UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's hockey team opens their 2022-23 travel schedule with a road series against No. 4/5 Minnesota-Duluth and St. Lawrence, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Friday, Sept. 30 | Saturday, Oct. 1
Times: 4 p.m. | 2 p.m.
Place: Appleton Arena
ESPN+ Stream ($): Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats: Game 1 & 2
Game Notes: Penn State Game Notes
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
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This marks the fourth time Penn State will face off against the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and the ninth versus the St. Lawrence Saints.
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The Nittany Lions are 1-2-0 against UMD but came away with the most recent win in a 3-2 victory over the ranked No. 7/6 Bulldogs on neutral ice last season. It was Penn State's first win against a WCHA team since 2018.
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Penn State is 0-7-1 all time against St. Lawrence. The Nittany Lions look to earn their first win in program history against the Saints.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
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The Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs are 2-0-0 after a series sweep over LIU this past weekend. They allowed the Sharks just one goal.
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Moved up one spot in the USCHO.com poll to No. 4 and stayed steady at No. 5 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine National Poll.
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Bulldog defensemen Ashton Bell earned WCHA Defender of the Week after her first career hat trick and the game-winning goal in their Sunday matchup.
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Minnesota-Duluth returns nine of its top-10 scorers from a season ago, including 59-point scorer Gabbie Hughes.
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The Bulldogs also returned goaltender Emma Soderberg, who boasts a 36-16-0 record and a .932 save percentage. She earned a shutout against the LIU Sharks this past weekend.
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UMD went 3-for-11 on the powerplay and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill in their first two games.
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Minnesota-Duluth reached the NCAA Frozen Four Championship in the 2021-22 season but fell just short of winning the title in a 3-2 loss against Ohio State.
PREVIEWING THE SAINTS
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St. Lawrence enters the weekend with a 1-1-0 record after earning a split against Providence College.
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While currently unranked, the Saints received votes in the USCHO.com poll.
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St. Lawrence returned seven of its top-10 scorers from last season, including Abby Hustler who led the team in goals and assists.
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The Saints started senior goaltender Lucy Morgan against Providence. The netminder came away with 59 saves between the two games, tied for first in the nation. She improved to a 28-32-14 career record and a .934 save percentage.
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St. Lawrence went 2-for-3 on the power play and were a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill last weekend.
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The Saints are currently ranked second in the nation in team offense after scoring seven goals in two games against Providence.
MOVIN' UP
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The Nittany Lions jumped up three spots in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls to No. 11 after splitting a series with then-ranked No. 2/3 Wisconsin.
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Penn State is the only CHA team to earn a spot in the top-15 teams in the nation.
NEW FACES, MORE POINTS
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Five of Penn State's eight newcomers tallied points for the Nittany Lions in the season opener against Wisconsin.
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Freshman forward Tessa Janecke scored two goals and an assist in Thursday night's matchup.
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Transfers Courtney Correia and Eleri MacKay and freshmen Katelyn Roberts and Kendall Butze all earned assists in Penn State's 4-1 victory over the Badgers.
TESSA TIME
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Janecke posted three points (2G, 1A) in the series against Wisconsin, blocked six shots, and earned a CHA Rookie of the Week selection.
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She currently ranks second in the CHA and fifth nationally in points, only one short of four individuals tied for first.
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Her three-point effort on Thursday was the first by a Penn State freshman since Kiara Zanon's three assists on Feb 19, 2021, versus RIT.
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She looks to continue her point pace against Minnesota-Duluth and St. Lawrence.
NEXT UP
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The Nittany Lions return to Pegula Ice Arena to take on the No. 6 Colgate Raiders on Friday and Saturday, Oct 7-8.
Get all of the latest updates on Penn State women's ice hockey by following @PennStateWHKY on Twitter, "liking" the Penn State Women's Ice Hockey page on Facebook and following @pennstatewhky on Instagram.