No. 8 Women’s Hockey Hosts AHA Championship Against Mercyhurst

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:   

• East Deck, Shields, Stadium, West, Jordan East, Porter North    

Due to Winter Jam event at the Bryce Jordan Center, expect busier than usual traffic around Pegula Ice Arena.  Fans are encouraged to purchase parking in advance through ParkMobile, as day-of parking will be $20 per vehicle.

• $5.50 prepaid through ParkMobile (season package available for $5 per game): ParkMobile Link  
• 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). 
• No charge with a valid Penn State parking pass 

HISTORY 

• Penn State took the season series against Mercyhurst three games to one with the Lakers winning the most recent matchup 3-2 on Feb. 8.  

• This is the third year in a row that the Nittany Lions will play Mercyhurst in the AHA Championship with Penn State winning the previous two.  

• The Lakers lead the all-time series 26-22-9. 

SCOUTING THE LAKERS 

• Mercyhurst took down Syracuse in the AHA Semifinals in three games. The Lakers clinched their spot in the AHA Championship with a 5-2 victory in game three. 

• Vanessa Upson leads the team in points with 43. Her 30 assists top the AHA leaderboard and tie her for eighth in the country. Additionally, the senior forward has scored 13 goals this season and was an All-AHA First Team selection. 

• Thea Johansson paces the Lakers in goals with 16, good for fifth in the conference. 

• Mercyhurst has two goaltenders with at least 15 starts this season. Magdalena Luggin owns the slight edge with a 1.82 goals against average and .931 save percentage. Jorden Mattison has 21 starts and five shutouts. Luggin, an AHA All-Rookie Team honoree, started in both wins for the Lakers in the series against Syracuse. 

• Julian Schalin earned the Nicole Hensley AHA Rookie of the Year award. She totaled 14 goals and 18 assists on the season, both second on the team. Schalin is a member of the AHA All-Rookie Team as well. 

• Megan McKay picked up All-AHA Second Team honors with 23 points on five goals and 18 assists.  

AHA SEMIFINALS RECAP 

• Penn State swept RIT in the AHA Semifinals over the weekend. The Nittany Lions took game one, 3-2, before a 4-0 shutout to clinch a spot in the AHA Championship. 

• Tessa Janecke led the way with three goals and one assist, including a goal 16 seconds into game one. Janecke’s dominant play was rewarded with her fourth AHA Forward of the Week Honor. 

• Maddy Christian tallied a goal in each game of the series, including her fourth short-handed goal of the 2024-25 campaign. 

• Katie Desa saved 26 of the 28 shots she faced while earning her ninth shutout of the season. 

• Katelyn Roberts assisted on both of Janecke’s goals in game one. Tiffany Hill assisted on two goals in the second game. 

• Freshmen Abby Stonehouse and McKenna Walsh were the other goal scorers in the series. 

RECORD WATCH 

• Janecke is chasing down three single-season milestones in the program’s record book. With 52 points, she needs just two more to break the PSU record. Additionally, Janecke is three goals away from eclipsing the current record of 26 set by Kiara Zanon in 2022-23. Her current +/- of 36 would be the highest mark in team history should it stay above 27. 

• Janecke is already the program’s career leader in points (152) and assists (89). Also, she is the program leader in points at the CHA/AHA Tournament with 12 off seven goals and five assists. 

• DeSa’s 25 wins and nine shutouts place her one away from sole possession of the single-season record in both categories.  

• Christian, tied for the nation’s lead in short-handed goals with four, needs two more to pass Zanon’s single-season record of five in 2022-23. 

• Kendall Butze’s 25 points on three goals and 22 assists are four shy of passing Izzy Heminger’s single-season record of 28 points by a defenseman. She is three assists from passing Heminger for assists by a defenseman in one season. 

• Lyndie Lobdell currently has 64 career assists, which places her third for a career, five shy of first place. In terms of career assists from a defenseman, she needs just two more to pass Heminger for the record. Lobdell holds the record for career points by a defenseman with 84 and counting. Additionally, the senior has played in 166 games for the Blue & White, the most in program history. 

AHA INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS 

Jeff Kampersal - AHA Coach of the Year  

• This the third straight, fourth overall, CHA/AHA Coach of the Year award for Kampersal.  

• Under his direction, Penn State has won two CHA Tournaments and four CHA/AHA regular season titles. He has coached four CHA/AHA Player of the Year winners, three Rookie of Year honorees, two Defenseman of the Year awardees and two Goaltenders of the Year. 

• Kampersal has guided the Nittany Lions to a single-season record of 30 victories so far, including 19 conference wins, an AHA record for a single year. 

Tessa Janecke – Meghan Agosta AHA Player of the Year and Vicki Bendus AHA Forward of the Year 

• Janecke earned AHA Player and Forward of the year honors for the second year in a row. Additionally, she is the AHA Scoring Champion and an All-AHA First Team selection. 

• She was named a Top 10 Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the second straight year on March 6. 

• The junior forward ranks in the top 10 nationally in points, points per game (1.44), goals, goals per game (0.67), power play goals (six) and short-handed goals (two). She is just outside the top 10 in assists and assists per game (.78), sitting in 14th place. 

• The Orangeville, Illinois native leads the AHA in points, points per game, goals, goals per game, shots (205), shots per game (5.69) and plus/minus (+36). Janecke is second in assists and assists per game. She is tied for second in the league in power play goals and tied for third in short-handed goals. 

Kendall Butze - Molly Byrne AHA Best Defenseman 

• Butze, a member of the All-AHA First Team, is one of the top facilitators in the conference and country.  

• The junior has 22 assists, placing her third on the team and fifth in the AHA. The junior defenseman is tied for 25th nationally in assists and 29th in assists per game (.61). Among defensemen, she leads the AHA in assists. 

• The Cleveland, Ohio native ranks fourth on the team with 32 blocks and tied for fourth in points with 25.  

Katie DeSa - Brianne McLaughlin AHA Goaltender of the Year 

• DeSa ranks as one of the top goaltenders in the nation having been named a semifinalist for the HCA Goalie of the Year award and All-AHA First Team selection. 

• This season, DeSa earned two AHA Goaltender of the Month honors (December and January) and seven AHA Goaltender of the Week awards (Sept. 30, Oct. 21, Nov. 25, Dec. 9, Jan. 6, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27). 

• The junior has compiled an impressive 26-5 record, just one win away from breaking the program’s single season record. Additionally, she is one shutout away from having the most in a season. 

• DeSa’s nine shutout victories tie her for first place nationally. She ranks second in wins, second in winning percentage (.839), fifth in goals against average (1.376) and 16th in save percentage (.934). She tops the AHA leaderboard in all five categories. 

• She is the second Nittany Lion to win the conference’s Goaltender of the Year award, joining Josie Bothun who won in 2020-21. 

OTHER ALL-AHA SELECTIONS 

F - Katelyn Roberts - First Team  

• The junior forward is second on the team and third in the AHA in points (33). Her .91 points per game place her third in the league and 35th in the nation.  

• She is second on the team in assists with 23, tied for 23rd nationally in assists and tied for 27th in assists per game (.64). She ranks fourth in the AHA in both categories. 

• Roberts has scored 10 goals this season, good for fourth on the team and 11th in the conference. 

F - Maddy Christian - Second Team 

• She finished third on the team, sixth in the AHA, with 31 points on 20 goals and 11 assists. The Elk River, Minnesota native was the AHA Forward of the Week on Nov. 4. 

• The junior forward is tied for first on the team, second in the conference and 10th nationally in power play goals (six). She leads the team and is tied for first in the nation with four short-handed goals.   

• Christian’s 20 goals are second on the team and tied for 12th nationally. She is tied for 14th in goals per game (.56). For both categories, she ranks second in the AHA. 

D - Lyndie Lobdell - Second Team 

• This is Lobdell’s second AHA/CHA award after being on the 2020-21 CHA All-Rookie Team.  

• The graduate defenseman earned AHA Defensive Player of the Month in October while tallying four AHA Defensive Player of the Week awards (Oct. 14, Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and Jan. 13).  

• Lobdell racked up 21 points behind four goals and 17 assists. The 17 assists are fourth on the team and tied for ninth in the conference.  

• Lobdell blocked a team-high 45 shots this season.  

F – Grace Outwater - Rookie Team 

• Outwater tallied multiple AHA recognitions during her rookie season. She was the AHA Rookie of the Month in October, Rookie of the Week four times (Oct. 28, Nov. 25, Jan. 6, Jan. 20) and Forward of the Week on Oct. 21. Outwater recorded a hat trick on Oct. 26 against Stonehill. 

• She has made a name for herself in her freshman campaign with 25 points on 16 goals and nine assists. She is tied for 27th in the nation in goals and 28th in goals per game (.46). She ranks tied for fourth in the conference in goals and fifth in goals per game.  

• Outwater leads the AHA and is tied for eighth nationally with five game winning goals. She is tied for third in the conference and tied for fifth in the nation in short-handed goals (two).   

D – Grace Tullock - Rookie Team 

• Tullock has 38 blocks, good for second on the team. 

• She has assisted on five goals over the course of the season.