Three Takeaways: Penn State Women’s Hockey Falls in Overtime to Boston College

Story posted October 1, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Kyle Cannillo

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Despite being just inches away from completing the comeback, Penn State falls in its first ever game against Boston College 2-1 in overtime.

The Nittany Lions dominated large portions of the game, outshooting the Eagles 37-25 and hitting four posts. 

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Penn State can compete with the best:

Coming into the season the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 9 but quickly slipped in the polls after a loss and a tie to St. Lawrence last weekend.

There were many question marks surrounding how good Penn State could be on a national scale, they proved tonight that they can be a contender.

Despite being the underdog, Penn State didn’t just outplay Boston College, they dominated them in many facets of the game.

Boston College goaltender Abigail Levy proved to be the difference in the game as she made 36 saves on 37 shots.

However Levy’s life wasn’t easy. On more than one occasion, the Nittany Lions created chance after chance, however she stood tall.

Through a combination of posts, blocks, and saves, Levy somehow escaped, leaving fans in attendance saying “how did that not go in.”

It’s clear the Nittany Lions played with a sense of urgency and intensity that, at their best, could compete with any squad in the country.

Penn State’s power play is terrible:

Before diving into the X’s and O’s, I’ll first start with the numbers. Through three games, the Nittany Lions are 0/13 on the power play. Considering each of those games were decided by one goal, it’s easy to make an argument that scoring just once could have been the difference in a game.

Last season the Nittany Lions were the second highest scoring offense in the country but the power play was still one of the worst, converting on just 12.1%.

Formationaly the Nittany Lions are playing two defenders on the blue line instead of playing an umbrella structure. If the Nittany Lions used four forwards and one defender, I think it would spark creativity.

Penn State goaltender Josie Bothun is a team leader:

Penn State trailed with nine minutes remaining when Bothun came out of her crease during the media timeout and started encouraging her teammates.

You could hear her from the press row as she was visibly banging her stick and audibly yelling “let's go girls” at the bench. Minutes later, Penn State tied the game with a goal from Mallory Uihlein.

Bothun won the 2021 CHA Goaltender of the Year award and was statistically one of the best goaltenders nationwide a year ago. Now in her sophomore season, it is clear Bothun is ready to take a more of a leadership role on this Nittany Lion squad.

Penn State is set to take on Boston College again in their annual wear white game on Friday.

Kyle Cannillo is a fourth-year majoring broadcast journalism. To contact him, email @kcannillo1@gmail.com