WHKY Wins, Draws vs Union

Story posted October 7, 2017 in CommRadio, Sports by Sports Staff

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – It was quite a Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena.

The Nittany Lions won a thriller but it was a tough battle. They came away with a 3-1 victory over Union in Hockey Valley.

Heading into this season, the Nittany Lions return two key sophomores in Brooke Madsen and Kate McMillan.

This is the 11th meeting between the Dutchwomen and Nittany Lions, dating back to 2013.
Coming into the game, the Nittany Lions had an 0-2 record as they lost twice to No. 5 Minnesota Deluth. However, having a game Friday night really excited them playing in front of the home town crowd.

The first period was all about battling on both sides as the puck bounced from Penn State to Union back and forth. Late in the first period at the time frame of 17:08, the Nittany Lions went on the powerplay but nothing came of the man advantage. Megan Ryan was the guilty party for Union with a hooking call.

The second period saw the true action. A power play came early for the Nittany Lions as Arianna Kosakowski of Union was called for hooking at 1:46 of the second. Penn State got penalized after that at 3:00 as Brooke Madsen got called for hooking also. Penn State scored first at 4:42 when Christi Vetter ripped her first goal of the season. Union got on the powerplay after at 6:44 when Abby Welch of Penn State got called for checking.

Arianna Kosakowski’s third goal of season at 6:56 came from Schultz and Harris. Penn State scored at 8:45 as Meike Meilleur grabbed her first goal of season to give PSU a 2-1 lead. The period ended with a Union penalty to Rachel de Perio at 15:29 for tripping.

Heading into the third period, Penn State had a 2-1 lead when Shea Nelson scored her first goal of the season at 08:35 of the third period to give Penn State a 3-1 lead. Three more penalties would come in the third as Daniela Paniccia of Penn State at 15:29 got penalized for cross-checking then Katie Rankin of Penn State got penalized for tripping at 15:45. At 16:48, Brandy Streeter of Union got called for slashing. 

Penn State won 3-1 and improved to 1-2 on the season. Penn State also switched goalies in the third as Daniela Paniccia came in for Hannah Ehresmann as she was injured.

“It felt great to score goal,” remarked Shea Nelson during post game regarding her first goal of the season and career.

The next day, Penn State drew even with Union in a 1-1 tie to close out the weekend.

Penn State head coach Jeff Kampersal made it his mission to have his team play aggressive and up tempo right out of the gate.  Kampersal’s plan was in full effect as Penn State’s energy was higher than it’s been all year, resulting in 12 shots on goal for the Nittany Lions at the end of the first period.

2:22 into the game, Union forward Rachel de Perio was penalized after the referees blew the whistle for Union having too many players on the ice. The mental lapse by the Flying Dutchmen resulted in a power play for the Nittany Lions.

At the conclusion of the power play, Penn State was unable to put the puck in the net, albeit getting plenty of opportunities to do so.

The upbeat first period resulted in a stalemate, leaving the game up for grabs.

It took nine seconds into the second period for Penn State to get a penalty for interference, setting up a power play for Union.

That being said, the Nittany Lions were able to hold on and defend their goal, leaving the game still scoreless.

Penn State was granted a golden opportunity to score the first goal of the game after Union forward Sierra Lee was sent to the penalty box after receiving unsportsmanlike conduct for knocking the stick away from a Penn State player.  Penn State’s scoring aspirations faded away due to Union’s successful penalty kill, keeping the game at a standstill.

Union forward Helen Markovic scored the first goal of the game with a slapshot from the right side, coming off assists from defensemen Arianna Kosakowski and Caitlyn McLaren.  The Flying Dutchmen were able to create the wide open goal by finding holes in the Penn State defense and executing once the time was right.
Jeff Kampersal went on to say that, “Our PK was terrible.” He also added that, “their [Penn State’s] rotation was messed up, so we left that backdoor like wide open…That was an easy goal by them

Union significantly tightened up their defense, not letting Penn State play their up tempo offense.  At the end of two periods, Union was on top by the score of 1-0.

Having their backs against the wall, the Nittany Lions knew they had to capitalize on their shots on goal.

5:03 into the third period, Penn State freshman forward Katie Rankin scored her first career goal right in front of the net, which was assisted by left winger Brooke Madsen and defensemen Bella Sutton.  This goal couldn’t have come at a better time, as now the game was tied up once again with the score of 1-1.

“I really just wanted to bury one today and I’m happy that I did.  It’s definitely a special moment for me,” Rankin said on her goal.

After Rankin’s goal, it seemed that the energy of the game took a complete turn for the worst, as both teams seemed to look fatigued and exhausted from the draining first two periods.

Jeff Kampersal expressed his frustrations, claiming that, “Once we scored a goal, we just completely just stopped playing hockey.  I think we thought it was going to be easy after that point and that it was just going to happen for us.”

Both teams were missing shots left and right, and the sloppy play on both ends led to a 5:00 sudden death overtime, with the scored tied 1-1.

The rust seemed to wear off during overtime, as Penn State and Union knew the stakes.

Both teams locked up on defense, as neither wanted to walk out of Pegula Ice Arena as losers. 

After outshooting the Nittany Lions 4-1 during overtime, the Flying Dutchmen were unable to score a goal to win the game.

At the sound of the buzzer, the game ended in a draw, leaving the score 1-1.

Penn State’w record stands at 1-2-1, whereas Union remains winless this season with a 0-2-1 record.

Penn State’s next game will be played in University Park, and the Nittany Lions will be hosting the Clarkson Golden Knights on October 13 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

 

Hunter Pitcoff is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email hxp80@psu.edu.

Tom Johnston is a Junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, Email him at taj5211@psu.edu.