HAMILTON, N.Y. – The Penn State women's hockey got its first win of the 2018-19 season with a gutsy 4-2 road win against fifth-ranked Colgate Saturday afternoon at Class of 1965 Arena.
"I am immensely proud of our team," said Head Coach Jeff Kampersal. "They played smart and played with heart. They sacrificed all over the ice and made the most of their opportunities."
Penn State had four different goal scorers, including the first goal of freshman Rene Gangarosa's career. Katie McMillan scored her first of the season in the second period and followed with an assist on Abby Welch's eventual game-winner in the same frame.
Natalie Heising added an empty-netter with two minutes remaining to seal the win.
In her second start in goal, Jenna Brenneman stopped 22-of-24 shots on goal to earn her first win as a Nittany Lion.
Contrary to Friday's game, Colgate started the scoring in the first period when Shae Labbe scored her second of the season at 8:07.
The Nittany Lions bounced back on Gangarosa's seeing-eye shot from the blue line just over four minutes later. Kelsey Crow picked up an assist on the play.
In the second period, Penn State took its first lead on the power play. McMillan blasted one from the point at 9:19 of the second period. Heising and Morgan Rolph tallied helpers on the play.
Colgate received a two-minute, 5-on-3 power play after the Nittany Lions were caught for tripping and too many skaters at 13:14. Penn State nearly killed the two-player disadvantage, but Tanner Gates netted the tying goal with just ten second left on the power play.
Just under a minute and a half later, the Nittany Lions went ahead for good as McMillan sent a centering pass towards Welch, who dropped to a slide and put the puck in the cage for Penn State's go-ahead goal with 3:28 left in the second.
The Nittany Lions played stellar defensively in the third period both in their own zone and on the forecheck. Seven of Brenneman's 22 saves came in the final frame and the Nittany Lions did a great job getting in Colgate's shooting lanes. Penn State finished with 20 blocked shots for the contest.
With Colgate's goaltender pulled for an extra skater, Heising picked up a loose puck in her own zone and found the empty cage from the center red line to put the game to bed 4-2.
GAME NOTES
- The win marks Penn State's sixth win over a ranked opponent in program history. It is also the highest-ranked team (#5) Penn State has ever defeated. The Nittany Lions last beat a ranked opponent 1/5/18 in a 5-1 win over No. 6 Ohio State.
- Katie McMillan and Natalie Heising finished with two points on a goal and assist each, the first multi-point efforts by Nittany Lions this season. The last time each had a multi-point effort was 2/24/18 at home versus Lindenwood, when Heising netted a hat trick and McMillan had three assists.
- The Nittany Lions killed 5-of-6 Colgate power plays.
- Penn State's four goals were the most scored in a game since 2/24/18 against Lindenwood. When scoring 4+ goals in the 2017-18 season, the Nittany Lions were 6-0-0.
- Penn State opens its home schedule next weekend with a doubleheader against Merrimack Oct. 5-6. Friday's game starts at 6 p.m. with Saturday's start set for 2 p.m.
- Saturday's game is being promoted as a Penn State "Saturday Power Play." A game ticket to the women's game also grants admission to the Penn State men's hockey team's international game against Brock.