UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- In the first game of the Penn State women's hockey season, the top line pair for head coach Jeff Kampersal featured two names that would be there for the entire season.
Kiara Zanon, the sophomore forward from Fairport, New York, and Natalie Heising, the fifth-year senior form Wayzata, Minnesota, quickly established themselves as the go-to forward pair for Kampersal and the Nittany Lions this season.
"Kiara and Nat (Heising) are top notch players," said fellow forward Olivai Wallin who has spent time with Heising and Zanon as a linemate. "It's really an honor to get to play with them and they make me better as a hockey player and as a communicator on the ice."
Heising led the team with 40 points and 20 goals this season, while Zanon finished second in both those categories scoring 13 goals and 39 points. Zanon also finished the season with a team high 26 assists while Heising finished with 20.
"Hockey's funny, usually they could have more points at the end of the day and not play as well, they never not play well though," Kampersal said.
It's not just their point scoring ability either for the top pair, but their ability to play with each other as one.
The puck is always flying around the offensive zone while Zanon and Heising are on the ice. Whether it's Zanon wheeling behind the net and finding Heising alone in the slot, or Heising spotting Zanon alone in front of the net, the two have a special connection.
"They're making me move the puck faster and make better plays," said Wallin. "So, playing on that line is really something special because I get to challenge myself, but also play with two really good players."
While Wallin spent much of the first half of the season playing as the third forward on the top line, sophomore forward Alyssa Machado took on the role in the second half of the season and found success much like Wallin.
"Playing with Kiara and Nat (Heising) they're very good at supporting each other and cycling the puck in the o-zone," said Machado. "We're able to make a lot of plays and they're always there if I need help."
The tandem didn't only excel in the offensive zone this season, but also played a gritty brand of defense. They tied with each other earning a plus 24 rating this season.
Kampersal was especially excited with their defensive play after a 3-1 Nittany Lions victory against Mercyhurst on January 29.
"They were gritty too," he said. "If we lost the puck, she (Natalie) would stop, take three strides, lift a stick up and take back the puck, that's a great habit to stop on the puck and get it back quickly. It's one of those momentum things that don't show up in the score sheet here, but she did that quite a bit."
For Heising, she acknowledges Zanon's talent and their chemistry as tools to their collective success this year.
"She's such a good player, and such a great skater. She's so easy to play off of, you just need to get open for her and she'll do the rest of the work, that's where the chemistry comes from," Heising said.
While this is Heising's final season at Penn State, she will finish her time as a Nittany Lion as the program's all-time points leader, the way Zanon is playing though, Heising may have company at the top of that list someday soon.
