Penn State Shuts Out Lindenwood 3-0

Story posted January 21, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by DJ Bauer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the visiting Lindenwood Lions 3-0 on Sunday in an offensively and defensively dominant performance. The Nittany Lions scored the first goal of the game in the 17th minute of the first period and never looked back, tacking on two more goals in the third period to ensure victory over their conference rival.

The Nittany Lions were especially impressive on the power play, as the offense generated two goals on four chances, while the defense was able to successfully kill five power play opportunities from Lindenwood.

Penn State’s first goal of the game came on the power play, as freshman defenseman Izzy Heminger started the scoring late into the first period. The goal began a trend of offensive dominance for the Nittany Lions, as they would go on to not only outscore but also outshoot Lindenwood, 33-22.

“We were looking for the open lanes,” Heminger said. “For my goal, it was on the power play, and there was a scrum on the one side of the net. [Kelsey] Crow, our captain, knows that I’ll always be open backdoor, so she threw it across and we got it in.”

After a scoreless second period, the Nittany Lions got back to work in the third, as freshman forward Loli Fidler and senior forward Meike Meilleur each added a goal to Penn State’s lead.

The most impressive performance may have come from junior goalie Jenna Brenneman, who did not allow a single goal on 22 shots. Her performance earned her the first star of the game, as well as her fourth shutout of the season, tying a single-season record for Penn State women’s hockey. Brenneman credited the strong defensive performance as the reason for her success.

“I think our defense has been blocking shots really well,” Brenneman said. “[My teammates] are just helping me to see pucks more by having moving screens in front of the net.”

Brenneman also credited the shutout victory as a confidence builder.

“[A shutout] helps a lot as a goalie,” Brenneman said. “It’s always in the back of your mind. But at the same time, my goal is just to do what I can to help my team get the win.”

Head coach Jeff Kampersal also lauded Brenneman and the defense for their performance.

“She’s been great all year,” Kampersal said. “I think the defense has been solid too. Every time we’re aggressive in zone and we pin the other teams, we usually win. That’s something we really focus on, just trying to outnumber.”

But according to Kampersal, there’s still adjustments that need to be made before the rematch with Lindenwood tomorrow.

“There are some offensive things we can do,” Kampersal said. “Looking to move the puck D-to-D more, focusing on a five-person effort on winning faceoffs, possessing the puck and controlling the blue lines to avoid turnovers. We have to get the puck in deep and go to work.”

The win brings Penn State to 9-9-4 on the season and 3-6 in CHA play, while Lindenwood falls to 5-14-2 overall and 1-7-1 in conference. Game two between these teams will take place tomorrow, Monday, Jan. 21, at 3 p.m.

 

 

DJ Bauer is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email metakoopa99@gmail.com.

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DJ Bauer

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

David “DJ” M. Bauer Jr. is a senior from Valencia, Pennsylvania majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He is an editor, writer, producer, and play-by-play announcer for the CommRadio sports department. His writings include the Weekly NFL Game Picks series, Bauertology, and the NCAA Bubble Watch series. He is the co-host of the CommRadio talk show 4th & Long alongside Jeremy Ganes. Alongside Andrew Destin, Andrew Field and Zach Donaldson, he is one of CommRadio’s Penn State football insiders, a group of elite writers who cover Penn State football in depth during the 2020 season. He was also a production intern for the Frontier League’s Washington Wild Things baseball club. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).