HISTORIES

• Penn State is facing Bemidji State for the first time in program history on Friday.
• The Nittany Lions are facing Minnesota for the fifth time in program history on Saturday.
• The last time the Nittany Lions faced the Golden Gophers came on November 22, 2022, when they fell 5-1.
• Minnesota leads the all-time series 4-0-0. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

• Bemidji State enters Friday’s game with a 3-15-1 overall record and 2-12-0 WCHA record. 
• Leading their offense is Isa Goettl, who has nine points on three goals and six assists.
• In the net stands Kaitlin Groess, who tallies a 3.18 GAA, save percentage of .904 and record of 3-10-0.
• Minnesota enters Saturday’s contest with a 14-4-1 overall record and 9-4-1 WCHA record.
• Leading the offense for the Golden Gophers is Abbey Murphy, who has 34 points on 16 goals and 18 assists.
• The Golden Gophers primary goaltender Hannah Clark tallies a GAA of 1.67, save percentage of .927 and record of 10-2-1. 

HEADING INTO THE FINAL HALF

• 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 biggest 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.
• 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.

OUTWATER OFF TO A GREAT START

• Freshman Grace Outwater has had an impressive first half to her first season at Penn State.
• She sits tied for second among rookies with the most points in the nation, with 17 off eight goals and nine assists. 
• The Picton, Ontario native, has contributed nearly half of the freshman points for the Nittany Lions this season in the 34 they have tallied. 
• She’s registered four multi-point games this season, which includes a five point game against Stonehill on October 26. 

HEADING HOME

• The Nittany Lions have three players on the team that are from the state of Minnesota. 
• Maddy Christian, Katelyn Roberts, and Stella Retrum all are from the Land of 10,000 lakes. 
• The three have a combined 47 points on 25 goals and 22 assists this season.