GAME DAY: No. 4 Penn State WHKY vs. No. 2 Ohio State

AT HOME

Penn State women’s hockey opens the 2026–27 season against No. 2 Ohio State on Thursday, September 24, at 6 p.m. and Friday, September 25, at 4 p.m. The Nittany Lions will raise their AHA regular-season and tournament championship banners before Thursday’s game. Friday is Penn State’s “Wear White” game. All seven members of the Class of ’26 selected in the 2026 PWHL Draft will also take part in a ceremonial puck drop and sign autographs after the game.

LAST TIME OUT

Penn State women’s hockey capped off the most successful season in program history in 2025–26. The Nittany Lions secured their fourth consecutive Atlantic Hockey America Tournament title and fifth straight regular-season championship title. Penn State also shut out No. 6 UConn, 3–0, while hosting an NCAA regional for the first time. With the victory, Penn State earned its first Frozen Four berth and pushed No. 2 Wisconsin to overtime in the national semifinal. Pegula Ice Arena also served host for the Frozen Four for the second time, having also previously hosted in 2022. The Nittany Lions set single-season program records in eight statistical categories: including a program record of wins (33), goals (165), assists (252), points (417), shots on goal (1,505), power-play goals (34), shutouts (16) and goals-against average (1.38).

ABOUT OHIO STATE

Ohio State women’s hockey made its fifth straight consecutive appearance in the national tournament game falling to No. 1 Wisconsin the NCAA championship game by a score of 3-2.  The stretch of national tournament appearances tied the record, matching Minnesota’s five cosecutive appearances from 2012-16. Ohio State concluded its season with a 36-5-0 record, their best record in history.            

PRE-SEASON PREDICTIONS

Penn State was picked to finish first in the AHA preseason poll, released Monday, August 24. The Nittany Lions also opened at# 4 in the USCHO national poll on September 14 and #5 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll on September 15.

Grace Outwater was named AHA Preseason Player of the Year, and both Outwater and Danica Maynard earned spots on the AHA Preseason All-Conference Team.

OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS

On Wednesday, September 2, juniors Grace Outwater and Taya MacDonald were announced co-captains while juniors Abby Stonehouse and Nicole Hall were announced as alternate captains.

RETURNING ROSTER

Penn State women’s hockey welcomes back 12 returners, including six forwards - sophomores Matilde Fantin and Mikah Keller; juniors Nicole Hall, Grace Outwater, Abby Stonehouse and McKenna Walsh. Five defensemen - sophomores Danica Maynard, Sophie Morrow and Shelby Shane; juniors Taya MacDonald and Grace Tullock - and  sophomore goaltender Maddy Campbell.

FRESH FACES

Penn State welcomes 10 newcomers, including six forwards: first-years Kylie Amelkovich, Sofia Ismael, Kayla McCarthy, Sydney McIntosh and Lorelai Nelson, and junior Alanna Devlin; two defensemen: first-year Megan Hosman and senior Ashley Kokavec; and two goaltenders: first-year Morgan Stickney and junior Savanna Muir.

FORWARD FLEET

Penn State returns a solid core of Grace Outwater, Abby Stonehouse, Nicole Hall, Mikah Keller and Matilde Fantin.

Outwater had a standout sophomore campaign, recording career highs of 24 goals and 16 assists for 40 points. Outwater led the AHA in conference scoring, contributing 31 points (19G, 12A) in 24 conference games to capture the AHA scoring title. Her 40 total points ranked third overall in the conference and tied for 27th nationally. Outwater’s 24 goals set Penn State’s sophomore single-season record while ranking second in the AHA and tied for 11th nationally.  Outwater earned a spot on All-AHA First Team following the conclsuion of the 2025-26 season.

Internationally, Outwater most recently represented Canada in a three-game series against the United States National Women’s Collegiate Select Team in mid-August following her participation at Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Team Development Camp.

Stonehouse recorded career highs of 14 goals and 10 assists for 24 points in her sophomore campaign. Her 14 goals ranked fifth all-time by a Penn State sophomore, while her 10 assists ranked eighth and her 24 points ranked sixth. Stonehouse also recorded a +28 plus/minus, which ranks eighth on Penn State’s single-season list.

Internationally, Stonehouse represented Canada at the 2023 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, earned a bronze medal at the 2023 Canada Winter Games and competed in the 2023 National Women’s Under-18 Championship. She most recently represented Canada in a three-game series against the United States National Women’s Collegiate Select Team in mid-August following her participation at Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Team Development Camp.

Hall recorded career highs of 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. Her 11 goals ranked seventh all-time by a Penn State sophomore and her 10 assists and 21 points ranked eighth.

Internationally, Hall has represented Sweden at various levels over the last seven years, skating in 83 games and recording 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points. She progressed through Sweden’s national team program as a member of the U16 team in 2020 before serving as captain of Sweden’s U18 team at the 2022 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, helping the team capture gold. Hall made her Olympic debut at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games this past season, skating in all seven games.

She most recently represented Team Sweden at the Four Nations Tournament at the end of August, competing against Finland, Switzerland and Czechia following her participation at Sweden Women’s National Team Training Camp in June.

Fantin recorded 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points as a freshman. She earned All-Tournament Team honors after recording a goal and an assist to help Penn State capture its fourth straight AHA tournament title. Her 10 goals ranked seventh on Penn State’s freshman single-season list, while her 23 points ranked eighth.

Fantin was named to Team Italy’s Olympic roster for the first time in her career and competed on home ice at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. She appeared in all five games tallying three goals, and was just one of 16 women to score at least three goals during the tournament. All three of Fantin’s goals came in Italy’s two victories, helping prorpel the host nation to the playoff round. She opened the tournament with a goal in Italy’s 4-1 win over France on Feb. 5 before netting two goals in a 3-2 victory over Japan on Feb. 9. Fantin has made eight international tournament appearances across U18s, national team, and Olympic levels, totaling 36 games, 25 goals and 21 points for 46 points.

Keller appeared in all 39 games for the Nittany Lions as a freshman, recording eight goals and 26 assists for 34 points. Her 26 assists rank fifth on Penn State’s single-season list and set the program’s freshman record. Her 34 points rank sixth on the single-season list and second among freshmen. She was named to the All-AHA Rookie Team following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.

ANCHORING THE BLUELINE

Penn State returns a solid core of Danica Maynard, Sophie Morrow, and Taya MacDonald.

Maynard emerged as one of the nation’s top rookie defenseman, tying the program’s single season defenseman points record with 33 points while her nine goals tied the record for most by a defenseman in team history. On the national stage, her 33 points tied second nationally amongst all freshman defenseman. Maynard earned AHA Rookie of the Year honors for recording 26 points on nine goals and 17 assists in 24 conference games palyed. She also added All-USCHO Third Team honors an All-USCHO Rookie Team honors to her accolades.

Internationally, Maynard helped Canada win gold at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, recording one goal and three assists in six games.

Morrow skated in 39 contests, tallying three goals and 13 assists for 16 points as a first year. Morrow also most recently represented the United States in a three-game series against Canada, August 10-16, on the National Women’s Collegiate Select Team.

MacDonald has skated in all 77 career games, tallying three goals and 13 assists for 16 points. She has consistently made a positive impact in the lineup, recording a career plus/minus of +56, which ranks 10th in program history. Her career-best +38 during the 2025-26 season alone ranks third on Penn State’s single-season list.

BRICKWALL BRIGADE

Penn State returns sophomore goaltender, Maddy Campbell, who combined a 6-2 record in her sophomore campaign with a .935 SV% and a 1.44 GAA. She played five total periods against #2 Ohio State last season on Jan. 2 and 3 and played in weekend series against #15 Mercyhurst on Jan. 9 and 10.

The Nittany Lions welcome freshman goaltender, Morgan Stickney. Stickney competed four years at Shattuck St. Mary’s. In the 2025-26 season, she record 13 shutouts in 34 games while compiling a 1.28 GAA and .950 SV%. She also helped Shattuck capture the 2024 USA Hockey National Championship title.

On the international stage, Stickney represented Team USA at the 2025 and 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships. In 2026, Stickney recorded two shutouts as Team USA won gold without trailing or being tied at any point in the tournament, including its 2-0 win over Canada in the gold-medal game. In 2025, she helped the U.S. earn silver, posting a 0.67 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage in six games while earning All-Star Team honors. She became the first goaltender in tournament history to record an assist and to post shutouts in all three preliminary-round games, and set a tournament record with a 183:01 shutout streak.

Stickney also became the first American female selected in the 2023 WHL Draft.

Penn State also adds junior goaltender, Savanna Muir, to the roster. Muir most recently competed for BK Selects after spending two seasons at SUNY Cortland at the Division III level. While competing for Bishop Kearney, Muir compiled a 9-1 record in 11 starts with six shutouts. She helped Bishop Kearney capture the NYSAHA District Championship and finish third at the 2026 USA Hockey National Tournament as the team posted a 46-14-1 record.

TRIPLE THREAT

Along with Stickney, Penn State welcomes first-years Kylie Amelkovich and Sofia Ismael.

Amelkovich played 152 games for Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep team from 2023–26, recording 76 goals and 83 assists for 159 points. In 2025–26, she totaled 36 goals and 36 assists for 72 points in 53 games. She also helped Shattuck-St. Mary’s win the 2024 USA Hockey U19 Championship.

Amelkovich represented Team USA at the 2025 and 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships. Serving as an assistant captain in 2026, she recorded two goals and 12 assists in six games as the United States completed a “perfect gold,” never trailing or being tied throughout the tournament. Her 12 assists are the second most by an American in a single tournament. She also earned silver in 2025, recording three goals and two assists in six games.

Ismael spent three seasons with the Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins U22 team, totaling 71 goals and 100 assists for 171 points in 125 games. As an assistant captain in 2025–26, she recorded 31 goals and 53 assists for 84 points in 44 games.

Ismael represented Team Canada at the 2025 and 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships. She earned silver and tournament All-Star honors in 2026 after recording seven goals and eight assists in six games. Her 15 points set a Canadian single-tournament record at the U18 women’s championship. In 2025, she helped Canada win gold, contributing two goals and two assists in six games.

TWO TRANSFERS

Penn State added two transfers: forward Alanna Devlin from Boston College and defenseman Ashley Kokavec from Vermont.

Devlin spent two seasons at Boston College, recording nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. She earned Hockey East All-Academic Team honors as a freshman and won 54.9 percent of her faceoffs last season. Internationally, Devlin represented Team USA twice at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, helping the team win gold in 2024. She recorded a goal and an assist in six games during the championship run.

Kokavec began her collegiate career at Maine before transferring to Vermont, where she recorded eight goals and 25 assists for 33 points in 74 games over two seasons. In 2025–26, she led Vermont defensemen with 17 points and 14 assists. Her 14 assists tied for third among Hockey East defensemen, while her 17 points tied for fourth. She also blocked 49 shots, the second most on the team.