BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Penn State women's hockey saw its 2019-20 season come to an end in a 4-1 loss to top-seeded Mercyhurst in the CHA Tournament semifinals Friday afternoon at the LECOM HarborCenter.
Penn State (13-15-8) trailed by three in the second period before a goal from Amy Dobson pulled them back within two, but Mercyhurst (20-10-5) buckled down to add another to take the game by three.
Chantal Burke stopped 36 shots in goal for the Nittany Lions, her second highest save total of the season. Dobson's goal was her second of both the 2019-20 season and her career.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercyhurst took the early advantage 2:37 into the game after sophomore forward Sarah Nelles scored on a rebound for her ninth goal of the season.
The Lakers tacked on another after a Penn State turnover with 6:54 to go in the first on a wrist shot by Liliane Perrault and led 2-0 after the first period.
Penn State had a much better start to the second period with a couple solid offensive zone shift and a handful of scoring chances, including a shot from Rachel Weiss just over four minutes into the period that just missed the cage wide.
Despite the added pressure from the Nittany Lions, it would be the Lakers scoring again to take a three-goal advantage halfway through the second period. After a Penn State penalty, Mercyhurst's Alex Vasko netted a power-play goal with just 13 seconds left on the advantage and extended Mercyhurst's lead to three with 9:48 left in the second period.
The Nittany Lions found their response with 4:26 left in the second to cut the deficit back to two. Amy Dobson picked up the loose puck in Mercyhurst's end after a solid forecheck by the Nittany Lions and glanced it off Mercyhurst's goalie into the net for her second of the season.
In the third period, Penn State killed another Mercyhurst power play before finally getting their first chance on the advantage midway through the period. However, Mercyhurst killed the penalty and sprung a rush right back to score its fourth of the game to widen the margin back to three. Perrault's second of the afternoon came with 10:50 left in the game to coast to the 4-1 win.
GAME NOTES
- Chantal Burke finished the season with a 1.69 goals-against average, the second-best mark in a single season by a Penn State goaltender in team history (Celine Whitlinger, 1.51, 2015-16). Her .937 save percentage was also the third highest by a Nittany Lion netminder.
- Penn State went 0-1 on its power play in the game without a shot on goal while the Lakers went 1-4 with sevens shots on target.
- The Nittany Lions are still seeking their first CHA Championship appearance and fall to 0-1 against Mercyhurst in the CHA Tournament.
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