Jan. 29, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's hockey team (6-12-9, 3-6-5 CHA) hosts the Princeton Tigers (8-10-4, 7-8-1 ECAC), in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Pegula Ice Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
The game will be streamed on BTN2Go.com, but fans must have a BTN Plus account to access the stream. Fans can also follow along with live stats on GoPSUsports.com.
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.).
LAST TIME OUT: ROBERT MORRIS
Penn State is coming off a tie and a loss at Robert Morris this past weekend (Jan. 26-27) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The series featured the two teams playing to a 2-2 tie in the opener before Robert Morris captured a 4-2 victory in the finale.
In the opener, the Nittany Lions trailed 2-0 after two periods of play before Abby Welch and Natalie Heising each tallied a goal to force a 2-2 tie.
The Colonials and Nittany Lions went back-and-forth in the finale, but with the score tied at 2-2 midway through the second period, Robert Morris would net the game's final two goals to capture the 4-2 victory. Offensively for the Nittany Lions, Kelsey Crow and Shea Nelson each tallied a goal.
In net on the weekend, senior Hannah Ehresmann posted 27 saves in the opener and 23 saves in the finale.
LOOKING AT PRINCETON
The Princeton Tigers enter the game against the Nittany Lions sporting an overall record of 8-10-4 and a record 7-8-1 in ECAC play. The Tigers are coming off a pair of shutout victories over Brown (4-0) and Yale (3-0) on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13, respectively.
Offensively, six Tigers have tallied at least 10 points on the year. Junior Karlie Lund leads the team in points (17), sophomore Carly Bullock leads the team in goals (14), and Kiersten Falck leads the team in assists (13).
In net for Princeton, sophomore Steph Neatby has started 18 of 22 games on the year. In 2017-18, Neatby has a record of 6-8-4, a save percentage of .927, a goals-against average of 1.96, has three solo shutouts to her name, and has made 445 saves.
SERIES HISTORY VS. PRINCETON
Princeton leads the all-time series against Penn State, 5-1-1.
The two teams played to a 5-5 tie in the last meeting on Dec. 31, 2016, at the Hobey Baker Memorial Rink.
In the last meeting, then-freshman Brooke Madsen tallied a career-high two-goal outing.
In net against Princeton, then-junior Hannah Ehresmann recorded a season-high 48-save outing.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Heading into the Princeton game, 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 (88), power play assists (five), power play points (10), goals (nine), and points (18).
Heising is also tied for first in power play goals (five), assists (nine) and ranks fifth in faceoff wins with 127.
Along with Heising, Rankin is first in faceoff wins (354), is tied for fifth in goals (seven), is sixth in points (13), is fifth in shots (67), and is 11th in assists (six).
CHA STANDINGS
With six conference games left for each team, Mercyhurst and Robert Morris are tied for the CHA lead with 21 points apiece.
Syracuse is third (17), followed by Lindenwood (12), Penn State (11), and RIT (two).
PLAYING EXTRA TIME
The Nittany Lions have played 13 overtime contests this season. Penn State is 1-3-9 in overtime contests in 2017-18.
The NCAA record for overtime games in a season by a team is 15 (Boston U. - 2010).
100 CAREER GAMES
Senior Aly Hardy has skated in 98 career games prior to the Princeton game. Thirteen Nittany Lions have played in 100 career games in program history.
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, 36 assists, and 51 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 second in goals by a defenseman (nine), is fourth in points by a defenseman (23), and is fourth in assists by a defenseman (14).
Hardy, a senior forward, has played in 98 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).
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions head to Erie, Pennsylvania, to take on the Mercyhurst Lakers for their final road trip of the 2017-18 regular season. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. on Feb. 9 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.