Strong Start Powers No. 8 Penn State Past RIT in First Game of AHA SemifinalsStrong Start Powers No. 8 Penn State Past RIT in First Game of AHA Semifinals

Strong Start Powers No. 8 Penn State Past RIT in First Game of AHA Semifinals

The Nittany Lions took the first game of the best-of-three AHA Semifinals series behind two goals from Tessa Janecke and another from Maddy Christian

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State women’s ice hockey team (29-5-1) took the first game of the AHA Semifinals against RIT (16-16-4) by a score of 3-2 on Friday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

  • Janecke would strike again at the 16:10 mark in the first frame. Roberts intercepted an RIT pass before a stellar feed to Janecke to give the Nittany Lions a two-goal advantage. 
  • Maddy Christian scored her fourth short-handed goal of the season, tying her for the most in the nation, at 9:59 in the second period. Penn State leads the country with nine short-handed goals. 
  • RIT tallied its first point with a goal from Athena Vasdani at the 24 second mark in the second period. 
  • The Tigers scored their second goal of the game on the power play. Nicole Ness put it in at the 15:46 mark of the third frame. 

GOALTENDERS 

  • Katie Desa improved her record to 25-5 with a 15-save performance. 
  • Sarah Coe made 29 saves for RIT. Her record drops to 11-12-3 on the season. 

STATS AND NOTES 

  • Janecke’s two goals moved her to 23 on the season. She now sits second on the program’s single-season goal record list. Additionally, her 50 points place her second on the single-season points leaderboard.  
  • Roberts matched her game-high in assists with two.  
  • Penn State owned the faceoff circle, winning 43 out of 65. 
  • The Nittany Lions outshot the Tigers 33-16.  
  • Penn State improved to 7-5 against RIT in CHA/AHA Tournament competition. This was the Blue and White’s fifth victory over the Tigers this season. 

UP NEXT 

  • Penn State and RIT meet in game two of the AHA Semifinals tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Pegula Ice Arena. With a victory, the Nittany Lions will clinch a spot in their third consecutive AHA Championship. 

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