Feb. 8, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's hockey team (6-13-9, 3-6-5 CHA) heads to Erie, Pennsylvania, to take on the Mercyhurst Lakers (13-13-2, 10-3-1 CHA) for a College Hockey America (CHA) weekend series, Feb. 9-10. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both games will be streamed via stretchinternet.com, but fans must have an account to access the video. Fans can also follow along with live stats on sidearmstats.com/hurst/whockey/.
LAST TIME OUT: PRINCETON
Penn State last played on Jan. 30 against the Princeton Tigers at the Pegula Ice Arena.
In the contest, Princeton netted a goal in the second period before scoring twice in the third period to capture a 3-0 victory.
Offensively, freshman Katie Rankin paced the Nittany Lion attack with four shot attempts, while Kelsey Crow and Christi Vetter each posted three shot attempts.
In net, senior Hannah Ehresmann finished the game with a 27-save outing.
LOOKING AT MERCYHURST
The Mercyhurst Lakers have an overall record of 13-13-2 and a College Hockey America record of 10-3-1. In the CHA standings, Mercyhurst is tied with Robert Morris for the league lead with 21 points apiece.
Mercyhurst hasn't played since a series split at Syracuse on Jan. 26-27. Syracuse took the opener 4-1 before Mercyhurst captured a 4-0 victory in the finale.
Offensively, Maggie Knott ranks fifth in points in the CHA with 23 (9g, 14a). Along with Knott, Vilma Tanskanen ranks seventh in points with 20 (13g, 7a).
In net, Kennedy Blair leads the CHA in save percentage (.929) and goals-against average (1.76). Blair has also tallied 286 saves, two solo shutouts, and has a record of 6-6-0.
Along with Knott, Sarah McDonnell has split time in net for the Lakers this season. On the year, McDonnell has a save percentage of .906, a goals-against average of 2.24, has recorded 338 saves, has two solo shutouts to her name, and has a record of 7-7-2.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MERCYHURST
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series against Penn State, 16-3-3.
Earlier this season (Nov. 3-4), Mercyhurst captured a 3-1 win over the Nittany Lions and then in the finale, the two teams played to a 1-1 tie.
Last year, Penn State captured a 3-2 victory in overtime on Nov. 5, 2016, for its first win in program history inside the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Heading into the Mercyhurst 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 (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 135.
Along with Heising, Rankin is first in faceoff wins (366), is tied for fifth in goals (seven), is sixth in points (13), is fourth in shots (71), 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 99 career games prior to the Mercyhurst series. 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 99 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
Penn State returns home to the Pegula Ice Arena to host the RIT Tigers for a weekend series on Feb. 16-17. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 16 and 3 p.m. on Feb. 17.