Oct. 19, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's hockey team (1-4-1, 0-0-0 CHA) heads to North Andover, Mass., to take on the Merrimack Warriors (2-3-2, 1-1-1 WHEA) for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Puck drop is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 21, at 4 p.m. at Lawler Rink.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both games will be streamed via merrimackathletics.com, but fans must have an account to view the stream. Fans can also follow along with live stats on GoPSUsports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: No. 2 CLARKSON
Last weekend, No. 2 Clarkson swept Penn State by a score of 2-0 in each contest. Each game featured Clarkson netting goals in the first and third periods.
Offensively on the weekend, Brooke Madsen paced Penn State with five shots, while Kelsey Crow and Bella Sutton each tallied four shots.
In net against No. 2 Clarkson, sophomore Daniela Paniccia started both games, tallied 47 saves, and posted a save percentage of .922.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MERRIMACK
This is the first series between the two teams.
LOOKING AT MERRIMACK
The Merrimack Warriors enter the weekend with an overall record of 2-3-2 and a record of 1-1-1 in Hockey East action.
Last weekend, Merrimack fell to No. 4 St. Lawrence, 2-1, before playing to a 0-0 tie in the series finale.
After opening the season with a 2-1 win at Boston University on Sept. 23, Merrimack went to No. 3 Minnesota and defeated the Golden Gophers, 4-3, before falling 4-1 in the finale.
Offensively, Katelyn Rae leads the team in goals (four) and points (four). Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Paige Voight, and Emily Volpe lead the team in assists with two apiece.
In net this season a pair of Warriors have split time, as Samantha Ridgewell has started four games, and Lea-kristine Demers has started three games.
On the year, Demers has allowed six goals, posted a goals-against average of 1.96, recorded a save percentage of .947, and has made 107 saves.
In 2017, Ridgewell has allowed seven goals, posted a goals-against average of 1.72, recorded a save percentage of .950, and has made 134 saves.
LEADING THE ROOKIE PACK
Heading into the Merrimack series, Katie Rankin leads the freshmen in the College Hockey America conference in faceoff wins (76) and in shots (17).
Along with leading the conference freshmen in faceoff wins and shots, Rankin is tied for third in goals scored (one) and is tied for fourth in points (two).
CHA HONORS
Penn State netminders Hannah Ehresmann and Daniela Paniccia opened the 2017-18 season with back-to-back College Hockey America Goalie of the Week honors.
In the season-opening series at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, Ehresmann made 60 saves, which included a 38-save outing in the series finale. Ehresmann kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard in four of six periods during the two-game series.
A week later against Union, Paniccia made 24 saves, allowed only one goal, tallied a goals-against average of 0.71 and posted a save percentage of .960.
NEW FACES
Along with the seven freshmen, the Penn State women's hockey program welcomes three new faces to Hockey Valley.
The Nittany Lion freshman class is comprised of Chantal Burke, Natalie Heising, Cam Leonard, Shea Nelson, Katie Rankin, Morgan Rolph, and Sophie Slattery.
Behind the bench, first-year head coach Jeff Kampersal brought on Celeste Brown and Allison Coomey to complete his coaching staff.
COACH KAMPERSAL
Jeff Kampersal brings more than 20 years of experience as a head coach to Hockey Valley.
Prior to joining the Nittany Lions during the summer of 2017, Coach Kampersal was the head coach of the Princeton Tigers for 21 seasons. During his tenure at Princeton, Coach Kampersal tallied a record of 327-261-58.
Heading into the 2017-18 season, Kampersal ranks fifth in career victories among active women's hockey coaches with 327, a total that ranks seventh all-time.
SMART LIONS
Seven members of the Penn State women's hockey program were named All-American Scholars for the 2016-17 season, as announced by American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA).
Laura Bowman, Kelsey Crow, Katie McMillan, Amy Petersen, Kelly Seward, Bella Sutton, and Christi Vetter were among the 220 Division I-II student-athletes recognized by the AHCA.
HEISING WINS GOLD
Nittany Lion Natalie Heising and the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team defeated Canada, 3-1, to capture its third-straight IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship on Jan. 14, 2017.
Heising, a forward from Maple Grove, Minn., was named one of Team USA's three top players of the tournament.
PRESEASON POLL
After finishing fourth in the 2016-17 College Hockey America (CHA) regular season standings, the Penn State women's hockey team was selected fourth in the 2017-18 CHA preseason poll.
WELCOME BACK
Penn State returns 17 letterwinners to the team for the 2017-18 season, including a pair of College Hockey America (CHA) All-Rookie Team honorees.
In their first year donning the Blue & White, Brooke Madsen and Katie McMillan made their presence felt throughout the season.
Madsen, a forward, played in all 35 games and netted 21 points (7g, 14a). Madsen's season was highlighted with a three-assist outing in an 8-1 victory at Union (10/7).
On the blueline, McMillan recorded 11 points on four goals and seven assists in 35 games played.
2017-18 CAPTAINS
Senior defenseman Bella Sutton will captain the 2017-18 Nittany Lions, while Kelsey Crow and Aly Hardy will serve as alternate captains.
Sutton holds program records for goals by a defenseman (13) and points by a defenseman (41). She also ranks second in assists by a defenseman with 28.
On the power play, Sutton ranks fourth all-time in points (23), fourth in goals (nine), and is tied for third in assists (14).
Crow, a junior defenseman, served as an alternate captain last season and she ranks sixth all-time at PSU in points by a defenseman with 12.
Hardy, a senior forward, has played in 77 games and tallied 10 points on three goals and seven assists. Off the ice, Hardy serves as the vice president for the Penn State Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB).
THE 2017-18 SLATE
Penn State is slated to play 34 contests during the 2017-18 regular season, which includes 15 games at the Pegula Ice Arena.
The 2017-18 regular season is highlighted by a trip to Minnesota Duluth (Sept. 29-30), hosting defending NCAA Champion Clarkson (Oct. 13-14), two series against Robert Morris (Oct. 28-29 & Jan. 26-27), a trip to Ohio State (Jan. 5-6), and hosting Princeton (Jan. 30).
NEXT UP
Penn State returns home to the Pegula Ice Arena to open its 2017-18 College Hockey America slate against the No. 10 Robert Morris Colonials, Oct. 28-29. Puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m. each day.