No. 8 Women’s Hockey Secures Third Consecutive NCAA Tournament BidNo. 8 Women’s Hockey Secures Third Consecutive NCAA Tournament Bid

No. 8 Women’s Hockey Secures Third Consecutive NCAA Tournament Bid

The Nittany Lions open NCAA Tournament play with a matchup against No. 7 St. Lawrence on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio at the OSU Ice Rink

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State women’s ice hockey team (31-5-1, 19-1-0 AHA) will take on No. 7 St. Lawrence (21-11-5, 13-6-3 ECAC) on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio at the OSU Ice Rink in the Regional Semifinal of the 2025 NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship. The Nittany Lions earned an automatic bid to the dance with a 4-1 triumph over Mercyhurst in the AHA Championship on Saturday.  

Penn State earned its third straight conference championship, which is the most in a row since joining the league for the 2012-13 season. All of the title game victories have come against the Lakers. 

The Blue & White are seeking their first NCAA Tournament victory in program history having come up short to St. Lawrence, 1-0, in 2024 and Quinnipiac, 3-2, in 2023. 

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THE TOURNAMENT RESUME 

  • The Nittany Lions currently have 31 wins on the season, a single-season program record. 
  • Penn State’s 19-1 AHA record set a new mark for the most conference wins in CHA/AHA history.  
  • The team earned three victories, two on the road, over nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. The road wins came against No. 9 UConn, 4-2, and No. 3 Minnesota, 6-2. The Nittany Lions defeated No. 13 Northeastern 2-1 on September 27 in Happy Valley. 
  • Penn State leads the nation in short-handed goals with nine. The team ranks fifth in goals (134) and sixth in assists (212). The Nittany Lions tie for eighth in the country with 23 power play goals.  
  • The Blue & White hold opponents to 1.49 goals per game, the fourth best mark nationally. Pairing that with the nation’s sixth highest scoring offense (3.62), the program stands in second in the country with a 2.14 scoring margin. 

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS 

  • Head Coach Jeff Kampersal earned AHA Coach of the Year honors for the third straight season, guiding Penn State to its winningest season in program history. Kampersal picked up his 477th career victory, fifth all-time and fourth among active coaches, against Mercyhurst in the AHA Championship. Since arriving in 2017, Kampersal has built Penn State into one of the top programs in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. 
  • Tessa Janecke proved to be one of the top players in the country all season, earning her second straight placement as a Top 10 Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. She was named the AHA Player and Forward of the year as well as the league’s scoring champion. The junior was selected to the All-AHA First Team for the third consecutive year. 
  • Janecke, the program’s career leader in points with 152, leads the team in points (52), goals (24) and assists (28) this season. The team captain paces the conference and nation in faceoff wins with 604, over 100 more than the next highest total. Janecke ranks in the top 10 nationally in points, points per game (1.41), goals, goals per game (.65), power play goals (six) and short-handed goals (two). She is just outside the top 10 in assists and assists per game (.76), sitting in 14th place. 
  • Katie DeSa earned AHA Goaltender of the Year with a stellar season. With the win against Mercyhurst, she reached 27 wins, a new single-season school record. The junior secured All-AHA First Team honors as well as being named a semifinalist for the HCA Goalie of the Year award. 
  • DeSa’s nine shutout victories tie her for first place nationally. She ranks second in wins, second in winning percentage (.844), fifth in goals against average (1.364) and 16th in save percentage (.934).  
  • Kendall Butze won the AHA Best Defenseman award and was another All-AHA First Team choice. She has 23 assists, placing her tied for second on the team and tied for fourth in the AHA. The junior defenseman is tied for 24th nationally in assists and tied for 26th in assists per game (.62). With two more assists, she will become Penn State’s single-season leader for assists in a season by a defenseman. She has blocked 32 shots, good for fourth on the team. 
  • Katelyn Roberts, the final All-AHA First Team selection, is second on the team and third in the AHA in points (34). Her .91 points per game place her third in the league and 35th in the nation.  She is tied for second on the team in assists with 23, tied for 24th nationally in assists and tied for 26th in assists per game (.62). Roberts has scored 11 goals this season, good for fourth on the team. 
  • Maddy Christian earned All-AHA Second Team honors. She leads the team and is tied for first in the nation with four short-handed goals. The junior forward is tied for first on the team, second in the conference and 10th nationally in power play goals (six). Christian’s 21 goals are second on the team and 12th nationally. She is 12th in goals per game (.57).  
  • Lyndie Lobdell became Penn State’s program leader in career points by a defenseman earlier this season. She earned All-AHA Second Team honors this season. Lobdell currently has 84 points in her career with 21 of those coming from four goals and 17 assists this year. The 17 assists are fourth on the team and tied for ninth in the conference.   
  • Grace Outwater, an AHA All-Rookie Team selection, has made a name for herself in her freshman campaign with 26 points on 16 goals and 10 assists. She is tied for 27th in the nation in goals and 31st in goals per game (.44). She ranks tied for fourth in the conference in goals and sixth in goals per game. Outwater leads the AHA and is tied for eighth nationally with five game winning goals. 
  • Grace Tullock was selected to the AHA All-Rookie Team as well. She is second on the team with 38 blocks and has assisted on six goals this season. 

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