ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The No. 8/8 Penn State women's hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to 12 games straight with another 5-0 shutout of RIT Saturday afternoon at the Gene Polisseni Center.
The Nittany Lions (15-1-2) depth was on display with five different goal scorers and 10 players recording a point.
Olivia Wallin (Oakville, Ontario), Mikayla Lantto (Palmer, Alaska), Jess Ciarrocchi (West Chester, Pa.), Maeve Connolly (West Roxbury, Mass.) and Amy Dobson (Hamilton, Ontario) all lit the lamp for the Nittany Lions.
Goaltender Josie Bothun (Wyoming, Minn.) earned her second consecutive shutout and fourth of the season with 12 saves. Her season GAA now sits at 1.23, fourth best in the country and the best among goaltenders with at least 1,000 minutes played.
Defender Mallory Uihlein tied her previous high with three assists (Nov. 29 at Vermont, 4-0).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Nittany Lions struck first 5:07 into the first period thanks to Wallin. After a faceoff win by Anna Promersberger (Fargo, N.D.), Lyndie Lobdell (Aurora, Ill.) ripped a shot through traffic that was initially stopped by RIT netminder Jess O'Leary. Wallin positioned herself in front of the cage and put the rebound in on her backhand to give Penn State a 1-0 edge.
Penn State doubled its lead on Lantto's first score of the 2020-21 season. The sophomore streaked down the right wing with speed and put a wrist shot on target that snuck through the goaltender's pads, putting PSU up 2-0 leading into the first break.
Peppering shots on net and getting second chances on the rebound continued to be a theme in the second period for Penn State as Ciarrocchi scored on a rebound after a shot on goal by Dobson. Her third of the season gave the Nittany Lions a three-goal advantage.
Connolly's name appeared in the goal column next for Penn State at the 17:56 in the second period. She sped down the left wing and chipped the puck towards the goal after a great power move. The puck crawled over the goaltender and in for her third of the season and Penn State led 4-0 entering the second intermission.
Dobson got her chance to crash the goal crease and score a rebound goal of her own with 13:56 on the clock in the third. Jessica Adolfsson (Linkoping, Sweden) picked up the assist after her initial shot on goal. The Nittany Lions cruised from there to earn the 5-0 win.
GAME NOTES AND STATS
- Wallin's 10th goal of the season is the second most among all freshman in the nation and she ranks 9th in the country with a 0.625 goals per game average. Her four game-winning goals trails the national leader (Chloe Aurard, Northeastern) by just one.
- Bothun's 15 wins are the most among all goaltenders in the country as of the end of Penn State's game Saturday afternoon.
- Penn State ranks fifth in the nation in scoring offense (3.50) and scoring defense (1.33).
- During the Nittany Lions' 12-game unbeaten streak, they are outscoring opponents 50-13 and have not allowed more than two goals in a game.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions finish up their regular season with a series at Mercyhurst next weekend, Feb. 26-27.