UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 15 Penn State women's ice hockey team is set to compete in their second consecutive College Hockey America Championship game on Saturday versus Mercyhurst on Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 2 p.m.
Place: University Park, Pa. | Pegula Ice Arena
Watch: B1G+
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Game Notes: Penn State (PDF)
SCOUTING THE LAKERS
- Mercyhurst currently has a record of 20-16-1 and a 14-6-0 record in CHA play.
- Leading the Lakers on offense is Sara Boucher who has recorded 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points this season.
- In the net is senior Ena Nystrøm who has a .926 save percentage with 1,003 saves this season.
SERIES HISTORY
- This weekend will mark the 52nd meeting between Penn State and Mercyhurst.
- Mercyhurst currently leads the all-time series 25-17-9.
- The Lakers faced the Nittany Lions back on Feb. 2-3, which resulted in a series sweep of Mercyhurst as the Nittany Lions won by scores of 4-0 and 3-2 in overtime.
CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH
- The Nittany Lions are hosting Mercyhurst for the CHA championship game for the straight year at Pegula Ice Arena.
- Last year's contest resulted in an overtime Penn State win to capture their first CHA Championship.
JANECKE RECORDS 100 POINTS
- Sophomore forward Tessa Janecke tallied her 100th career point after her goal in game two of the CHA semifinals.
- With this, Janecke became the fastest player in program history to hit the 100-career point mark with 39 goals and 61 assists throughout only two seasons.
- She currently sits tied for third in the nation this season in points with 53 off 17 goals and 36 assists.
PENN STATE PICKS UP PAIR OF CHA WEEKLY AWARDS
- The Nittany Lions captured two College Hockey America weekly awards on Monday. Katie DeSa was named CHA Goaltender of the Week while Lyndie Lobdell earned CHA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
- DeSa picked up her second CHA weekly award this season after allowing just one goal in the two-game CHA semifinals. The sophomore posted a 0.50 GAA while recording a save percentage of .987. She secured her third shutout win of the season in game-two of the series in the Penn State 4-0 victory on Saturday, Feb. 24 and stopped 24 shots.
- Lobdell's award comes off scoring one goal and one assist in Penn State's 4-0 shutout win over RIT in game two of the CHA semifinals. During the two games against the Tigers, she recorded six blocked shots and a plus/minus rating of +2. This is Lobdell's third CHA weekly honor this season.
ALL-CHA HONORS
- The Nittany Lions placed three student-athletes on the All-CHA teams for 2023-24. Tessa Janecke, Brianna Brooks, and Maggie MacEachern each landed an All-CHA honor.
- Janecke who was named to the First Team All-CHA, finished the regular season as the leagues scoring champion after recording a career-high 16 goals, and 36 assists for 52 points. She was named CHA Forward of the Week four times and CHA Forward of the Month three times. Janecke also tallied two hat-tricks and led the nation in faceoff wins during the regular season with a total of 558. This is Janecke's second time on the First Team All-CHA list.
- Brooks, who was placed on the Second Team All-CHA squad, finished the regular season with a total of 31 points off 14 goals and 17 assists. She was named CHA Forward of the Week twice this season and tallied eight multi-point games.
- MacEachern was also named the Second Team All-CHA list after posting five goals and 13 assists during the regular season, as well as recording 42 blocked shots. She was named CHA Defensive Player of the Week three times during the season as well as named CHA Defensive Player of the Month once. MacEachern recorded four multi-point games during the regular season and tallied one game-winning goal which came against Mercyhurst on Feb. 3.
INDIVIDUAL CHA AWARDS
- The CHA announced its individual award winners on Thursday afternoon. Head coach Jeff Kampersal was named CHA Coach of the Year while Tessa Janecke was named CHA Player and Forward of the Year.
- Janecke finished the regular season as the league's scoring champion after recording a career-high 16 goals, and 36 assists for 52 points. This is Janecke's first CHA Player and Forward of the Year honor.
- Kampersal received his third CHA Coach of the Year award, receiving the honor in both the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons. He earns this honor following a strong year, with 19 wins in the regular season alongside having his third CHA regular season title belt. The team has comprised a total of 24 CHA weekly award winners, eight CHA monthly award winners, and three All-CHA team selections.
- Kampersal produced a team that has gone on two six-game unbeaten streaks and been ranked top 15 in the nation. He also compiled his 100th-career win as head coach at Penn State and sits fifth in wins amongst present day coaches. At Penn State, Kampersal has recorded a 118-78-40 record (.585).
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).
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