UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State Nittany Lions are starting to heat up as they work their way into the middle of their season. In their last six games, the Blue and White are showing an impressive 4-1-1 record.
One aspect of the Nittany Lions' game that has recently found its footing is the power play unit. The Nittany Lions have been dominant when playing a player up as the season progresses.
It's a far cry from where they were to start the season.
To start the year battling St. Lawrence, the Penn State power play was zero for eight, while registering 11 shots on goal between the two games.
"We have to get our special teams better," head coach Jeff Kampersal stated after the St. Lawrence series. "We've actually worked on it more than anything this fall. We certainly have talented players, we've got to take away goalies' eyes better, and keep it simple."
The next team to visit Happy Valley was the Boston College Eagles who were ranked seventh in the nation at the time. Penn State battled the Eagles in two highly competitive contests but left the weekend 0-2.
The Nittany Lions power play that week was a meager zero for eight again while registering ten shots on net.
Kampersal made adjustments and took tips from Boston College. Since those early struggles, the team is hitting its stride.
"We have a couple of new small games where we make them operate in their groups in smaller areas, so they have to know what they're doing before they get the puck, there's less time and space, there's more intensity that way because the defenders can get you quicker," Kampersal said.
For the Nittany Lions, the new drills they learned from Boston College paid off. The next series against Holy Cross, Penn State went two for nine on power play opportunities. While it wasn't power play numbers that jumped off the page, it sparked the unit's fire. It also helped the Blue and White win both games by four goal margins.
After that, the Penn State power play became a weapon. In their series facing Brown, Penn State was three for four on the power play with huge contributions from Kiara Zanon and Natalie Heising, each netting a goal and an assist.
Then against Mercyhurst the Nittany Lions converted on one of their two power play opportunities with a goal from Julie Gough.
The junior forward Gough, who has been red hot lately, was promoted to the first power play line after her performance.
"Julie does have a knack for it, she knows where to be, just to get by herself one or two feet it helps her get the stick on the puck," Kampersal said. "When you have someone like (Kiara) Zanon who can thread the needle and get her the puck to her in those spots that's good for us."
In the 2020-2021 NHL regular season, Edmonton Oilers sported a power-play conversion rate of 27.59 percent to lead the league. In its last five games, Penn State has a 50-percent conversion rate (7-14).
The Nittany Lions power play has also helped to spark shots on goal numbers that jump off the page. In their last six games, Penn State has outshot opponents 226-114, more than doubling their opponents. The Blue and White had three 40-plus shot games in this stint.
Kampersal is happy with his team's shot numbers but emphasizes the need for better quality shots.
"Sometimes we're a little perimeter [based] (playing on the outside of the offensive zone) looking for seam passes and scoring plays, when we need to grind it towards the net and see what happens," he said.
With the way the Nittany Lions are converting on power plays lately, opponents better watch out if their shot selection gets even better.
Look for the Penn State Nittany Lions to continue to convert with their new drills and weapon on the power play. They face Lindenwood at home this week Friday (Nov. 5) at 6:00 p.m., and Saturday (Nov. 6) at 2:00 p.m.
