2020-21 Penn State Nittany Lions

[ZedLeppelin]

Here's the starting lineup for tonight: https://twitter.com/PennStateWHKY/st...509382/photo/1

[Reddington]

Big weekend for PSU, they either come back to the pack or create separation. Replacing Nuutinen's production has to be hard, yet they squeezed one from RMU. Sisti will have the Lakers ready to go.

[ZedLeppelin]

It's a hockey weekend at home for Penn State, taking on Mercyhurst at Pegula Ice Arena at 6:00 PM (Eastern) on Saturday and 2:00 PM (Eastern) on Sunday. Both games will be streamed live on the BTN+ network and will require a $ub$cription. Good news on that - a $9.95 monthly Penn State school pass will get you both of this weekend's Mercyhurst games, as well as both games against Robert Morris on February 5-6 at Pegula. Also, since there will be a three-week break for Penn State after the Robert Morris series, that would be the time for getting to make up at least one of the postponed RIT series, so if that happens and it's also played at Pegula, you'd get that with the monthly pass, too. Not bad for $9.95.

Getting a read on Mercyhurst for this weekend isn't happening. They are 3-2-1, but have had 5 of their 12 scheduled games postponed so far, so there's no telling where they're at in their start-stop-start-stop season. They went 3-1 with RIT and 1-1 with Robert Morris. The End.

Penn State has been luckier and gotten 8 games in and only 2 postponed, and they've worked hard with those opportunities. They earned their first national ranking in program history, and freshman Kiara Zanon was named the National Rookie of the Month in December, and leads all other freshmen nationally in points per game. The good news for Penn State is that this isn't a "one or two hotshot players" show - this is a team with talent all over the roster. The freshman class gets most of the attention, but they earn it, and they push the rest of the roster. Penn State is faster than they've ever been, they finally capitalize on scoring chances, they have a solid goalie in freshman Josie Bothun, and the defense (which was already tough) is still tough but even more offensively minded, too. Jeff Kampersal had a lot of work to do to redefine this program's style of play, but it's finally coming together, and it's fun to watch.

This weekend vs Mercyhurst will be a great test for Penn State, and should be some really good hockey to watch.

[zambonidriver]

daily collegian preview of this weekend https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports...31e94d5b0.html

[ZedLeppelin]

John Buccigross has put out his "Women's Cawlidge Hawkey" Top 11 poll (spoiler alert: he has Penn State at #8)

https://twitter.com/Buccigross/statu...52087079985152

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State has moved up to #9 in this week's USCHO poll: https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-i-womens-poll/

[ZedLeppelin]

The CHA podcast this week features a talk with junior defender Jessica Adolfsson:

https://twitter.com/CHAWomensHockey/...49366678433793

[ZedLeppelin]

Man, what a season. Hurst has so far played 4 games...all against the Covid struggling (it appears) RIT.

I see upthread Penn State is ranked in the USCHO poll. Is this their first time ranked? Nice job either way. Great for the CHA.

RIT has had a rough time this season, and I think part of it was in working with New York state guidelines for winter sports and Covid, at least at the start of the season. Mid-November they were cancelling the season, and a week later changed their mind. Up to that point they hadn't had any Covid-positive players, but I'm pretty sure that's changed since then. I hope Penn State gets to work the RIT series back into the schedule at some point.

Mercyhurst has had a rougher time having to deal with Covid issues, for sure, and only getting four games on the books (not counting the Adrian exhibition game). It's got to be hard for players to get geared up for a game and then have it postponed, and have to restart prep for the next one and hope it goes to an actual game...ugh. This was going to be their year for hosting the national tournament, too, and who knows if that's going to happen now?

Yes, this is the first time Penn State is ranked nationally, so it's a good time for this program. There's no reason why they can't move up in the rankings, either. This year's freshmen are Jeff Kampersal's first recruiting class at Penn State, and he picked a good group. If they are any indication of his recruiting, Penn State is on a good path moving forward.

[Lindsay]

Two CHA series scheduled for this weekend have been postponed due to Covid...Penn State v RIT and Lindenwood v Syracuse. Does anyone know CHA guidelines regarding Covid? Infected players have to sit out for 2 weeks? 3 weeks? 3 consecutive days of negative test results for non-infected players?

Man, what a season. Hurst has so far played 4 games...all against the Covid struggling (it appears) RIT.

I see upthread Penn State is ranked in the USCHO poll. Is this their first time ranked? Nice job either way. Great for the CHA.

[ZedLeppelin]

Penn State has updated its schedule after the postponement of the back-to-back series with RIT. Now, the home series against Mercyhurst, originally scheduled for February 12-13, will be played on January 21-22.

https://gopsusports.com/news/2021/1/...e-changes.aspx

[Rightnut]

CHA Return to Play Plan: https://ritathletics.com/documents/2...21.pdf?id=4299
Penn State has their own set of rules in the document (presumably because Big 10 has stricter rules than other conferences), but for Penn State, no one who tested positive can travel to, or play against Penn State for 14 days.




Unsure, but RIT hosted Lindenwood for 2 games last weekend, so it's hard not to wonder if someone tested negative, but still spread COVID between the teams...

2 RIT players tested positive so Lindenwood has to quarantine. No word that there are any Lindenwood positives as a result but those are the protocols.

[ARM]

It would be a stretch to put Penn State on the same level as Wisconsin (or Minnesota), but I think it's also a big stretch to say Penn State couldn't compete with any WCHA team. I think they could compete with any of them outside of maybe the top three, and even then I'd still love to watch them play those three, too.

Penn State would have a decent chance against Minnesota. If you're not at the Gophers' level, they are perfectly capable of playing down a few levels to make you feel like you can win. Minnesota has more potential offensively, but can still go long stretches without putting any pucks into a net.

If the Nittany Lions were in the WCHA this year, I sincerely doubt that they'd finish last. RIT and Lindenwood look to be a bit behind the rest of the CHA, but I imagine the top four in that league would be respectable playing a WCHA schedule.

[mar7967]

Two CHA series scheduled for this weekend have been postponed due to Covid...Penn State v RIT and Lindenwood v Syracuse. Does anyone know CHA guidelines regarding Covid? Infected players have to sit out for 2 weeks? 3 weeks? 3 consecutive days of negative test results for non-infected players?

CHA Return to Play Plan: https://ritathletics.com/documents/2...21.pdf?id=4299
Penn State has their own set of rules in the document (presumably because Big 10 has stricter rules than other conferences), but for Penn State, no one who tested positive can travel to, or play against Penn State for 14 days.

What's going on out there?

Unsure, but RIT hosted Lindenwood for 2 games last weekend, so it's hard not to wonder if someone tested negative, but still spread COVID between the teams...

[D2D]

What's going on out there?

[ZedLeppelin]

Two CHA series scheduled for this weekend have been postponed due to Covid...Penn State v RIT and Lindenwood v Syracuse. Does anyone know CHA guidelines regarding Covid? Infected players have to sit out for 2 weeks? 3 weeks? 3 consecutive days of negative test results for non-infected players?

The January 22-23 series against RIT has also now been postponed: https://twitter.com/RITWHKY/status/1349520666006085632