No. 3 Women’s Ice Hockey Completes AHA Championship Four-Peat with 3-2 Victory Against No. 12 MercyhurstNo. 3 Women’s Ice Hockey Completes AHA Championship Four-Peat with 3-2 Victory Against No. 12 Mercyhurst
Bryce Mosmen

No. 3 Women’s Ice Hockey Completes AHA Championship Four-Peat with 3-2 Victory Against No. 12 Mercyhurst

The Nittany Lions earned their 32nd win of the season, setting a new single-season program record

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. 3 Penn State women’s ice hockey captured the program's fourth consecutive AHA Championship over No. 12 Mercyhurst in a 3-2 result on Saturday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena.  

The win was the team’s 32nd of the season, setting a single-season program record for a second year in a row. 

Graduate student Mya Vaslet scored the first goal of the game in the first period. Sophomore right winger Nicole Hall netted the second goal of the game in the middle of the second period. Senior assistant captain Katelyn Roberts capped off the scoring for Penn State with a goal late in the second, which served as the game-winner. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

  • Midway through the first period, Matilde Fantin won the faceoff and then set up Vaslet with an opportunity in the slot. The graduate student did not miss her chance as she blasted the puck into the goal to put Penn State up one. 
  • With eight minutes left in the period, Sophie Marrow sent a shot towards the net, finding Hall’s stick in front of the net. Hall got the redirect shot into the net to give the Nittany Lions the 2-0 advantage.  
  • Following a Mercyhurst penalty for interference, Roberts scored a power-play goal from a shot she teed up at the top of the zone with less than three minutes in the second. She was assisted by Tessa Janecke. 
  • Mercyhurst’s Abby Poitras opened the third with a goal just four minutes into the period.  
  • Mercyhurst’s Berlin Lolacher collected a goal late with two minutes left in the period as the Lakers went empty net advantage to cut the lead down to one, 3-2.  

GOALTENDERS 

  • Penn State senior goaltender Katie DeSa made 29 saves in her 26th win of the season.  
  • Mercyhurst’s sophomore goaltender Magdalena Luggin tallied 30 saves in the loss.  

STATS AND NOTES 

  • The Nittany Lions won their fourth consecutive AHA Tournament Championship. 
  • With the win, Penn State surpassed its program’s season-high victories at 32.  
  • Janecke was named the AHA All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player with a five-point (4g-1a) showing across three games. 
  • Fantin joined Janecke as a forward on the AHA All-Tournament Team after notching four points (1g-3a) in the AHA Tournament. 
  • Kendall Butze was named to the AHA All-Tournament Team as well. She tallied two assists and six blocked shots. 
  • DeSa was tabbed as the goaltender for the AHA All-Tournament Team. The Penn State netminder allowed just three goals in three games and made 60 saves. 
  • Janecke collected her 22nd assist of the season, extending her lead in points on the team to 45.  
  • Stecker earned her 17th assist of the season while Morrow and Fantin each collected their 13th of the season. 
  • The Nittany Lions’ defense held Mercyhurst scoreless for the first two periods, and only 15 shots combined across the two.  
  • Penn State held a strong advantage in faceoffs, totaling 42 faceoff wins compared to 23 by the Lakers.  

 UP NEXT 

The No. 3 Nittany Lions will host a 2026 NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship regional next weekend. The first game will be on Thursday with the winner facing Penn State on Saturday for a spot in the Frozen Four at Pegula Ice Arena. The selection show will be broadcast at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU on Sunday.