UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State women’s hockey team (31-5-1, 19-1-0 AHA) took down Mercyhurst (20-16-2, 13-6-1 AHA), 4-1, in the AHA Championship on Saturday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena. It is the third straight conference title for the Nittany Lions. Penn State is the first program to win the league three seasons in a row since joining the CHA for the 2012-13 season.
With the win, the Blue & White secured an automatic bid to their third consecutive 2025 NC Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The team will find out the opponent, date, time and location during tomorrow’s NCAA Tournament selection show on ESPNU at 11:30 a.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions scored in just 23 seconds to open the contest. Maddy Christian used a sweet move to work the puck around the goaltender. Grace Outwater and Kendall Butze assisted on the goal.
- At the 5:45 mark of the opening frame, Brianna Brooks sniped a shot to the back of the net off a beautiful pass from Christian. Grace Tullock earned a secondary assist on the play.
- Mercyhurst got on the board with 16:24 to go in the second period. Regina Metzler scored on assists from Marielle Parks and Jade Maisonneuve.
- Penn State pushed its advantage to 3-1 with 2:07 left in the second frame. Abby Stonehouse stole the puck at the blue line then fed Katelyn Roberts for the goal.
- With just 1:47 to go in the third period, Brooks iced the game with her second goal of the contest on assists from Leah Stecker and Tiffany Hill.
GOALTENDERS
- Penn State goaltender Katie DeSa saved 13 of the 14 shots she faced while improving her record to 27-5-0.
- Mercyhurst goaltender Magdalena Luggin made 25 saves in a losing effort. Her record dropped to 9-7-0 on the season.
STATS AND NOTES
- The Nittany Lions won the AHA Tournament and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
- With her 27th victory of the season, DeSa became Penn State’s new record holder for wins in a single season.
- Brooks recorded her third two-goal game of the season. She scored twice against Stonehill (Oct. 26) and RIT (Jan. 10).
- Christian was named MVP of the AHA Tournament after having a goal in each game while adding an assist in the AHA Championship.
- Tessa Janecke and Stecker were named to the AHA All-Tournament Team. Janecke notched three goals over the team’s three games while Stecker assisted on two goals and blocked two shots on the defensive end.
- Penn State tallied 29 shots to just 14 for Mercyhurst.
UP NEXT
- Penn State awaits its opponent in the 2025 NC Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The selection show will be broadcast on ESPNU at 11:30 a.m.
Get all the latest updates on Penn State women's ice hockey by following @PennStateWHKY on Twitter, "liking" the Penn State Women's Ice Hockey page on Facebook and following @pennstatewhky on Instagram.