2020-21 Penn State Nittany Lions

[ZedLeppelin]

Lindenwood looks like the cupboard is bare so it is best to temper expectations until Syracuse rolls in.

Absolutely - Lindenwood wasn't exactly a stern test, but they were a good opponent to have for just getting out on the ice and shaking things loose and getting going. Syracuse will be a much harder test, for sure, but I'm looking forward to it. Syracuse is going to test this young Penn State team, and they'll be a lot quicker and sharper than Lindenwood was, so they will be a better measure of what these freshmen bring to the table.

One has to wonder what Goff was thinking for leaving RIT to go there, but maybe Lindenwood offered some nice money. That's just an outside observation and I have no clue.

I'm wondering if she left when RIT was saying they were canceling their winter sports, because she would've heard chatter about that before the rest of us did, so maybe that made her decide to bail for Lindenwood. Then RIT reversed itself and started a hockey season anyway...ugh. I'm just guessing, too.

[Reddington]

Lindenwood looks like the cupboard is bare so it is best to temper expectations until Syracuse rolls in. One has to wonder what Goff was thinking for leaving RIT to go there, but maybe Lindenwood offered some nice money. That's just an outside observation and I have no clue.

Another breakaway on a power play is a concern. Nice that Bothun bailed out the team on that play.

[zambonidriver]

So here is what I saw at the game yesterday. The Lions got stronger as the game went on they were out of sync a little bit early but got better as the first period went on.
The third line was really good. especially when he switched up Byrnes and Gough. The third line drew 5 penalties. If they they get to have a season the rest of the way. I saw that the 2nd RIT Syracuse game was postponed because two players for RIT tested Positive. So hopefully the series against Syracuse will go on as scheduled. If they get to play the remainder of the games in the first half and have a Normal 2nd half they will be really good. Talking to parents that have seen the early signees they say they are excellent players. Kampersal knows how to put a team together. Granted it is only two games but in the covid year Just playing is a positive.

[ZedLeppelin]

No scoring in the third, so Penn State takes this one 4-1 to sweep Lindenwood in the series. Lots of penalties in this game, with Penn State taking five and Lindenwood taking eleven. Penn State finished the game up 58-22 in shots on goal. Freshman forward Kiara Zanon is going to be nursing some bruises for a while, as she got beat up the whole game, and this one started turning into a typical CHA chipfest by the end of the game. This series was a good showing by a young Penn State team that still has to find its groove. It's going to be interesting to see them against a team like Syracuse instead for the next two series.

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State added three more goals to go up 4-1 after two periods. Goals came from Amy Dobson, Kiara Zanon, and a blue line rocket from Jessica Adolfsson (been dying to see one of those). Penn State leads the shots on goal 39-15, putting up 24 shots on goal in the second period.

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State and Lindenwood finish the first period tied 1-1, with Natalie Heising scoring 39 seconds into the game for Penn State. Penn State came out hot, but Lindenwood kind of stole the momentum after their goal, and Penn State slowly took it back by the end of the period. Lindenwood took four penalties in that period to Penn State's one. Josie Bothun is in net again, so yesterday wasn't any kind of trial run or anything. Penn State leads the shots on goal 15-7.

[ZedLeppelin]

Lion Vision is nice. I'm watching right now. It's tough to compete against football. I count 13 skaters and I do not see 29 and I think her skating style is so unique that I would be able to pick out if she switched numbers. 3 forward lines and four d looks like the plan yesterday. Things change with this coaching staff on a regular basis so the lineup is rarely the same.

#28 (Mikayla Lantto) will be back next season, so I'm guessing she got hurt in practice, but I don't know anything about #29 (Rachel Weiss), who I really want to see play this season. Kampersal doesn't have enough players to just be experimenting with matchups for lines, so Weiss must be on injured reserve, too, or she would definitely be in the lineup. I'm with you on line changes, though...I'm sure he's going to be mixing and matching for a bit.

Zed nice recap. Carrie Byrnes is a great story. She is a walk on.

She snuck in under the radar, for sure - she was just a little excited to score yesterday!

If you look at the roster as it is currently constructed, most of the players have either been on their countries U-18 team or been invited to the final 66. I was at the game yesterday and 15 is a STUD. For you former gopher fans Mira Jalosuo with better hands.

#15 is Jessica Adolfsson - she plays on Sweden's national team, too, since 2016, and the Swedish national U-18 team before that. Her dad was at a home game last season wearing her national team jersey - fun guy to talk to. Adolfsson has a rocket for a slapshot, and they could've fed her at the blue line quite a few times yesterday and didn't.

[zambonidriver]

Zed nice recap carrie byrnes is a great story. She is a walk on. With regards to the Freshmen according to Nuetral zone they are the number 2 recruiting class in the nation.
They have all played at a very high level. IF you look at the Roster as it is currently constructed most of the players have either been on their countries u-18 team or been invited to the final 66. I was at the game yesterday and 15 is a STUD. For you former gopher fans Mira Jalouso with better hands. Wallin will be back next week. and Machaddo will be here in Janurary.

[Reddington]

Lion Vision is nice. I'm watching right now. It's tough to compete against football. I count 13 skaters and I do not see 29 and I think her skating style is so unique that I would be able to pick out if she switched numbers. 3 forward lines and four d looks like the plan yesterday. Things change with this coaching staff on a regular basis so the lineup is rarely the same.

Lindenwood looks like they lost the one player that seemed to be a threat last year - and they still have this Asplundh goalie who is solid. It looks like Goff left RIT for Lindenwood.


I think this is Kampresal's first win opening game of a season. The box score suggests to many penalties for PSU.

[ZedLeppelin]

Like yesterday, today's game against Lindenwood will be streamed free on LionVision (2:00 Eastern): https://gopsusports.com/watch/?Live=897&type=Live

The bench looked short yesterday, but maybe it just seemed short since Penn State is down to 16 players (not counting goalies), and only 13 suited up yesterday. Freshmen Olivia Wallin and Alyssa Machado didn't play, and sophomore Rachel Weiss didn't play (man, I hope she's not hurt). That leaves 5 on the ice and 8 on the bench. There were 8 forwards and 5 defenders, since Rene Gangarosa was switched from defense to forward. She probably had a two-way assignment, though, being a very offensive defender anyway.

Trying not to read too much into it, but I do wonder about goalie Jenna Brenneman's status since she didn't even suit up yesterday. I don't think a freshman has ever been the starting goalie at Penn State before yesterday's game, so that was different. Josie Bothun got herself a shutout, but it's not like she faced the baptism by fire that Chantal Burke got last season at #1 Wisconsin in her first start, so we'll see if Bothun is the real deal. I can't imagine anything taking Brenneman out of a starting goalie position as a fifth-year senior except reinjuring herself, but I hope that's not the case. She's had quite the crazy NCAA career.

Somebody forgot to tell all these freshmen that they're supposed to be timid and overwhelmed by D-1 hockey - they sure didn't play that way. Jeff Kampersal recruited himself a pretty good group of players with this bunch.

The Penn State recap: https://gopsusports.com/news/2020/11...indenwood.aspx

The Daily Collegian recap: https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports...13c19d01d.html

The Daily Collegian extra: https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports...804ad120f.html

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State takes game one by a score of 3-0, with Natalie Heising scoring a third period empty net goal to start the season with a two-goal game. The scoreboard said shots on goal were 38-21 for Penn State. These freshman forwards are a good-looking bunch, and so quick to move the puck and to move with the puck. Freshman goalie Josie Bothun starts her D-1 career with a shutout and had some nice saves in the game. Like any "first game of the season", there's a little tightening up to do, but overall Penn State looked better as the game went on and had a really good showing today. The lasting impression for me was the play of the freshman forwards - they lived up to their hype. Game time tomorrow is at 2:00 Eastern again, and on the same LionVision stream.

[ZedLeppelin]

After two, Penn State is up 2-0 on a Natalie Heising power play goal. Penn State leads the shots on goal 26-16, and they looked a lot better in that period. These young freshmen forwards are a quick bunch, good skaters and good puck handlers. There's no free pass through the neutral zone, either, and it's giving Lindenwood a headache getting much set up. Really, the only real thing that looks like it's missing is a bit of chemistry, but that will come with more time. It's kind of weird seeing Rene Gangarosa out there as a forward rather than her usual spot on defense, but she's a very offensive defender, so it works. Her 50-foot reach is nice, too.

It looks like a very short bench, too, for whatever reason. Maybe that's virus-related or something. Also, Cam Leonard is suited up in her goalie gear but sitting outside the bench. Strange times.

[ZedLeppelin]

After one period, it's Penn State up 1-0 on a goal from freshman Carrie Byrnes. Lindenwood leads the shots on goal 9-6, but freshman goalie Josie Bothun has stopped everything. She looks good in net so far - not all 9 shots were easy saves, and a few had me wondering how she even saw them. Both teams are a little choppy, understandably, but not a bad period of hockey. Freshman Kiara Zanon is a really good skater, but I haven't been able to figure out who's who among the rest of the freshmen yet. I didn't see Jenna Brenneman even dressed on the bench or the pregame huddle at the net, so maybe she hasn't healed as well as expected...who knows? Or maybe I just didn't see her.

[ZedLeppelin]

Whoa...freshman Josie Bothun is starting in net, not Jenna Brenneman!

[ZedLeppelin]

A small roster hint: all the single digit players are freshmen (and up to #11). It's going to take some watching to figure out this season's lineup, for sure.