UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. 3 Penn State women’s ice hockey defeated Syracuse, 7-0, in the first game of the AHA Tournament Semifinals on Friday night inside Pegula Ice Arena.
Senior captain Tessa Janecke scored the fourth hat trick of her career in the win. All three of Penn State’s Olympians were able to find the back of the net as freshman Matilde Fantin and sophomore Nicole Hall joined Janecke. Mya Vaslet and Abby Stonehouse were the other goal scorers for the Nittany Lions.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Just over the halfway mark of the first period, Stonehouse found Janecke in the rear center of the attack zone who started the scoring for the Blue & White, 1-0.
- Less than three minutes later, Fantin did it all by herself with a slap-shot from the right circle, extending the Nittany Lions’ lead to two goals.
- Past the 11th minute mark of the second period, Vaslet scored from inside the crease to make it 3-0 – assisted by Kendall Butze and Fantin.
- With three minutes lasting in the second period, Janecke tallied the fourth goal of the game, while face-to-face with the Orange’s netminder. She was assisted by Leah Stecker and Butze.
- In the start of the third period, Janecke scored her third goal of the game during a power play, completing a hat trick and extending Penn State’s lead to five.
- Hall responded quickly and shot the puck into the back of the net, making it 6-0. Fantin notched the assist with a nifty pass.
- With nine minutes remaining in the game, Stonehouse went past Syracuse’s defenders to score Penn State’s seventh and last goal of the night.
GOALTENDERS
- Penn State senior goaltender Katie DeSa made 16 saves in the shutout win.
- Syracuse goaltender Ava Drabyk made 21 saves. After Drabyk was ejected for roughing and received a game misconduct, Bella Gould took over the net, making eight saves.
STATS AND NOTES
- Janecke took the ice with the Nittany Lions for the first time after winning a gold medal with Team USA at the Winter Olympics, recording her fourth-career hat trick in the contest.
- Janecke scored her 20th, 21st and 23rd goals of the season, extending her lead in points on the team to 43.
- Hall and Fantin also returned to Happy Valley after participating in the Winter Olympics with Sweden and Italy, respectively. Hall scored her 10th goal while Fantin notched her ninth in addition to reaching 12 assists.
- Kendall Butze furthered her lead as the team’s assist leader, earning two in the game to give her 27 for the year.
- Katie DeSa earned her 11th shutout of the season, which is the best mark in the country.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions face the Orange at 3 p.m. at Pegula Ice Arena in game two of the AHA Tournament Semifinals on Saturday. Penn State is seeking a fourth consecutive appearance in the AHA Tournament Championship. The game will be broadcast on B1G+.