Women’s Ice Hockey Selected as No. 3 Seed in 2026 NC Women’s Ice Hockey ChampionshipWomen’s Ice Hockey Selected as No. 3 Seed in 2026 NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship

Women’s Ice Hockey Selected as No. 3 Seed in 2026 NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship

The Nittany Lions will host an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history with their highest seed in program history

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women’s ice hockey set another program milestone on Sunday with the Nittany Lions (32-5-0, 22-2-0 AHA) being named the No. 3 seed in the 2026 NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship, allowing them to host an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history. 

No. 6 UConn (27-8-2, 17-6-2), winners of the Hockey East Championship on Saturday, and No. 9 Princeton (23-10-0, 16-6-4 ECAC) will play in the Regional Semifinal on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Pegula Ice Arena. The Blue & White will face the winner on Saturday at 2 p.m. on home ice for a spot in the Frozen Four, hosted by Penn State at Pegula Ice Arena. 

No. 3 Penn State secured a fourth consecutive AHA Championship on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over No. 12 Mercyhurst. Mya Vaslet, Nicole Hall and Katelyn Roberts potted goals while goaltender Katie DeSa saved 29 shots to propel PSU to a single-season program record with 32 victories. 

THE TOURNAMENT RESUME

THE TOURNAMENT RESUME

  • Penn State is in the midst of its winningest season in program history with 32 victories and set an AHA record with 22 conference wins in the regular season. The program earned its fourth straight sweep over the AHA Regular Season and Tournament Championships during the 2025-26 campaign. 
  • PSU has seven victories over teams ranked inside the top 12 of the NPI. The Nittany Lions defeated No. 5 Northeastern, No. 11 Cornell twice and No. 12 Mercyhurst four times. 
  • Entering the final stretch of the season, Penn State ranks fourth in the country in goals (159), while tying for the lead in short-handed goals (eight). The team ranks fourth in goals per game (4.3) and tied for first in goals allowed per game (1.4). PSU is third in shots per game (38.9) and first in shots allowed per game (20.7). 

RACKING UP POSTSEASON HONORS 

  • The Blue & White set an AHA record with seven postseason awards winners from six individuals and tied a program record with nine All-AHA selections, four being chosen to the First Team. 
  • Head Coach Jeff Kampersal fourth AHA Coach of the Year honor and fifth overall. Kampersal became just the fifth coach in history to reach 500 career victories after Penn State’s victory over Delaware on January 23.  
  • Tessa Janecke became Penn State’s first three-time top 10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in addition to winning her third straight AHA Player and Forward of the Year. The program’s leader in points (198) was also an All-AHA First Team selection for the third time. 
  • Kendall Butze was named the AHA Best Defenseman for a second season in a row as well as being an All-AHA First Team selection. She leads PSU in assists (27) and blocked shots (48). 
  • DeSa went back-to-back as the AHA Goaltender of the Year while being tabbed to the All-AHA First Team. She is also a semifinalist for the HCA Goalie of the Year award after setting a new program record with 11 shutouts. 
  • Danica Maynard was named AHA Rookie of the Year while being selected to the All-AHA Second Team and AHA All-Rookie team. She has the second most points (33) and assists (24) by a freshman defenseman in the country. 
  • Grace Outwater scored 31 points in conference play to earn the title as the AHA Scoring Champion. The All-AHA First Team selection scored 24 goals this season, which ties for eighth nationally. 
  • Maddy Christian and Roberts joined Maynard on the All-AHA Second Team while Keller was also on the AHA All-Rookie Team. 

Penn State will go for its first NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship win in program history on Saturday, which would also give the program its first appearance in the Frozen Four. The Nittany Lions will host for the remainder of the team’s postseason run. 

Get all 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.