No. 4 Nittany Lions Hosting Delaware to Begin Four Game HomestandNo. 4 Nittany Lions Hosting Delaware to Begin Four Game Homestand

No. 4 Nittany Lions Hosting Delaware to Begin Four Game Homestand

Penn State will honor its six seniors and two graduate students on Saturday afternoon.

Opens in a new window Watch Live (Friday) Opens in a new window Watch Live (Saturday) Opens in a new window Live Stats (Friday) Opens in a new window Live Stats (Saturday) Opens in a new window Game Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 4 Nittany Lions are making their return to Pegula Ice Arena for the first time in 23 days to host Delaware for a conference series that kicks off a four-game homestand.                             

Friday’s game will begin at 6 p.m. while Saturday’s puck drop is set for 2 p.m. with the senior day ceremony to follow. Both games, including the senior day ceremony, will be streamed live on B1G+.     

No. 4 Penn State vs. Delaware
University Park, Pa.

No. 4 Penn State vs. Delaware

No. 4 Penn State
No. 4 Penn State

2-24-0 | 1-17-0 AHA

Vs
Delaware
Delaware

2-24-0 | 1-17-0 AHA

HISTORY

  • This is the third and fourth meeting of the two programs as this is Delaware’s inaugural season.  
  • The Nittany Lions defeated the Blue Hens in the first two meetings by a combined score of 12-0.
  • In game two of the series, PSU allowed a program-best one shot on goal in the 7-0 win.

SCOUTING THE BLUE HENS

  • Delaware is 2-24-0 and 1-17-0 in conference play with wins coming over Holy Cross and Lindenwood.
  • Kaitlin Finnegan leads the Blue Hens in points with 10 on seven goals and three assists.
  • Charlotte Payne has started 14 games in goal for Delaware, posting a .917 save percentage and 3.68 goals against average. She has been in net for both of the Blue Hen wins.

FAMILIAR FACES

  • The Blue Hens are led by Head Coach Allison Coomey who spent the prior seven seasons in Happy Valley on Jeff Kampersal’s staff before starting the Delaware program.
  • Delaware Assistant Coach Melissa Samoskevich has also spent time with PSU, having served as an assistant coach here from 2020-22.
Follow the Action

Follow the Action

Dates: January 23-24
Place: Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa.
Time: 6 p.m. | 2 p.m.

THANK YOU SENIORS

  • Following Saturday’s game, the Nittany Lions will honor six seniors and two graduate students.
  • Leah Stecker (Randolph, N.J.), Tessa Janecke (Orangeville, Ill.), Kendall Butze (Cleveland, Ohio), Katelyn Roberts (Chanhassen, Minn.), Maddy Christian (Elk River, Minn.), and Katie DeSa (Pawcatuck, Conn.) will also be honored as seniors along with graduate students Mya Vaslet (Stittsville, On.) and Taylor Lum (Etobicoke, On.).

PENN STATE IN THE POLLS

  • The Penn State Nittany Lions currently sit fourth in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey polls.
  • It is the highest ranking the program has achieved in either poll in its history.

DEFENSE TO OFFENSE

  • Penn State is currently tied second in the country in scoring defense and fourth overall in scoring offense.
  • The Nittany Lions are scoring 4.2 goals per game while only allowing 1.4 goals per game, making for the fourth highest scoring margin in the nation.
  • PSU also has only allowed 20.7 shots on goal per game, which is second nationally.
  • The Nittany Lions also lead the nation in shorthanded goals with eight.
  • PSU makes up the entire top 10 in plus/minus rating in the AHA with Kendall Butze leading the way at +28.

BUTZE TAKES THE ASSIST RECORD                 

  • This past weekend, Kendall Butze broke the program record for most assists by a defenseman with her assist on Grace Outwater’s goal in the first period of Saturday’s game against Syracuse.
  • She now sits at 66 career assists, which is third all-time among all Penn State skaters, and just three behind Kiara Zanon at second all-time.

DOMINANCE IN THE DOT

  • The Nittany Lions are ranked second nationally in faceoff win percentage at 58.1 percent.
  • Tessa Janecke has won 317 faceoffs, good for sixth nationally in faceoff wins.
  • Her 66.4 win percentage leads the AHA while Matilde Fantin is second at 64.5 percent with 107 faceoff wins.

MILESTONE WATCH

  • Several veteran members of the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions are inching closer to break career program records.
  • Goaltender Katie DeSa is one shutout from breaking the program’s career shutout record, currently sitting at 20. She tied Josie Bothun ’24 in the Nittany Lions’ 1-0 win over Cornell on December 30.
  • Kendall Butze is within six points of breaking the program’s career points by a defenseman record which was set at 84 last season by Lyndie Lobdell.
  • Katelyn Roberts recently reached 92 points, inching closer to the century mark.

ALL ON EYES ON KATIE

  • Senior goaltender Katie DeSa has been named to the HCA Goalie of the Year Watch List for the second straight season as announced by the HCA on Jan. 13.
  • DeSa has had another historic year in net after being named the AHA’s Goaltender of the Year a season ago.
  • She currently has a record of 16-2 which is the third most in the nation while posting seven shutouts which is the most nationally.
  • Her 1.36 GAA is second nationally and leads the AHA.

CLOSING IN ON 500

  • Nittany Lion head coach Jeff Kampersal is within one win of reaching 500.
  • It would make him the fifth coach in the history of women's ice hockey to reach the milestone.
  • He is also within 24 wins of catching Katie Stone for fourth place on the all-time coaching wins list. 
  • He has 172 wins at Penn State and 327 in his time at Princeton. 
PLAY FREE BIRD

PLAY FREE BIRD

  • Senior forward Tessa Janecke became the first Nittany Lion named to the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team as announced by USA Hockey last Friday.
  • Janecke is the second Nittany Lion ever to be named a women’s ice hockey Olympian, following Jessica Adolfsson ’21 who skated for Sweden in the 2022 Olympic games in Beijing.
  • The Orangeville, Ill. native enters the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics with significant international experience, having played in 38 games for the U.S. senior national team, scoring 13 goals and dishing 15 assists.
  • In last spring’s IIHF World Championships Gold Medal game, Janecke played the hero, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the United States over Canada.
HALL TO WEAR THE THREE CROWNS

HALL TO WEAR THE THREE CROWNS

  • This past Monday, Nicole Hall was named to Sweden’s Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey roster along with Nittany Lion alum Jessica Adolfsson ’21.
  • Hall becomes the third Nittany Lion named to an Olympic women’s ice hockey roster overall and second Swede.
  • The Stockholm native has played 15 games with the Swedish senior national team along with 38 games in U18, including being named captain for 2021-22 U18 World Championships.
  • Jessica Adolfsson ’21 has the most international experience of the three Nittany Lions heading to Milan with over 50 games played and skating in all five games for Sweden in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
MATI GETS TO HOST

MATI GETS TO HOST

MATI GETS TO HOST

  • Freshman forward Matilde Fantin will represent the Nittany Lions on the Olympic stage this winter, as she was named to the Italian Women’s Ice Hockey roster for the upcoming 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games
  • Fantin becomes the fourth Penn State women’s ice hockey player named to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
  • Fantin will rejoin the host country with over 10 games of senior national team experience. In her last international competition at the 2025 IIHF Division 1 B Women’s World Championship, she led the entire tournament in points with 10 on five goals and five assists.
  • The Como, Italy native has made an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions in her short time in Happy Valley. She leads all PSU freshman in goals with eight while dishing 10 assists for 18 points in 21 games played.
Follow the Nittany Lions

Follow the Nittany Lions

Get all of 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.