No. 4 Nittany Lions Return to Conference Play at MercyhurstNo. 4 Nittany Lions Return to Conference Play at Mercyhurst

No. 4 Nittany Lions Return to Conference Play at Mercyhurst

Penn State set to hit the road for their next five games.

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

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 4 Nittany Lions are back on the road this weekend, traveling to face Mercyhurst as they begin the second half of conference play in 2026.  

Friday’s game will begin at 3 p.m. at Mercyhurst Ice Center while Saturday’s puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m. and both games will be streamed on FloHockey.

No. 4 Penn State at Mercyhurst
Erie, Pa.

No. 4 Penn State at Mercyhurst

No. 4 Penn State
No. 4 Penn State

18-3-0 | 12-0-0 AHA

At
Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst

13-9-2 | 9-4-1 AHA

The Matchup

HISTORY

  • This is the 60th meeting between the two programs with Mercyhurst leading the series with a record of 26-24-9 against the Nittany Lions.
  • Penn State has won three straight over the Lakers and nine of the last 10 meetings including the last two CHA/AHA Championship games.
  • The Nittany Lions won both meetings at home in the first half of the season, outscoring Mercyhurst 9-1.
  • Mercyhurst has matched up against PSU the second most of any team in the program’s history.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS

  • Mercyhurst is 13-9-2 and 9-4-1 in conference, currently sitting second in the AHA standings behind the Nittany Lions.
  • Mike Sisti is the head coach of the Lakers in his 27th He has the second most wins of any coach in the history of women’s ice hockey, becoming the second coach ever to reach 600 wins on Nov. 28, 2025.
  • Julia Schalin is the highest scorer on Mercyhurst with 23 points on eight goals and 15 assists.
  • Magdalena Luggin has started 19 games in goal for Mercyhurst posting a 2.35 GAA and .923 save percentage.
Follow the Action

Follow the Action

Dates: Friday January 9-10
Place: Mercyhurst Ice Center | Erie, Pa.
Time: 3 p.m. | 1 p.m. 

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 second in the country in scoring defense and tied for fourth overall in scoring offense behind third-ranked Minnesota.
  • The Nittany Lions are scoring 4.38 goals per game while only allowing 1.38 goals per game, making for the third highest scoring margin in the nation.
  • PSU also has only allowed 19.2 shots on goal per game, which is the lowest in the nation.
  • The Nittany Lions also lead the nation in shorthanded goals with seven.
  • PSU makes up the entire top 10 in plus/minus rating in the AHA with Maddy Christian leading the way at +24.

DOMINANCE IN THE DOT

  • The Nittany Lions are ranked second nationally in faceoff win percentage at 59.9 percent.
  • Tessa Janecke has won 256 faceoffs, good for fourth nationally in faceoff wins.
  • Her 67.5 win percentage leads the AHA while Matilde Fantin is second at 64.5 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 last Tuesday, December 30 with a 1-0 win over Cornell.
  • Kendall Butze is one assist from passing Izzy Heminger for the most career assists by a defenseman, sitting at 65 currently.
  • She is also within eight points of breaking the program’s career points by a defenseman record which was set at 84 last season by Lyndie Lobdell.

TESSA MAKES HISTORY (AGAIN)

  • Tessa Janecke scored her 75th career goal in Saturday’s game against Ohio State, passing Natalie Heising ’22 for the most career goals in program history.
  • She now owns both Penn State records for goals (75) and assists (106) for both men’s and women’s ice hockey.
  • She is top five in both categories among active players nationally with four of her U.S. national team teammates.
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.
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.