UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State women's hockey team is set to face Syracuse at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon in the CHA semifinals in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked number seventh in the country, and are the top-seeded team in the CHA conference standings.
Despite coming off a loss to Mercyhurst to end the regular season, Penn State Head Coach Jeff Kampersal is confident in his squad.
"I am very confident in our playing ability against any other team. We have incredible scorers upfront and collectively the five best defenders in the nation," Kampersal said. "We also have an amazing goaltender who is up for the goalie of the year. When it comes down to it I am confident in our ability to advance in the tournament."
This has been a historical season for the young Nittany Lion team as they crushed previous program records.
A total of seven Nittany Lions were awarded in the 2021 CHA regular season awards list with several other accolades. Coach Kampersal was also selected as the CHA Coach of the Year.
"What makes this team so unique is their togetherness, and commitment to become better every day," exclaimed Kampersal. "I am completely impressed with the culture the upperclassmen have instilled and credit who we are as a team to them."
When it comes to preparing for the CHA tournament, the Nittany Lions are mostly focused on bettering themselves in special teams and putting more effort into face-offs.
"Each team we play in our league has tendencies that we pay attention to but overall, we just focus on the things that we need to improve," stated Kampersal. "Our team's speed this season has definitely played a role in our success."
One key component that the Nittany Lions will be focusing on in this game is maintaining control of the puck.
"We try to possess the puck as much as possible in games and do a great drop of battling for it. I would love to see the team continue to be able to transition into a neutral zone," said Kampersal. When you have the puck, you are in control of the game and your destiny."
One plus for Penn State heading into the Syracuse matchup is the return of a key figure. Senior Natalie Heising, who is second on the team with 13 assists, will take the ice this weekend after being unavailable in the previous series. Heising has been a crucial asset to the team this season with her leadership and playing skills.
Even with the key addition, Kampersal made sure to stress the role every player had on the team's successful journey this season.
"It has been a collective team effort this season as other players stepped up in times of need to help our success on the ice," he said. "Whether it's scoring goals or practicing, everyone is pulling in the same direction."
This CHA tournament will look a little different from previous years given the Covid-19 pandemic but that has not stopped the Nittany Lions from feeling their fans' support.
"There are a lot of people paying attention to the team this season and we are feeling the love from our Penn State family," Kampersal said. Alumni have personally written to me stating their support of the program. People may not be physically at our games, but we feel the continuous support."
