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2020-21 Penn State Nittany Lions

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.
 
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 said:
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.
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I assume it's across the board at Penn State to meet Big10 rules, which are likely more strict. Syracuse has different requirements too...
 
Reddington said:
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.
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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.
 
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).
 
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.
 
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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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
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
 
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ZedLeppelin said:
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
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Spot on with your assessment. I like what I have seen thus far out of this team. The freshmen are transitioning well to D1 play and are contributing out of the gate. Jeff's recruiting acumen is on display and supported with their current record. It is a solid squad, top to bottom, with contributions from all classes. I was concerned at the start of the season given the void of veteran leadership with the significant roster changes. That does not appear to be an issue. Their aggressive play, relentless pressure, and solid goalkeeping only bodes well for the future. You referenced the penalties. I am sure this has been a topic of discussion. They took 4 in the first period of Sunday's game and none for the balance of play. Nice to see that they cleaned that up and steadied the ship to put themselves in position to comeback and secure the tie. The team has to keep working hard, bring in top notch talent with each recruiting class and win consistently within the CHA as they position themselves to challenge NCAA powerhouses for championships.
 
Reddington said:
Victoria K needs to get the Nuutinen attention.
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You got that right - Victoria Klimek has played five games for Syracuse and has four goals and two assists...on thirteen shots (she had nine goals in all of last season). Not a bad way to start her senior year. Speaking of Nuutinen, specifically her alma mater Mercyhurst, you have to feel for them getting virused out of a chance to play even a single game yet this season. Syracuse already has five games under their belt, Penn State has four, and Mercyhurst hasn't played. I really hope at the end of this sorta-season, the CHA doesn't try to come up with a pretend conference "champion".
 
Yes, hoping the Hurst can get a couple games in soon. Issue last weekend was RIT COVID tests, but I think they are supposed to play this weekend
 
How is Mercyhurst Looking? I know you still have Dobson, Thiessen and Vasko. I can't believe Vasko is already a senior! Time flies. Nuutinen and Robillard had great senior years, it is to bad that the NCAA's were cancelled last year as those Seniors had Moxy.
 
From the Mercyhurst press release
https://www.notreallymercyhurst.edu/fakenews.html

Mercyhurst puts its unbeaten streak on the line this week in a home-and-home series against RIT. "I don't want to jinx it," said Lakers head coach Michael Sisti, "but bringing an undefeated record into the Christmas break would be just like the old days."

Meanwhile, the hapless Tigers are struggling to find their first win of the season under first-year head coach Celeste Brown. "At this point, we'd settle for a tie," said Brown. "You get a point for a tie, right? I'm pretty sure."

Game times are 3 p.m. Thursday in Rochester and 3 p.m. Friday at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
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