UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.–At the midway point of the 2024-25 season, the Penn State women’s ice hockey team has jumped to an impressive start. The Nittany Lions currently stand at 15-4-1 overall and have an 8-0-0 record in Atlantic Hockey America play.
Penn State is off to its best start in conference play in program history while having the best overall record since the 2020-21 season during the COVID pandemic. In 2020-21, the Nittany Lions faced only conference opponents that season when they went 16-3-2. Penn State currently ranks among the top 10 nationally in 11 statistical categories, including being ranked sixth in scoring offense as they average 3.55 goals per game. The team has also collected 15 AHA weekly awards and five monthly awards.
The team's big contributors to the success have been the duo of Tessa Janecke and Maddy Christian, who stand out as some of the top point getters in the nation. Janecke currently sits as the team’s leader in points with 31 on 14 goals and 17 assists. The Orangeville, Illinois native has tallied nine multi-point games including five three-point games. She also has been riding an eight-game point streak since November 15. Janecke sits tied for ninth in the nation in points while she sits eighth in the nation in assists. She sits six points away from tying the all-time point leader in Natalie Heising with 137.
Christian has also been a standout player this season as she also has 14 goals on the year which is a career-high for the junior from Elk River, Minnesota. Christian has tallied three multi-goal games this season, which included an important two goal outing against Mercyhurst on December 6. Christian and Janecke sit atop the AHA in goals, goals per game, and points while they place tied for six in the nation in goals.
“We have had an impressive start through the midway point of our season because everyone is bought in" said Christian. "We have players on our team doing so much extra to get better, whether that be in the gym or skills early in the morning. Our team also has so much healthy competition which makes us collectively better and allows us to connect with one another, bringing us closer to our combined goal. I also believe this has also contributed to an impressive personal start to the season as well."
Christian added, "I have committed myself to improving my skills and looking forward to always getting better. I have learned over the years that we need to evolve and learn every single day, to accomplish our goals, which is what I have applied to myself.”
Assistant coach Makenna Newkirk says the first half of the season challenged the steadiness of play the team has had. “The first semester challenged our consistency and resiliency - overall I think our players did a good job in each category,” Newkirk stated. “It was great to see several players step up in big time moments and really come into their own.”
The comination of new eager members and experienced transfers that joined the team have helped contribute to the team's recent success. Newkirk added, “This summer, our freshmen arrived eager, and our captain, Tessa Janecke, junior goaltender Katie DeSa, and our two transfers, Tiffany Hill and Lauren Barbro, supported them as they all trained at Penn State and prepared for the season.”
On the defensive side, the Nittany Lions rank sixth in the nation in team goals against average as they allow just 1.67 points per game. Leading the goalies is junior Katie DeSa who has defended the nets with ease as she sits seventh in the nation in GAA in 1.44, 13th in save percentage of .931, and third in wins with 12 in the year. She also has recorded three shutout wins in the 16 games she's played in. This season, the AHA has named DeSa Goaltender of the Week four times.
The big part to the success in DeSa’s eyes is her teammates. “I think knowing that my teammates trust me to get the job done has helped me a lot,” said DeSa. “I will never be perfect but knowing that if I make a mistake or get scored on, my teammates are right there next to me ready to bail me out or score the next goal. Everyone has a job, and we trust each other to get that job done.”
Penn State returns to the ice on Friday, January 3 when they begin the East West Showcase against Bemidji State. The puck drops at 2 p.m. ET.