Series Grades: Penn State Women’s Hockey vs. Syracuse
Penn State picked up a potential program-changing sweep over the Syracuse Orange this weekend in a battle for the top spot in the CHA standings.
The blue and white shutout the Orange 4-0 on Saturday before an extremely convincing 11-3 win on Sunday.
Here’s a look at how each position group performed in the weekend sweep.
Offense: A+
Absolutely no question here.
The Nittany Lions had never scored more than four goals in a game against Syracuse prior to the weekend and put up 11 in one game.
During that game, Olivia Wallin recorded a hat trick while three other Nittany Lions scored twice.
Both Kiara Zanon and Izzy Heminger found the back of the net in each game as well.
Penn State doubled the Orange in shots during both games as it was able to constantly put pressure on the reigning CHA Goaltender of the Year in Arielle DeSmet
The 15 goals over the course of this series was the most for the Nittany Lions this season as they made a statement to the rest of the collegiate hockey world.
Defense: A
The low shot total speaks well to how the defensive unit played in both games.
Penn State picked up its fifth shutout of the season in game one which was just the third time in program history it has shut out the Orange.
The Nittany Lions blocked more shots than the Nittany Lions in the second game of the series with an 8-to-3 margin.
Getting to the reason this grade is slightly lower than the offense, there was once a time where that game two score looked a little close for comfort.
Before the Nittany Lions pulled away, they once saw a 4-1 lead shrink down to 4-3 after two quick Syracuse goals.
During that second period, the Orange recorded 10 shots which was the only time they found double digits in the contest.
Luckily for the Nittany Lions, they picked up seven straight goals to get quite a victory.
Goaltending: A
A shutout in game one is nice, but Josie Bothun wasn’t tested much in the two games.
Syracuse ripped off 18 shots in both games to where Bothun only allowed three goals.
A few of those looks were tough saves to make to Bothun’s credit and she kept the Nittany Lions in both contests against a tough Syracuse team.
Coaching: A+
Another easy grade to give out.
Coach Jeff Kampersal had his team well prepared for this series which ended in arguably the biggest sweep in program history.
The Nittany Lions had been a doormat for the Orange during the first few years of their existence but this was quite the way to flip the script.
Penn State stayed disciplined throughout the series only committing five penalties compared to four for Syracuse.
The Nittany Lions didn’t allow a power play goal however, while scoring one in game two.
All and all, a pretty fun weekend if you ask me.
Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
