Penn State Stays Hot, Defeats RIT 2-0
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. 8 Penn State continued its dominant season in the CHA defeating RIT by a score of 2-0, improving to 12-1-2 on the regular season.
Penn State carried momentum from its weekend sweep of Robert Morris into the first period. The defensive unit was highly engaged in creating scoring chances, starting rushes and firing a barrage of shots from the point. Julie Gough opened the scoring, pouncing on a rebound from Natalie Heising for her fifth goal of the season.
“Our five D right now I'd put up against any five D in the country,” coach Jeff Kampersal said. “I think our D [is] great.”
On the other side, Josie Bothun was rarely tested, as the Penn State defensive unit disrupted RIT’s offensive efforts. limiting only three shots on net in the first period.
In the second period, Penn State ran into a wall offensively. Goalie Taylor Liotta found her game between the pipes, swallowing up every scoring opportunity Penn State created. Her teammates provided a collective effort by blocking plenty of Nittany Lions shots.
“We’ve got to do a better job tomorrow in terms of capitalizing on opportunities,” Kampersal said. “That team works really hard and they made it difficult to score.”
Midway into the third period, defender Izzy Heminger collected her first goal of the campaign, wristing a shot from the high slot, and putting the nail in the coffin for RIT.
“It’s really exciting to get your first one,” Izzy Heminger said. “It was nice because it took so long compared to the past years.”
Penn State will look to sweep RIT tomorrow at Pegula Ice Arena before traveling to Frank Ritter Ice Arena to face RIT again on Feb. 19 and 20.
Jordan Hession is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email hessionjordan@gmail.com.
