2020-21 Penn State Nittany Lions

[ZedLeppelin]

Takeaways after this weekend against Syracuse:

Historically, Syracuse has always had Penn State's number, so getting swept wouldn't have been a surprise here. I don't think anyone would have predicted Penn State coming away with a win and an OT tie, especially considering how young this team is. Jeff Kampersal has to be happy with the weekend.

On the plus side after four games, Penn State looks more offensive-minded than ever. Even better, it's not just the Natalie Heising Show, as much as her leadership is counted on. These freshman forwards are all go, all the time, and don't show any "new to D-1" hesitation at all. In the four games played so far, Penn State has put shots on goal of 41, 58, 41, and 46. That's a consistently busy offense, and it's not just coming from the top line, either. A big surprise is freshman goalie Josie Bothun - she has a .977 save percentage, a shutout, and a 3-0-1 record, in a season where she was expected to be warming the bench with three other goalies.

On the down side, Penn State has had 17 penalties in their four games, but that can probably be attributed to the youth of the team. At the same time, their opponents have gotten 25 penalties, so at least Penn State is staying on top of the powerplay chances. I'm in a good mood, so I'm not going to mention powerplay goals - only powerplay chances.

Overall, in this shortened season, this Penn State team looks really good. This freshman class got a lot of preseason hype, but they're living up to it. None of them play timid, and they're not afraid to bang with opponents on the boards. They work hard for the full 60 minutes and don't take a shift off...it's a fun team to watch so far.

The Penn State game recap: https://gopsusports.com/news/2020/12...n-2-2-tie.aspx

Daily Collegian article on the new 3-on-3 OT: https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports...3ef867b23.html

[ZedLeppelin]

And that's how it ends, a 2-2 OT tie with Syracuse. Kudos to Penn State for coming back in the third to get that tie, and playing the third period like they played the game yesterday. Shots on goal for the game were 46-37 for Penn State, and penalties were 5-4 against Syracuse. After the bad first period, Penn State didn't take another penalty the rest of the game, so that was good to see from them. This new 3-on-3 OT is kind of weird to see...both teams predictably get good chances and they just kind of trade off. The Syracuse goalie made some huge saves today, as did Josie Bothun for Penn State.

Next weekend it's off to Syracuse to play two more against these guys. Streaming video is on CuseTV for a great price - $5.99 for a monthly pass gets you both games.

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State ties it up 2-2 after three, on goals from Carrie Byrnes and Amy Dobson. Penn State leads the shots on goal 41-31. Heading to 3-on-3 OT!

[ZedLeppelin]

No scoring in the second period, so Syracuse is still up 2-0 on Penn State. It was a much better period for Penn State, with no penalties to Syracuse's two. Shots on goal are now tied up at 25-25 as well, so much cleaner play and more offense from Penn State. The sloppy first period might be too much to overcome, though, if Syracuse is able to keep the pace up.

[ZedLeppelin]

Syracuse leads Penn State 2-0 after one period, a very sloppy period by Penn State. Syracuse came out fast, Penn State not so much. Penn State also took four penalties in that period to Syracuse's one. Syracuse leads the shots on goal 20-12. Victoria Klimek has both goals for Syracuse, and they also had a third goal waived off for goalie interference. It's already a chippy game, so I hope Jeff Kampersal squashes that between periods and Penn State gets back to playing hockey. It was just really sloppy play.

[Reddington]

No idea on Jenna Brenneman - I'm thinking it would all depend on her master's program - whether it was one of two years and of course the job market. I think all players get another year of Eligibility so if PSU has other plans some other teams may have a need. I'm sure a couple of CHA teams would take a hard look. But, PSU seems to always be able to find a goalie, Whitlinger, Ehresman, Panicia was playing well for a little bit, Brenneman, Burke (from the bench to CHA goalie of year) and now Bothun. Spring was supposed to redshirt, but again this year does not count against eligibility. Burke wore down a bit last year during stretches of the season so it is somewhat important to have a number two.

As far as RIT, I'm a little surprised the players from last year were in such a hurry to leave since Celeste ended up getting the position.

As far as Syracuse, 18 and 22 look good. Their goalie gave up two five hole shots (big hint).

[Reddington]

Pleasant surprise with the win. Big shot advantage for PSU. First period to Syracuse. Next two to PSU.

[mar7967]

I have no idea on RIT, it looks like they had a number of players transfer including Hunter Barnett, who I thought was one of RIT's best players. She is now at Providence. You will find out soon enough on PSU.

RIT did have a number of players transfer or leave the team. I'm not sure where they went, if anywhere. Reagan Pietrowski went to Adrian in the spring of last year. Emily Stemple also transferred to Adrian. I am unsure on Kylie Lalonde and Jaymee Nolan.

[mar7967]

I wonder why Penn State's Covid testing requirements are more strict than the other CHA schools. I know Penn State has seen a very predictable Covid spike since classes started, so maybe they're just being extra careful.

I assume it's across the board at Penn State to meet Big10 rules, which are likely more strict. Syracuse has different requirements too...

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State comes away with the win by a score of 2-1 in a game that never slowed down. Penn State led the shots on goal 41-22. Neither team scored on the powerplay. Penn State is now 3-0 on the season, with three more games against Syracuse before the holiday break.

Takeaways: this Penn State team today was something different. They've had teams before that would show a period or two of pressure, but usually mixed with an off period of slower "keep away" hockey - not this team. They pressured Syracuse for 60 full minutes and were on the offensive for the entire game. Jeff Kampersal got himself a really talented freshman class who is all go, all game, every shift. I really like defender Lyndie Lobdell - she's a good defender, and very ready to jump into the offense, too. Kiara Zanon seems to always make the first defender miss her on her way into the offensive zone - she's a good one, for sure. Everyone watches for Natalie Heising to run the offense, but these freshmen are kind of taking it over. That's not a bad thing so far.

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State is up on Syracuse 2-1 after two periods on a late goal from freshman Kiara Zanon. Penn State was called for one penalty and Syracuse was called for two, with neither team scoring on the powerplay. Penn State leads the shots on goal by 27-17 on another high-flying period. I know it's still early in the season (such as it is), but this is a different Penn State team - faster than any Penn State team I've seen.

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State and Syracuse are tied 1-1 after the first period. Penn State's goal came from freshman Olivia Wallin in her first game for Penn State. Shots on goal are 15-13 for Syracuse, and there were no penalties in the first period. This game has been 100 MPH from the opening faceoff...wow. Josie Bothun has made some great saves for Penn State and kept this one close, but Penn State has made the Syracuse goalie work just as hard. Freshman defender Lyndie Lobdell is a workhorse...one end to the other she's in on the play, she's a fast skater, and she's a very good puck handler. The pace of this one is crazy, and we'll see if both teams can keep this up.

EDIT: On the lineup sheet, Jenna Brenneman is listed as a scratch, so she must have either reinjured herself or her old injury just hasn't healed as well as expected. Does Penn State have a sixth-year senior in its future?

[Reddington]

I have no idea on RIT, it looks like they had a number of players transfer including Hunter Barnett, who I thought was one of RIT's best players. She is now at Providence. You will find out soon enough on PSU.

[ZedLeppelin]

Just checked, Syracuse graduated 8 Srs last year. And they just pounded RIT 7-1. Syracuse always seems to play PSU tough if not own them, but PSU did win one last year. Both teams seem vastly different.

I just looked at the Syracuse roster, too, and I sure don't recognize many names now...maybe three or four of them. They hammered RIT, but I put that in about the same boat as Penn State sweeping Lindenwood. Nice for a season opener, but not really a test of the program. Syracuse is going to test Penn State, for sure.

Just a reminder for today and tomorrow - $9.95 for a school pass to watch both games on BTN+ (https://www.btnplus.com/secure/subsc...NTHLYPENNSTATE). It would cost $5.00 a game to watch live at Pegula, so this stream isn't a bad deal.

Not sure if this has been shared publicly before, as I haven't seen it, but here is the CHA return to play plan: https://ritathletics.com/documents/2...21.pdf?id=4299

I wonder why Penn State's Covid testing requirements are more strict than the other CHA schools. I know Penn State has seen a very predictable Covid spike since classes started, so maybe they're just being extra careful.

[mar7967]

Not sure if this has been shared publicly before, as I haven't seen it, but here is the CHA return to play plan: https://ritathletics.com/documents/2...21.pdf?id=4299