UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The goalie gets her shutout, and then another. Just two of the multiple accomplishments for the Penn Stater between the pipes in the Blue and White.
Talk about a good month for goaltender Jenna Brenneman. The junior transfer from Clarkson got her first two shutouts as a Nittany Lion, and she won two CHA awards, all within the time span of a few weeks.
Brenneman secured her first shutout on November 16, during Penn State's road trip to Troy, New York as the team defeated RPI 4-0.
"It meant a lot to me. As a goalie you're always hoping for a shutout, obviously that's the goal. But I'm just glad to get you know the first one out of the way, so it's something you stop really thinking about," Brenneman said.
Following that first performance, Brenneman was named CHA Goalie of the Week.
Just a few days later, at Pegula Ice Arena on November 20, she got her second shutout in a victory over RIT, 3-0.
Déjà vu? With that second shutout came her second CHA award.
It's easy to tell that Brenneman is humble. Even after winning the CHA award twice in a row, she still put the emphasis on her team and not herself.
"That was pretty cool. I'm just super happy we got those four conference points and our first few conference wins here at Pegula were pretty awesome to see, and I guess that just came along with it," Brenneman said.
Head coach Jeff Kampersal has nothing but praise for the goalie.
"She is laid back," Kampersal said. "I think everybody gravitates to her. She is sort of all encompassing. She can sit and chat with anybody. She has a good demeanor. For the most part I feel like she's pretty chill. When you have that in the position of goaltending it makes probably everybody a little more comfortable and comforted."
"Her last four games have been very solid."
Brenneman played two seasons at Clarkson before transferring to Penn State this year.
Despite the struggles student-athletes face at any school, Brenneman has figured out how to be both a student and an athlete and giving her all to both of those roles.
"I think a struggle with any student-athlete, obviously, is making sure your focuses are, I guess, even. So when you're at school and you're in the classroom, that's what you're working on and you're giving 100 percent there. But when you're at the rink, that's what your focused on, that's what you're giving 100 percent of your effort to. And I think that's just a balance you kind of figure out with the help of your coaches and your teammates," Brenneman said.
The native of Eagan, Minnesota, found a bit of familiarity on her team. Having teammates who she knows from her home state of Minnesota is making the transition to Penn State easier, but the girls she just met are just as friendly and welcoming.
"It's been awesome. Yeah my teammates have been really great. I was a little nervous, obviously coming in, but I knew some of the girls just from back home. And then, along with the girls I didn't even know, have been super welcoming and just accepting," Brenneman said.
As the Nittany Lions prepare to face off against RMU this weekend, Brenneman and the team are focusing on themselves.
"We're just preparing, you know, playing Penn State hockey. Just making sure that stays the theme throughout the entire season really is just focusing on us and what we need to do to play Penn State hockey because when we do we can beat anyone we want to beat," Brenneman said.
Following the successful few games over Thanksgiving break, the Nittany Lions are now at .500 and Kampersal hopes to keep it that way moving forward.
"It's huge. I thought we played pretty well all year…We're not necessarily happy, but we're satisfied to get back to .500, considering the previous weekends. It's time to start beating these Robert Morris's, Mercyhurst, Syracuse, and the time is now, so enough is enough. We got to do it," Kampersal said.
As for his confidence in Brenneman as the goalie?
"She knows what it takes to win," Kampersal said.
Penn State looks to improve their 7-7-2 record as they travel to Moon Township, PA, to face Robert Morris University this weekend. Game one's puck drop is set for today at 7:05 p.m., and game two on Saturday is set to start at 5:05 p.m.
