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2020-21 Penn State Nittany Lions

Takeaways from Lindenwood series.
1. Trap weekend and learning experience. Play seemed sloppy and disjointed.
2. Powerplay needs to get better. Spend way to much time on the perimeter. Need to get greasy goals. Too much talent to be this inefficient on the PP.
3. I noticed for the first time a little to much individual play trying to do to much.
4. On the positive a tie seemed like a loss.
5. Have to stay out of the box.(two offensive zone penalties Saturday)
6. PK was really good minus the two breakdowns on Saturday.
Just a bump in the road.
 
zambonidriver said:
Takeaways from Lindenwood series.
1. Trap weekend and learning experience. Play seemed sloppy and disjointed.
2. Powerplay needs to get better. Spend way to much time on the perimeter. Need to get greasy goals. Too much talent to be this inefficient on the PP.
3. I noticed for the first time a little to much individual play trying to do to much.
4. On the positive a tie seemed like a loss.
5. Have to stay out of the box.(two offensive zone penalties Saturday)
6. PK was really good minus the two breakdowns on Saturday.
Just a bump in the road.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's good for such a young team on such a good ride to get knocked down at least once, just to keep them grounded and focused. Penn State isn't the first ranked team to not win what should have been a winnable game. Actually, it may end up being a good thing by motivating them to tighten things up and play the way they've played all season. Your point about individual effort was exactly what I thought while I was watching the game - all kinds of individual work that wasn't connecting with anyone else, and a lot of trying just a little too hard to force a play. They're freshmen...they were probably bound to have a game like yesterday's game.

The penalty kill has been good, but I wish they didn't have to play it so often. Penn State historically has been a disciplined team, and this team would do well to continue that tradition. The powerplay can't get better until they get more time playing it than they spend killing penalties. Yesterday was a hard game for that, though, when refs are as bad as this crew was. I was wondering how many times Rachel Weiss was going to have to be checked and dropped before someone got called for it, but it (and lots of others) never got called. I guess chalk it up as a learning experience, especially in the CHA, where every game is chippy and physical. You know they're already looking to next weekend at home against Robert Morris, and they'll learn from yesterday.
 
This is not the first time Asplundh has had a good game against PSU.

Lindenwood took it to PSU in first two minutes of first game before PSU scored two quick ones and Lindenwood just never recovered.

Penalties cost PSU the second game since Lindenwood only scored on pp.

D to D passing in offensive zone was non-existent. Can't remember the exact details, but at least twice faceoffs were won in the offensive zone directly back to strong side d and it was not moved cross ice to weak side d. That's hockey 101 there.

PSU was lucky to be tied going into ot, yet Lindenwood was lucky to end up with the tie in ot.

The whole plane trip thing comes into play with so many new players on the team.

The CHA regular season title is on the line next weekend.



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The remainder of Penn State's schedule looks like this:

Feb. 5-6 (Friday/Saturday) vs Robert Morris (at Penn State)
Feb. 9-10 (Tuesday/Wednesday) vs RIT (at Penn State)
Feb. 19-20 (Friday/Saturday) vs RIT (at RIT)
Feb. 26-27 (Friday/Saturday) vs Mercyhurst (at Mercyhurst)

And, for some reason, the CHA schedule has Penn State set for a March 3 (Wednesday) single game against an opponent to be determined, the day before the CHA tournament begins - I have no idea what that's all about, unless Penn State ends the season one game short of everyone else, and this is to determine a regular season champion with everyone having played an equal amount of conference games.
 
I just looked at the rankings, yes I think PSU was poised to move up, but I am surprised at some of the rankings and RMU now only has 6 votes when they had 10 votes the week before. So who knows. Some surprises elsewhere too.
 
Reddington said:
I just looked at the rankings, yes I think PSU was poised to move up, but I am surprised at some of the rankings and RMU now only has 6 votes when they had 10 votes the week before. So who knows. Some surprises elsewhere too.
Click to expand...

Penn State dropped a spot to #9 in the USA Today poll, and that was kind of surprising - dropping a spot because of a tie? Oh, well...trying to figure out how voters choose rankings, especially after the top three or four, is probably not worth the trouble, but I still think Penn State is at least #8.

zambonidriver said:
Mercyhusrst beats RMU 4-2 https://rmucolonials.com/sports/wome.../boxscore/8604
Click to expand...

Ouch...Robert Morris had a chance to take over first place in the CHA. Well, Penn State thanks you, Mercyhurst. Looking at the penalty summary of that game looks like a typical CHA game: body checking, elbowing, roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct. It makes me wonder if that's why a CHA team can't get farther in the national tournament. That style of pounding an opponent might win you a CHA title, but the national title goes to the speedy skill teams.
 
Was RMU looking past Mercyhurst to get to Penn State? RMU and Mercyhurst are no gimmes and will test the true metal of PSU. The CHA has not been that physical this year although the second Lindenwood game may have been a wake up call on more to come. Familiarity breeds contempt.
 
It's still four weeks out until the CHA tournament, but this weekend against Robert Morris is huge for Penn State. They are currently one point ahead of Robert Morris for the CHA lead, and this is the final series between the #1 and #2 teams, and the final chance to take points from them. Going by the schedules that each CHA team has posted, the regular season isn't going to end with all teams having played an equal number of conference games, so I don't know how that will affect official final standings (I guess every stat about this season will end with an asterisk and a "yeah, but..."). After this weekend, Penn State plays four in a row against RIT, and then finishes the season in a two-game series at Mercyhurst.

Hats off to the CHA for getting each team as close as they are to the usual 20-game conference schedule. Unless the CHA manages to squeeze some odd mid-week games in here or there, this is how each team will finish for conference game totals: Penn State and Robert Morris - 20, RIT - 19, Lindenwood - 18, Mercyhurst - 17, and Syracuse - 16. That's pretty good in a season that almost didn't even happen, and was still dealing with Covid throughout.

As usual, since it's not the final 10 seconds of the regular season in the CHA, the standings aren't even close to being settled. Penn State, Mercyhurst, Syracuse, and Lindenwood all have 8 CHA games left to play, Robert Morris has 7, and RIT has 9. That's how the schedules look right now, but there could be a short notice mid-week game snuck in there for somebody, too.

Tonight's game vs Robert Morris is at 6:00 (Eastern).

BTN+ video link (subscription required): https://www.btnplus.com/game/robert-morris-at-penn-st-on-02052021?tid=19

Live stats link: http://pennstate.sidearmsports.com/sidearmstats/whockey/summary
 
Penn State and Robert Morris are scoreless after the first period. Penn State took the only penalty. Penn State leads the shots on goal 13-8. Robert Morris came to play, and started the game in control, but Penn State slowly started finding their groove. Both teams have had good chances, but both goalies have been on point so far.
 
After two periods it's tied up 1-1, on a Penn State goal from Olivia Wallin. Both teams took a penalty, but only Robert Morris had anything resembling a powerplay. Penn State's powerplay was embarrassing, just non-existent. Robert Morris owned the first half of the period, but Penn State took it back for the second half. Robert Morris's goalie made some huge saves in that period, and so did Josie Bothun. This one is tight, but Penn State is waking up. Shots on goal are 24-22 for Penn State.
 
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Penn State takes the 2-1 win against Robert Morris to go to 10-1-2 on the season, and go three points ahead of Robert Morris for first place in the CHA. Both goalies had outstanding games. The shots on goal were 30-28 for Penn State, and there were only three penalties the whole game. Penn State has now beaten Robert Morris three times in a row this season, but this was a very even game. Tomorrow should be more of the same - game time is 2:00 (Eastern).
 
This win is huge for Penn State because I don't think anyone else in the CHA is going to take points away from Robert Morris the rest of this season, except maybe Mercyhurst. Those two have gone 1-1-1 so far, with one more game to play against each other. Penn State has to take tomorrow's points from Robert Morris and set things up for themselves.
 
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