Game Preview: Penn State Women’s Hockey vs. Yale
Mirror, mirror on the ice.
No. 11 Penn State and No. 6 Yale face off this weekend in a battle between two teams that are near mirror images of each other.
Both teams have shown an ability to score goals with the Nittany Lions owning the ninth best scoring offense in the nation and the Bulldogs not far behind tied for 11th best.
For the blue and white, the ability to score is propelled by Tessa Janecke. The freshman phenom is 18th in the nation scoring .69 goals per game, which totals the sixth-best mark of 11 goals scored.
Janecke scored once in Penn State’s last series against Brown, a series that would go in favor of the Nittany Lions in both games. Rather than Janecke, it was Kiara Zanon and Julie Gough leading the offensive attack.
Zanon was named CHA Forward of the Week, combining for one goal and three assists against the Bears. The former AHCA National Rookie of the Year has seven goals and 11 assists in her junior campaign to tie Janecke for the team lead with 18 points.
Gough netted two goals, the fifth and sixth of her senior campaign, including the game-winner in a 4-2 victory in game two.
One reason for the offense is scoring 3.1 goals per game is its ability to win faceoffs. The Nittany Lions own a .560 faceoff percentage led by Janecke whose .597 faceoff percentage has led her to the fifth most faceoff wins in the nation at 172.
Just like the Nittany Lions, the Bulldogs ability to score goals comes from its ability to control faceoffs as they own a .524 faceoff percentage.
Though it's only been four games, all of which have resulted in wins, that offensive attack has put itself among the top in the nation with an average of 3.00 goals per game.
The early indication is that the freshmen are going to lead the way for head coach Mark Bolding. Two of the Bulldogs’ top three scorers in Jordan Ray and Carina DiAntonio are freshmen.
Those two are tied for the team lead with three goals with sophomore Anna Bargman. Bargman leads the way in points with seven as she has also totaled four assists.
Bargman and Ray scored in Yale’s last game, which was a 2-0 victory over No. 14 Princeton back on Nov. 5 that finished off undefeated weekend against as the Bulldogs also took home a 4-2 victory over No. 4 Quinnipiac.
Over those two games, it was not just the offense executing, but also Pia Dukaric preventing pucks past her.
The sophomore netminder saved 43-of-45 shots including a 22-save effort that led to the shutout of Quinnipiac. That shutout was the first of the season for Dukaric, who tied the program record for shutout in a season with five a year ago, and helped her earn ECAC Goaltender of the Week.
Dukaric is allowing 1.00 goals per game on a .963 save percentage while making 105 saves on 109 shots through four starts. The Slovenia native was fifth in the nation with a 1.36 goals against average and 20th in the nation with a .929 save percentage last season.
Likewise, Penn State also has a goaltender that is coming off a conference honor as Josie Bothun was named CHA Goaltender of the Week.
Bothun, like Dukaric, saved all but two shots over the weekend while facing 37 pucks, including a 17-save shutout effort in game one against Brown.
The junior netminder has allowed 29 goals on 370 shots for a .922 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average, which is ranked 17th nationally.
Neither team gained an upperhand in the first meeting back in 2017 when the two teams played to a 2-2 draw.
Penn State and Yale both look to get the first win of the series when they hit the ice at 6 p.m. on Friday with the series finale from New Haven, Connecticut slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Justin Ciavolella is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.
