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No. 12/12 Women's Hockey Welcomes LIU for Two-Game Series

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 12/12 Penn State women's ice hockey team returns home on Dec. 30-31 when they host non-conference opponent LIU. Puck-drop starts on Friday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Friday, December 30 | Saturday, December 31
Place: Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa.
Time: Friday 2 p.m. | Saturday: 1 p.m.
Tickets: Friday | Saturday
B1G+: Friday | Saturday
Live Statistics: Friday | Saturday
Game Notes: Penn State (PDF)
Promotions: New Years Eve on Sunday! 

HISTORY

  • This will be the just the third meeting between the two teams as a season ago the Nittany Lions swept the Sharks 10-0, and 2-0 on Feb. 11-12, 2022.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS

  • While LIU has had a strong conference stretch so far this season, the Sharks have struggled against ranked teams going 0-4 on the season.
  • They dropped a pair of games to Northeastern and Minnesota Duluth early on in the year.
  • They have held strong throughout the rest of the season going 10-4 after the four game skid.
  • Leading their offensive attack is Jeannie Wallner who leads the team in goals with seven on the year.
  • In between the pipes stands Tindra Holm who tallies a record of 9-6-1 and has four shutout wins on the year. She tallies a GAA of 1.88 and a save percentage of .940.

LEADING IN EVERY CATEGORY

  • Penn State leads the CHA in virtually every stat category.
  • The Nittany Lions lead in goals scored (70), assists (120), points (190), shots on goal (730), faceoff win percentage (.555), and blocked shots (270).
  • Nationally, the Nittany Lions rank fifth in the nation in goals, sixth in assists, seventh in penalty-killing percentage and fourth in faceoff win percentage.

CLOSING IN ON 100

  • Junior Kiara Zanon currently has 95 points in her career, with 34 goals, and 61 assists.
  • She is just five shy of 100 which would mean she'd be the fastest Nittany Lion in program history to do so as she is the lone junior in program history to do so.

MID-SEASON RECAP

  • As the team enters the halfway mark of season, the Nittany Lions have jumped off to a successful start. The team has compiled a record of 13-8-1 and a 5-1-0 record in CHA play and sits a top first the CHA standings.
  • Junior forward Kiara Zanon is on track for a career year as she leads the team 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points.
  • Freshman Tessa Janecke has also been a standout player for the Nittany Lions this season recording 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points while sitting seventh in the nation in faceoff wins with 234 on the year.
  • Goalie Josie Bothun has been a rock in net capturing five CHA weekly awards as well as one CHA Goaltender of the Month award.
  • She ranks 18th in the nation in GAA at 2.04 and sits 23rd with a .919 save percentage. She's also tallied four shutouts this season.
  • Penn State has secured wins against two nationally ranked opponents against Wisconsin and Boston College. 
  • The team has taken care of business against unranked teams sealing a whopping 11-1-0 overall record. Penn State has captured 16 CHA weekly awards and three-monthly awards this season.

SITTING ON TOP OF THE POLLS

  • Penn State has been ranked in the top 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey national polls for 14 of the 15 weeks this year.
  • The Nittany Lions stayed in the #12 slot in the USCHO poll.

REPPIN' THE USA

  • Freshman forward Tessa Janecke was named to the United States National Team roster for the December Rivalry Series games. She is the first Nittany Lion to ever play for the U.S. National Team in the series.
  • The Orangeville, Ill. native made her U.S. Women's National Team debut after competing for Team USA at the 2022 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship.
  • "I am extremely grateful and humbled for this opportunity" stated Janecke. "It's something I've been dreaming of my entire life. It truly wouldn't be possible without the time and support of my coaches, past and present, teammates, and my family."
  • The Rivalry Series was introduced by USA Hockey and Hockey Canada in the 2018-19 season and comprised three games between the women's national teams of the two countries.
  • "I cannot wait to soak up this experience and learn all I can from these group of players, who I looked up and continue to admire to this day" Janecke added. "I could not be more thankful."
  • Janecke has had a record start to her freshman campaign as a Nittany Lion recording 12 goals alongside 10 assists for 22 points. She currently is second in the nation among freshman in points and leads College Hockey America in goals and faceoff wins.

PARKING

  • Parking for Penn State Women's Ice Hockey games at Pegula Ice Arena will be available at the following locations beginning two hours prior to the start of each game: 
  • Stadium, West, Jordan East, Porter North 
  • No charge with a valid Penn State parking pass 
  • $5.50 prepaid through ParkMobile (season package available for $5 per game): ParkMobile Link
  • $10 day-of-event without a valid permit or prepayment (pay station or ParkMobile app – zone no. 95112) 
  • ParkMobile prepayment availability ends at 11:59 p.m. the night before each event. Events will not be selectable on the site after that time, and payment must then be made on site upon arrival to event parking staff (cash only). 

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.