UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's hockey team swept its College Hockey America series of RIT behind goals from Katie McMillan and Natalie Heising in a 2-1 victory over the Tigers Wednesday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena.
"I'm really proud of the effort, discipline, and good habits displayed by our team over the last four games," Head Coach Jeff Kampersal said. "Our team was very determined. We needed these CHA points."
Penn State (7-7-2) improved to 2-4 in CHA play with the win. RIT (3-8-4) dropped to 1-4.
McMillan opened the game's scoring late in the second period with her first goal in eight games. Heising scored a power-play marker in the third period to double the Nittany Lion lead.
Assists on McMillan's goal were awarded to Jessica Adolfsson (3) and Brooke Madsen (2). Heising had helpers from Izzy Heminger(4) and Kelsey Crow (10). Jenna Brenneman made 20 saves to secure her seventh win of the season.
RIT's lone goal was scored by Jordan Marchese unassisted in the third period. Terra Lanteigne had a 38-save performance in the loss for the Tigers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first period was a defensive stalemate that featured only a couple of scoring chances for both teams. The Tigers held a slight edge with nine shots to Penn State's seven.
In the second period, both teams had their first power-play chances of the game but neither could convert. Despite the Nittany Lions controlling the puck the majority of the period and out-shooting the Tigers by a wide margin, it looked like the game was going to head into the second break tied 0-0, but McMillan's goal broke the scoreless tie with 35 seconds remaining.
Madsen won a puck battle on the wall and passed it out to the blue line for Adolfsson. She ripped a slap shot on net that went off the pads of Terra Lanteigne. McMillan chipped in the rebound on the backhand for her fifth goal of the season to give the Nittany Lions the 1-0 lead entering the break.
Penn State continued their momentum into the third period and took advantage of its third power-play chance of the game to take a two-goal lead. Crow and Heminger played catch on the blue line before Heminger slipped a cross-ice pass to Heising in the left circle. Her wrist shot went beneath the crossbar and in at 7:28 in the third.
RIT mustered a response at 13:34 to cut the lead in half when Marchese netted a loose puck on the side of the goal for the Tigers' first score of the weekend.
The Tigers had a solid opportunity on the power play to tie the game but with just under four minutes remaining, but Brenneman made a spectacular sprawling save just off a face off to preserve the Nittany Lions' lead.
That scoring chance turned out to be the best for the Tigers for the rest of the game, as the Nittany Lions killed the penalty and thwarted off the RIT attack when they pulled Lanteigne for an extra attacker, ending the game with a 2-1 win.
GAME NOTES
- After being outshot 9-7 in the first period, Penn State fired 33 shots on goal to RIT's 12 for the remainder of the game, including a big 18-2 advantage in the second period.
- Penn State tallied 51 total shots for the weekend after its season-high 51 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 win.
- Brenneman has made 80 saves over the last four games and sports a .976 save percentage over that span (3-0-1).
- The win marked the first time Penn State has come out on top when scoring less than three goals this season.
- It was also the first one-goal win for the Nittany Lions since Oct. 13 at Union (3-2).
- Heising has now tallied at least one point in 11 of Penn State's 16 games this season. She finished the game with a game-high seven shots on goal.
- Heising has registered 26 shots on goal over the last four games and has four points (3G, 1A). Her three game-winning goals leads the team.
- McMillan set a new career high with her fifth goal of the season. She tallied four in her freshman season in 2016-17.
- Heminger has now tallied four points over the last five games and has a +5 rating that trails only Heising and McMillan (+7) for the team lead.
- Crow is now tied for the CHA lead among blue-liners with 11 points. She also ranks third among all CHA skaters with 10 assists.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in a CHA road series at Robert Morris.