SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Penn State women's hockey team found itself on the short end of a CHA Tournament battle Friday afternoon, dropping a 4-2 decision in the CHA semifinals to Mercyhurst at Syracuse's Tennity Ice Pavilion.
Down 1-0 after the first period, Penn State rallied with back-to-back goals early in the second period by Amy Dobson (Hamilton, Ontario) and Olivia Wallin (Oakville, Ontario).
Mercyhurst wound up finding the next three goals of the game to close the 4-2 win, despite Penn State outshooting the Lakers 45-22 for the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercyhurst was able to score first at the 7:27 mark of the first period on fluky bounce. The puck redirected right into the cage off the skate of Mercyhurst's Jordan Mortlock. The play was reviewed and ruled a good goal.
In an evenly played opening period otherwise, the Nittany Lions had good pressure on the offensive end of the ice with 12-6 shots on goal advantage. Anna Promersberger (Fargo, N.D.), Dobson and Izzy Heminger (Dublin, Ohio) all registered good scoring attempts that were stopped by Mercyhurst's Ena Nystrom in goal.
Penn State came out fast and furious early in the second period to not only tie the game, but also take the lead. First, Dobson made a great drive to the front of the net and chipped in a rebound for her second of the season to tie the game 1-1 just 1:37 into the period.
Less than three minutes later, the Nittany Lions took the lead an rocket of a wrist shot by Wallin. She circled with the puck through the middle of the ice and let it fly from just outside the right circle. Her shot found the twine through traffic to put Penn State in front 2-1 at the 4:12 mark of the second period.
The Nittany Lions continued to dominate play through the middle frame with 19 shots on goal to Mercyhurst's 10. However, Mercyhurst's final one of the period was one the Lakers used to their advantage as Mary Kromer netted a one-timer on a 2-on-1 breakaway with 40.9 seconds left to tie the game 2-2 entering the second break.
Despite a couple good shifts early in the third by the Nittany Lions, it would be Mercyhurst retaking the lead early in the third period at 5:15. Mortlock scored her second of the game off a Mercyhurst faceoff win to put the Lakers in front, 3-2.
Then at the 9:36 mark of the third, an unfortunate turnover by the Nittany Lions in their defensive zone resulted in an insurance marker for Mercyhurst. Sara Boucher scored the goal to give Mercyhurst the 4-2 lead.
Penn State gave its all to muster the offense to try and bring it back from the deficit, including pulling Bothun with 3:17 remaining, but Mercyhurst kept the Nittany Lions at bay to pull off the two-goal win.
Penn State completes its season with a 18-10-5 overall record. The 18-win total is a program best for a single season.
