Nittany Lions Complete Series Sweep of Mercyhurst With 3-1 Victory
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions swept the Mercyhurst Lakers 2-0 in a CHA Conference series matchup on Saturday.
On Friday, Penn State head coach Jeff Kampersal emphasized how important the first 10 minutes are to set the pace of a game, especially game two of a series. The Nittany Lions proved his point on Saturday by scoring just seven minutes into the first period.
Mallory Uihlein scored hard, fast and early to set the tone for the rest of the game. Her first goal was assisted by both Kiara Zanon and Natalie Heising. Penn State continued to dominate the period, heading into the second period with 12 shots on goal while Mercyhurst only had five.
Penn State came out with even more energy and enthusiasm to start out the second period. The Nittany Lions went on two power plays, and also had two penalty kills of their own. Uihlein scored another beautiful goal, this time unassisted, to put Penn State up 2-0.
Less than a minute later, Amy Dobson added a goal of her own to raise the score to 3-0. Dobson was assisted by Izzy Heminger and Karly Garcia.
During the third period, the Mercyhurst Lakers were able to score a goal of their own while on a power play. However, their late game efforts to change the flow of the game were unsuccessful.
Despite letting one puck slip by her, Penn State goaltender Josie Bothun saved 26 goals, giving her a .963 save percentage for Saturday's game. She had a total of 48 saves for this series.
This game was very special for many Nittany Lion players and fans. The annual Skate For A Cure Game allows players to “go out on the ice and play for someone other than [themselves],” Uihlein said.
Kampersal added that he “does not have enough words to explain the importance of [the Skate For A Cure Game] for his players” as well as the fans in the Roar Zone. He said there are many battles people struggle with that are unknown to the public, and that having games to play for a cause helps support both his athletes and fans.
Uihlein added that having a sweep against a team in their conference “gives the team a lot of confidence and momentum for the upcoming week” for their battle against Syracuse, another member of the CHA Conference. She also emphasized how important these games are for rankings in the playoffs, as well as the advantages of having home ice.
The Nittany Lions are set to take on the Syracuse Orange next on Friday, Feb. 4. Penn State will host another CHA Conference series at the Pegula Ice Arena, and the puck is set to drop at 6 p.m.
Alyssa Wagner is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email her at ajw6714@psu.edu.
