more height, strength, skill and scoring touch to our already talented line up. They will make an immediate and long term impact, and we look forward to their contributions to the Penn State community and to our program's family atmosphere."
THE SCHEDULE
The Nittany Lions will be tested from the start of the season as they host the defending national champion, Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Pegula Ice Arena, Oct. 1-2.
Following the season-opening contest against Minnesota, Penn State heads to Boston, Massachusetts, to take on Boston University (Oct. 9-10) for the first time in program history.
The strong non-conference schedule will prepare the Nittany Lions, as the CHA enters its second year with an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Other key non-conference series, includes Ohio State (Jan. 2-3), Princeton (Dec. 11-12), UConn (Oct. 17-18), and Union (Oct. 24-25),
Conference play begins for the Nittany Lions as they welcome the Mercyhurst Lakers to the Pegula Ice Arena on Nov. 6. Last year, the Nittany Lions swept the sixth-ranked Lakers for their first win over a ranked opponent in program history.
After the Mercyhurst series (Nov. 6-7), Penn State is slated to play six series on road. The Nittany Lions will return home with four-straight series starting with Robert Morris on Jan. 22. Penn State closes out the regular season as it heads to Erie, Pa., for a match-up against Mercyhurst (Feb. 19-20).
Postseason play begins with the CHA First Round on Feb. 26-27. The higher seeds will host the CHA First Round and then the final four teams will head to the Harbor Center in Buffalo, N.Y. for the CHA Semifinal (March 4) and Final (March 6).
NEXT TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions head northeast to Boston, Mass., for a weekend series against the No. 8 Boston Terriers. The Nittany Lions and Terriers meet Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., and close out the series Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3 p.m.