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2021-22 Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State shuts out Mercyhurst for the 3-0 win on an empty-netter from Rene Gangarosa, and there could've been a couple more over the third period. Shots on goal were 37-14 for Penn State, which is a big stat against a Mercyhurst team that averages 30-something shots on goal per game. That's the kind of smothering defense Penn State played today. Penn State took two penalties and Mercyhurst took one, so the refs let them play. Ena Nystrom made some big saves for the Lakers, as did Josie Bothun for Penn State.

This is by far the most aggressive I've seen Penn State play, and I hope this is how they play the rest of the season. Gone were the little soft passes to nowhere and the playing around in the defensive zone...instead, they passed like they meant it, hit sticks with them, and broke out of the defensive zone like they haven't been doing. Also, the battles along the boards were epic, and finally Penn State decided to battle rather than sit back. This looked like Penn State from last season. A split on the road with Mercyhurst is always good, but this one is especially good with where both teams were at going into this series.
 
Enough of the breakout mumbo jumbo, as a team they had 14 blocks, held them to 14 shots, yesterday they had 9 blocks and held them to 19 shots. Bothun just needs to get hot and this could be the start. It used to be Penn State clearly went as Heising went, but now it is Bothun. If Bothun can get back to a .94 - .96 save percentage, PSU will be allright. Bedier and Gangarosa with first goals of the year. Since Gough can't seem to crack the first line, maybe either Heising or Zanon can join her on her line or how about both?
 
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Reddington said:
Enough of the breakout mumbo jumbo...
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I mention Penn State's breakout because, so far this season, I haven't seen them move up ice anything like they did today (and probably yesterday, but I didn't watch that one). Longer passes, harder passes, and more accurate passes all day today. That was a big problem for them before this weekend, so it was great to see them moving like that.

...as a team they had 14 blocks, held them to 14 shots, yesterday they had 9 blocks and held them to 19 shots.
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Blocked shots were huge and made a big difference. Mercyhurst ended up a good bit short of their average shots on goal.

Bothun just needs to get hot and this could be the start. It used to be Penn State clearly went as Heising went, but now it is Bothun. If Bothun can get back to a .94 - .96 save percentage, PSU will be alright.
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100% spot on - Bothun was off yesterday, for sure...that was her career high for goals given up. I think even Kampersal has said that this team goes as Bothun goes. She sure was on her game today, though, and she got a decent taste of the usual physical play from a CHA opponent (thought she was going to take a Jenna Brenneman swing at someone at one point).

Since Gough can't seem to crack the first line, maybe either Heising or Zanon can join her on her line or how about both?
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Heising, Zanon, and Wallin would be a tough line to break up, though. Wallin is a natural scorer when she has the chance to really shoot, but Gough has been finding ways to score a lot this season, too (last season, as well). For Kampersal, it's probably "six of one, half dozen of the other" with who gets the spot with Heising and Zanon...Wallin or ? Kampersal seems set on the second line of Dobson, Weiss, and Machado, all of whom play hard, and seem to have really good chemistry. And after those two lines, he's still got enough talent left over for two more good lines, with Julie Gough probably being the best of the bunch. He's got a deep roster, for sure, when Julie Gough can't be fit onto the first or second line. Having said all of that, I would love to see her play with Natalie Heising and Kiara Zanon.
 
Zed are you Dazed And Confused for so long it is not true? Gough was on the first line last year. With or without Zanon or Heising, Gough just produces and may just end up leading PSU in scoring.

I also recall a certain couple of posters getting on 26 last year and she does not certainly look weak with 13.

How about Dobson having all those shots in the first game? I think the journalist was spot on calling her a standout in game one.
 
Reddington said:
Zed are you Dazed And Confused for so long it is not true? Gough was on the first line last year. With or without Zanon or Heising, Gough just produces and may just end up leading PSU in scoring.

I also recall a certain couple of posters getting on 26 last year and she does not certainly look weak with 13.

How about Dobson having all those shots in the first game? I think the journalist was spot on calling her a standout in game one.
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I'm Dazed and Confused about what I had for breakfast this morning, much less about lineups more than a week old :)

I know I'm one who gets on #26 (Mallory Uihlein), but since she's started picking up her game I won't say anything, lest I be Trampled Under Foot for it.

Dobson is a worker...she might not get the goal, but she's the one who gets the play started with her hustle and work, and makes things happen.
 
Kampersal was a mastermind this weekend. Wallin doesn't play and he juggles the lines. He squeezed a goal out of Connolly who took Wallin's place. He also must have shortened the bench and moved Prommersberger up and got a goal out of her. Then, in the second game he gets a goal out of Bedier and an assist on a new line for her with Gough and Vaslet. Vaslet also had six shots the second game which I think is her high. Zanon was awesome on faceoffs and picked up two assists. I'm waiting for a Zanon explosion which is coming. She is a threat every time she steps on the ice. Bothun is such a competitor, good things are coming her way. She is capable of going on a hot streak like Thatcher Demko for Vancouver.
 
He’s a very good coach. You can see the strategy and game smarts and what it takes to be successful against different teams. He’ll keep having positive results to give his team confidence all season.
 
Sisto is the strategy king and now he has transformed his thinking on frosh and he is now getting serious production from frosh. That's quite the forward thinking for him. Six years ago Upson would not even be seeing the ice and it looks like she will be the rookie of the year I'm surprised he did not stick with his goalie platoon and went with Nystrom both games. She was a nice pick up from RPI when your other goalie transferred.
 
Penn State is back home this weekend for a CHA series against Lindenwood on Friday (6:00 Eastern) and Saturday (2:00 Eastern). Both games will be streamed on BTN+.

Lindenwood was off last weekend, after a series split with Syracuse the weekend before. Their last game was the 5-3 win over Syracuse. So far this season they've lost the non-conference games they weren't going to win anyway, to Wisconsin, St. Cloud, and Mankato, and then got the split with Syracuse, so who knows? Typically, you never know what you're going to get with Lindenwood. Sometimes they show up to play, and sometimes they don't, but it's usually always pretty chippy. They and Penn State are both 1-1 in CHA play.

I think if Penn State plays Lindenwood the way they played Mercyhurst, they should come away with a pretty healthy sweep - keep the pace flying, battle for pucks, crowd the net, shoot like crazy, and stay out of the penalty box. I don't know anything about Lindenwood strengths and weaknesses, but they're not leading the CHA in penalties so far, so maybe the coaches have tightened up on the chippiness...we'll see this weekend.
 
After one, it's Lindenwood up 2-0 on Penn State, with assists on both goals from the Penn State defense...good grief. Penn State had a sloppy first half of the period, but looked like they're not far off of their game in the second half, so better things should come. I know I harp on the defense and their puck handling, but it's cost Penn State two goals so far, so I'll keep talking about it until they fix it. Penn State has had good chances, so I think they'll settle down and start making things happen.
 
After two, it's still 2-0 Lindenwood up on Penn State. Shots on goal are 32-13 for Penn State. Lindenwood has three penalties, Penn State has two. Chemistry isn't there tonight, with Olivia Wallin not dressed for the game again, but that didn't matter last week in game two at Mercyhurst, so...who knows.
 
Penn State takes the win 5-3 over Lindenwood. Shots on goal were 50-19, and penalties were 6 for Lindenwood and 4 for Penn State. I don't know what happened to Lindenwood at the start of the third period, or what Penn State came out thinking, but three Penn State goals in four minutes pretty much knocked the wind out of Lindenwood. Jeff Kampersal shuffled the top line during the game, putting Alyssa Machado with Natalie Heising and Kiera Zanon, and she got one of the goals, so maybe that's a good mix. As always, Amy Dobson was solid, and she did get an assist, but I wish she got more good scoring chances for all the work she puts in.

A win is a win, in spite of the first two periods, so hopefully whatever Penn State changed for the third period will carry over to tomorrow's game.
 
Kampersal must have given quite the inspirational talk between the 2nd and 3rd periods PSU just needs to put the shutout in game two against Mercy Hurst and 5 goals in one period in the same game. Ten different players with a point and the Captain with 3. A game PSU can't lose and they didn't.


Zed keep on posting all your links.
 
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