BUFFALO, New York – The Penn State women's hockey team begins the 2019 postseason in the single-elimination CHA Championship. The first round is set to begin March 6, with the fourth-seeded Nittany Lions set to take on fifth-seed RIT in the second match of the day at 7:30.
CHA CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT AND SCHEDULE
The CHA Tournament features all six members in a single-elimination tournament. The top two seeds Robert Morris and Mercyhurst receive byes to the semifinal round while seeds 3-6 battle it out in the first round.
Teams will be reseeded after the first round of play accordingly. The winner of the CHA Championship will receive an automatic bid into the eight-team NCAA Tournament Field.
The full schedule is listed below:
First Round | Wednesday, March 6
Game 1: #6 Lindenwood vs. #3 Syracuse – 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: #5 RIT vs. #4 Penn State – 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals | Thursday, March 7
Game 3: Highest remaining seed vs. #1 Robert Morris – 4:30 p.m.
Game 4: Lowest remaining seed vs. #2 Mercyhurst – 7:30 p.m.
Championship | Friday, March 8
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner – 4:30 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
All tournament games will be streamed through the CHA Digital Network. The cost to view is $12 per game or $25 for a tournament pass.
Live statistics for each contest can be access here: CHA Live Statistics.
TICKET INFORMATION
Daily tickets are available at the HarborCenter for $10 for adults and $5 for students. Adults can also purchase a tournament pass for $25.
FAMILIAR TERRITORY
All of the Nittany Lions point scorers from their 2017-18 CHA semifinal will skate at the HarborCenter again this season. Natalie Heising had a pair of goals for the Nittany Lions, while teammate Katie McMillan had a goal and an assist over two games.
Katie Rankin also had a pair of assists for the Nittany Lions last March while Abby Welch added the first goal of the tournament for the Nittany Lions. Christi Vetter and Kelsey Crow also tacked on an assist each.
FOURTH THRICE
Penn State comes in as the conference's fourth-ranked team for the third consecutive season. The Nittany Lions are 5-5 overall in the first round of the CHA Championship, including a 1-2 mark since the league changed to a single-elimination format.
CHA AWARD WINNERS
Four Nittany Lions earned CHA regular season awards at the tournament banquet held March 5. Natalie Heising followed up her CHA Rookie of the Year and All-CHA Second Team awards in 2018 with an All-CHA First Team honor this season.
Kelsey Crow and Jenna Brenneman were recognized for their outstanding seasons as well as All-CHA Second Team selections. Jessica Adolfsson was also named to the All-CHA Rookie Team.
NITTANY LIONS VERSUS THE COMPETITION
#6 Lindenwood Lions
2018-19 season: 3-0-1, 11-5 goal differential
All-time: 16-11-4
Postseason all-time: 3-0
#5 RIT Tigers
2018-19 season: 3-1, 9-5 goal differential
All-time: 18-14-3
Postseason all-time: 2-5
#3 Syracuse Orange
2018-19 season: 0-3-1, 4-9 goal differential
All-time: 1-24-5
Postseason all-time: 0-2
#2 Mercyhurst Lakers
2018-19 season: 0-2-2, 9-5 goal differential
All-time: 3-18-7
Postseason all-time: 0-0
#1 Robert Morris Colonials
2018-19 season: 0-3-1, 6-14 goal differential
All-time: 4-19-6
Postseason all-time: 0-1
