Feb. 28, 2018
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Three members of the Penn State women's hockey team received College Hockey America (CHA) regular season honors, as announced by the conference at the annual Kick-Off Banquet at the Lexus Club in the KeyBank Center Wednesday night.
For the Nittany Lions, Natalie Heising (Maple Grove, Minn.) was named the CHA Rookie of the Year, named to the all-rookie team and the all-conference second team. Along with Heising, Kelsey Crow (Minnetonka, Minn.) garnered all-conference first team plaudits and Hannah Ehresmann (Minnetonka, Minn.) was tabbed with all-conference second team honors. In addition to the individual awards, the Nittany Lions won the team sportsmanship award.
Heising, a freshman forward, becomes the first Nittany Lion to be named the CHA Rookie of the Year. On the year, Heising has netted 26 points on 17 goals and nine assists. She tallied 14 goals in CHA play, which set the conference record for goals in CHA action by a freshman.
Among CHA freshmen, Heising ranks first in points (26), goals (17), shots (125), and is tied for fourth in assists (nine). She also leads the entire CHA in power play goals (10) and power play points (15).
Crow, a junior defenseman, becomes the second Nittany Lion, and first Penn State defenseman to be named to the all-conference first team. On the year, Crow has tallied 14 points on four goals and 10 assists. In 2017-18, Crow has recorded a career-best year in goals (four), assists (10), and points (14).
Ehresmann, a senior goalie, receives her first all-conference award with a spot on the second team. During her senior year, Ehresmann has posted a record of 8-9-9, a save percentage of .930, a goals-against average of 1.75, and has three shutouts to her name. Among CHA goaltenders, Ehresmann ranks third in save percentage and goals-against average.
For the fifth-straight season, the Nittany Lions captured the CHA Team Sportsmanship Award, given to the team that is assessed the least amount penalty minutes during conference play. In CHA play during the regular season, the Nittany Lions recorded 170 penalty minutes.