ERIE, Pa. – A late power-play goal from sophomore defender Rene Gangarosa gave the Penn State women's hockey team a crucial conference point in a 1-1 tie against in-state rival, Mercyhurst, Friday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
"We came ready and prepared to play today," said head coach Jeff Kampersal. "This team competed hard for all 65 minutes. I'm proud of their effort and tenacity today."
Penn State (9-9-5, 4-3-2 CHA) fell behind just 1:17 into the game on a Merychurst power-play goal, but played a tough brand of hockey throughout the game to give itself multiple chances to come back.
With 1:43 left in regulation, the Nittany Lions were finally rewarded with Gangarosa's fourth goal of the season and sent the game to overtime against the Lakers (12-8-3, 6-2-1 CHA) for the seventh time in the last eight matchups between the two programs.
Junior goaltender Chantal Burke made 29 total saves for the afternoon, including a sequence of stops late to allow Penn State the chance to tie the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercyhurst took the initial advantage just 1:17 into the game after an early penalty call on the Nittany Lions. After a cross-checking penalty to Natalie Heising 45 seconds in, Michelle Robillard scored on her own rebound to put the Lakers up 1-0.
Penn State ended up playing one of its better offensive periods of the season in the first frame and outshot the Lakers 13-4. The Nittany Lions forecheck was particularly good, as the Nittany Lion forwards generated a lot of pressure in the Mercyhurst zone and forced a handful of turnovers that created good scoring chances.
The second period featured a handful of power plays for both teams, but both the Nittany Lions' and Lakers' penalty-killing units shined in the period as neither allowed a goal for the other side. Penn State killed two Mercyhurst advantages in the second half of the period, while coming up empty on a power-play sandwiched in between Mercyhurst's power plays.
Mercyhurst clung to its one-goal lead in the third period for most of the stanza, but things got interesting as more penalties to both sides opened the door for one team's power play to take advantage.
Penn State got its first chance at 10:50 but had the PP ended with 17 seconds left on the advantage when PSU was called for an infraction.
Penn State's PK hung strong during two Mercyhurst power plays that shortly followed. The biggest play for Penn State came with just under four minutes left when Chantal Burke made three huge stops in a row just in front of the crease to keep Penn State within striking distance.
Burke and the PSU PK's efforts were rewarded when Penn State capitalized on its sixth power play chance of the afternoon with 1:43 left in regulation. Rene Gangarosa ripped a shot through traffic from the point with a great screen in front to tie the game, 1-1. Amy Dobson and Izzy Heminger had assists on the goal.
As has been common in the series since 2018, the Nittany Lions and Lakers went to overtime tied at one. Neither team found a good opportunity to score until Mercyhurst went to another power play with 21 seconds left in the extra period.
With time winding down, a mad scramble for a loose puck around the net prompted the goal horn for Mercyhurst, but after review, the puck never crossed the goal line to keep the game at a tie with 6.5 seconds left.
Penn State blocked Mercyhurst's last shot attempt in the waning seconds to secure the comeback tie.
GAME NOTES
- Gangarosa continues to play well on both ends of the ice for Penn State with her fourth point (2G, 2A) in the last four games. She also blocked a game-high six shots.
- Gangarosa's defensive partner, Izzy Heminger, has also been a bright spot for Penn State in recent games with her seventh point (1G, 6A) in the last seven games.
- Amy Dobson's assist was her third since Nov. 24, 2019 against Syracuse.
- Burke's hot streak continues as she now has 13 games of 20 or more saves in her 17 starts this season. She trimmed her goals-against average for the season down to 1.53 and raised her save percentage to .939, which ranks fifth in the nation.
- Since November 4, 2017, Penn State and Mercyhurst have played eight games with seven of those games going to overtime. The only two games that did not end in a tie were one-goal wins for Mercyhurst.
NEXT UP
Penn State and Mercyhurst hit the ice again Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. to wrap up their weekend conference series.