Jan. 18, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's hockey team (6-9-8, 3-3-4 CHA) returns home following its 11-game road trip this weekend for a series against CHA opponent Syracuse (6-14-2, 5-4-1 CHA). Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Pegula Ice Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can also follow along with live stats and live video on GoPSUsports.com for free.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single game tickets for the 2017-18 season are five dollars each. Fans can purchase single game tickets, group tickets, and Family 4 Pack deals by calling 1-800-NITTANY.
All ticket purchases can be made over the phone (1-800-NITTANY) or by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.).
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday
- Family 4 Pack
- Cubs Corner Kids Zone
Saturday
- Skate for a Cure Game - Wear Pink, Get in FREE
- Cubs Corner Kids Zone featuring a Caricature Artist, Airbrush Tattoos & a Photo Booth
- Free Postgame Skate
LAST TIME OUT: LINDENWOOD
Following a series split at then-No. 6/7 Ohio State to open 2018, Penn State returned to CHA play with a series split at Lindenwood, Jan. 12-13.
In the opener, Penn State captured a 3-1 victory behind freshman Katie Rankin's second career two-goal outing.
Along with Rankin's two-goal outing, sophomore Brooke Madsen netted two points on one-goal and one-assist. In net for the Nittany Lions, senior Hannah Ehresmann recorded 20 saves en route to her fifth win of the season.
In the finale, Lindenwood rebounded with a 4-1 victory. For the Nittany Lions, freshman Natalie Heising tallied her seventh goal of the year, which is tied with Rankin for the team lead.
LOOKING AT SYRACUSE
The Syracuse Orange enter the series against Penn State following a 2-1 loss at No. 4 Colgate on Tuesday. On the year, Syracuse sports an overall record of 6-14-2 and a record of 5-4-1 in CHA play.
With 10 games remaining in conference play, Syracuse is third in the CHA standings with 11 points followed by Penn State (10).
Offensively, five members of the Syracuse women's hockey team have tallied at least 10 points on the year. Syracuse is paced offensively by sophomore defenseman Lindsay Eastwood (15 points) and senior forward Brooke Avery (14). Eastwood also leads the team in assists (13) and Avery also leads the team in goals (nine).
In net for the Orange this season, Abbey Miller has started 19 contests, a record of 5-12-2, a goals-against average of 2.33, a save percentage of .911, has made 440 saves, and has two shutouts to her name.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SYRACUSE
Syracuse leads the all-time series against Penn State, 19-1-4.
In the last meeting on Nov. 11, 2017, freshman Sophie Slattery tallied her first career two-goal outing in a 2-2 tie.
PLAYING EXTRA TIME
With 23 games into the season complete, Penn State has played to overtime 10 times, which ties the program record set in 2015-16. Penn State is 1-1-8 in overtime contests this season.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Heading into the Syracuse series, the duo of Natalie Heising and Katie Rankin have made their impact felt among the freshmen in the College Hockey America conference.
Among freshmen in the CHA, Heising is first in shots (75), points (15), power play assists (four), power play points (seven), and is tied for first in goals (seven) and assists (eight). Heising also ranks fifth in faceoff wins with 114.
Along with Heising, Rankin is first in faceoff wins (285), is tied for first in goals (seven), is tied for fourth in points (12), is fifth in shots (59), and is tied for 10th in assists (five).
CHA STANDINGS
With all six teams having played 10 conference games, Mercyhurst leads the CHA standings with 15 points. Robert Morris is currently in second place (14), followed by Syracuse (11) and Penn State (10).
Lindenwood and RIT round out the CHA standings with eight and two points, respectively.
CHA HONORS
Five Nittany Lions have combined for 10 awards from the College Hockey America (CHA) conference in 2017-18.
Hannah Ehresmann and Daniela Paniccia have both been named the CHA Goalie of the Week.
Freshmen Natalie Heising, Katie Rankin, and Sophie Slattery have all been named the CHA Rookie of the Week. In addition to the Rookie of the Week awards, Heising has been named the CHA Player of the Week and the CHA Rookie of the Month.
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
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 blue line, McMillan recorded 11 points on four goals and seven assists in 35 games played.
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS
The Penn State women's hockey team tallied a pair of shutout victories in its series win at RIT on Dec. 1-2.
Penn State captured a 5-0 victory in the opener before tallying a 2-0 decision in the finale.
2017-18 CAPTAINS
Senior defenseman Bella Sutton is the captain of the 2017-18 Nittany Lions, while Kelsey Crow and Aly Hardy are the alternate captains.
Sutton holds the major scoring program records by a defenseman with 15 goals, 35 assists, and 50 points.
On the power play, Sutton is tied for second in points (29), is second in assists (20), and is fourth in goals (nine).
Crow, a junior defenseman, served as an alternate captain last season. Crow is tied for second in goals by a defenseman (eight), is fourth in points by a defenseman (21), and is tied for fourth in assists by a defenseman (13).
Hardy, a senior forward, has played in 94 games and tallied 12 points on four goals and eight 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
The Nittany Lions return to the road for a two-game tilt against Robert Morris in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 26 and 3 p.m. on Jan. 27 at the 84 Lumber Arena.