UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to build upon the best season in program history which saw them capture the CHA championship, and they believe they have the talent to do it again.
Defensively, Penn State enters the season with a talented and experienced core they expect to lock down the defensive zone and start the fire offensively. It's a tall task to ask of a defense, but as they say, defense wins championships.
Two of the many talents Penn State showcases are the gifted Lyndie Lobdell and Izzy Heminger. The defensive pairing from Friday night's 2-1 overtime loss to Boston College is not only talented in their own zone, but on the opponent's end of the ice too. This combination helps the Penn State defense move the puck through the neutral zone with pace, a skill they'd like to continue to hone to spark a growing early season offense.
"Lyndie at the end of the third period had a nice little explosive rush down the side and almost put one in," head coach Jeff Kampersal added after the game.
For Heminger, it's not only her work on defense that comes to mind, but also her consistency.
"Izzy's strong on defense and on the breakout, she's been that way for four years," Kampersal added on the senior from Dublin, Ohio. "She's proven that."
As a unit Penn State has only given up seven goals in their first four games of the season. Despite their record of 0-3-1, the Blue and White have a lot of talent to work with on the blue line.
"It's a crazy stat, I think we've given up like five goals and we're 0-2-1, that's hockey I guess," said Kampersal after the first of two close losses to Boston College.
Some things are just out of your control in the game of hockey. However, when the Penn State defenders possess the puck, they aim to take control of the game. Running play through the defense is a highlight of Penn State's game.
"I think we're at our best when our defense controls the puck. When we're in the neutral zone, regrouping, breaking out," commented Kampersal.
Breaking the puck out of the defensive zone has been a focal point for the Nittany Lions early season. However, Penn State has a unique way of achieving this goal.
"We break out a certain way," said Kampersal, "We don't go wide defender to defender behind the net. We usually have a net front defender and then one person doing her thing behind the net."
A technique that has worked in the early season for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has only allowed 19.5 shots per game, while they average over 30 shots per game on offense.
However, this unique way of breaking out might be one of the hardest things for incoming freshmen like Karley Garcia to catch onto.
"That's an adjustment to make so when you're a freshman defender, the adjustment is usually longer than if you're a freshman forward. Karley has adjusted as quickly as she can," Kampersal said.
The confident young freshman feels like she's ready for the bright lights of Happy Valley. After her first series facing St. Lawrence, Garcia is determined to make a name for herself in collegiate hockey.
"I think just getting my first game under my belt was the big thing for me," she said, "I just trust my instincts and play with confidence," Garcia said.
Garcia is far from alone, as she has a plethora of leaders and experience to help her find her footing with the Blue and White. One of those is star defender Mallory Uihlien. The ultra-versatile and creative defender takes over the ice as soon as her skates touch it.
Beyond the reach of Pegula Ice Arena, Uihlien is determined to help her teammates in the classroom. Something that all the leaders on this defense strive to do.
"Just in general the older players have helped the younger players along, which is really nice. I know Mal helps a lot of our players off the ice as well," coach Kampersal said.
Uihlein challenged her teammates this offseason after the success they enjoyed last year. She wants to see her team take another step towards their ultimate goal; a national championship.
"I think a big point of emphasis after the way we ended last year was that everyone had to work their hardest, to be a better team for this season, and everyone bought in and followed that," Uihlein said.
A new member of the team has raised that national championship trophy before. Avery Mitchell spent her first four seasons of collegiate hockey at Clarkson where in Mitchell's freshman season, she lifted the championship trophy.
"I always like to say I try to lead by example," Mitchell said, "Obviously in hockey you can lead by example on the ice, working hard, doing the little things… but off the ice, just making sure you're taking care of business in the classroom, so that's it's not interfering with hockey."
Mitchell's response to a question about how she plans to help the team establish a championship mindset is very similar to the way she plays on the ice: solid, smart, and aware.
"It's funny you ask that," added senior defender Rene Gangarosa, "One of the first questions I asked Avery is if she had any input on what would make us a better team. She thought about it and gave us some great ideas."
Gangarosa is yet another leader on the defense. She displays the 'A' signifying alternate captain and isn't new to Happy Valley. She tallied an impressive 18 points in her sophomore season which set a program record for most points in a single season by a defender. Her junior campaign also propelled her to fifth in points scored all time among defenders in CHA history (24).
"Here everyone's talented, so you learn to fit more this mold to this style we play," she said on her success. "Now that I've grown in that position where I can make better plays to my teammates."
That working together on the defense is a huge point of emphasis when working to break pucks out of the defensive zone and regroup so the team can mount a rush into the offensive zone. Uihlein believes that the defensive core of the team has some of the best chemistry.
"I think ever since I've been here as a freshman our defense core has always been super strong, there's a lot of chemistry there," Uihlein said. "We all just understand each other and know where to be when we do and don't have the puck."
In the end, if you want depth and teamwork at any part of the ice, you would love to have them both at defense. The Nittany Lions will certainly showcase that this season.