HISTORIES

• Penn State is facing Merrimack for the for the fifth time beginning on Friday. The Warriors currently lead the all-time series 2-1-1.
• The last matchup between Merrimack and the Nittany Lions took place on October 6, 2018 when the Nittany Lions fell to Merrimack 2-1. 
• The Nittany Lions could be facing Clarkson for the sixth time on Saturday. The Golden Knights currently lead the all-time series 5-0-0.
• The last time Clarkson and Penn State met was on November 30, 2019 where the Nittany Lions fell 3-1.
• Penn State could be facing St. Thomas for the first time in program history on Saturday. 

SCOUTING THE FIELD

• Merrimack enters the tournament with a 4-9-1 overall record. They are coming off a pair of losses to RPI on November 22-23. 
• Leading their offense is Maria Lindberg, who tallies 12 points on seven goals and five assists. In net stands Calli Hogarth, who records a GAA of 2.85, save percentage of .904, and record of 1-5-1. 
• Clarkson enters the tournament with a 12-3-1 overall record. The recently defeated Yale and Brown on November 22 and 23 by scores of 4-1 and 4-3. 
• Leading their offense is Haley Winn, who has recorded 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists. In net for the Golden Knights is Julia Minotti, who has a GAA of 1.17, save percentage of .938, and record of 8-2-1.
• St. Thomas enters the contests with a 5-10-1 overall record. They are coming off a pair of losses to No. 1 Wisconsin on November 22 and 23 where they fell 6-1 and 5-2. 
• Leading their offense is Madison Brown, who tallies 12 points on nine goals and three assists. In net is Dani Strom, who tallies a 3.26 GAA, .894 save percentage, and record of 2-8-1. 

CATCHING FIRE

• In Penn State's last eight games (7-1-0), the Nittany Lions have scored 38 goals for a 4.75 goals per game average. That 38-goal total has included 14 different goals scores, led by Maddy Christian with eight over the stretch. 
• A big reason for the uptick in scoring for the Nittany Lions has been its recent success on the power-play, which includes a pair of three-PP goal games. The Nittany Lions have scored nine power-play goals in the last eight games. 

DESA DOMINATING

• Junior goalie Katie DeSa captured her third AHA Goaltender of the Week honor this season after a pair of shutout wins last week against Robert Morris.
• The Pawcatuck, Conn. native, picked up her second and third shutout wins of the season by stopping 44 shots and not allowing a single goal. 
• The Nittany Lions last shut out their opponents in both games of a series on December 9-10, 2021. They defeated New Hampshire 3-0 in both games. 
• She currently has seven shutout wins in her career, which places third all-time in career shutout wins in program history. DeSa ranks third in the nation in wins this season and sits fifth in goals against average at 1.31. 

OUTSTANDING OUTWATER

• Freshman Grace Outwater secured her second AHA weekly award this season after registering four points off one goal and three assists against Robert Morris. 
• The Picton, Ontario native, tallied three apples in Friday’s 5-0 victory over the Colonials. The following day, she fired one goal which aided in the Nittany Lions 4-0 victory. 
• Outwater leads the nation among freshmen in points with 16 and sits second in assists with nine. She places tied for sixth all-time in program history in most points by a freshman. Junior Tessa Janecke holds the record with 47 points in her first season.