No. 4 Nittany Lions Traveling to Syracuse for Conference SeriesNo. 4 Nittany Lions Traveling to Syracuse for Conference Series

No. 4 Nittany Lions Traveling to Syracuse for Conference Series

Nittany Lions look to bounce back after first conference loss.

Opens in a new window Watch Live (Friday) Opens in a new window Watch Live (Saturday) Opens in a new window Live Stats Opens in a new window https://gopsusports.com/documents/25e61432-b9f4-4d8a-9c05-d66143206f68.pdf

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 4 Nittany Lions are back on the road this weekend, heading to Syracuse, N.Y. to face the Orange at Tennity Ice Pavilion as they continue the second half of conference play.

Friday’s game will begin at 6 p.m. while Saturday’s puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. and both games will be streamed on FloHockey.

No. 4 Penn State at Syracuse
Erie, Pa.

No. 4 Penn State at Syracuse

No. 4 Penn State
No. 4 Penn State

19-4-0 | 13-1-0 AHA

At
Syracuse
Syracuse

12-11-3 | 8-6-2 AHA

Tv: FloHockey

The Matchup

HISTORY

  • This is the 58th meeting between the two programs with Syracuse leading the all-time head-to-head with a record of 31-18-8.
  • The Orange have defeated the Nittany Lions more times than any other program.
  • Penn State has won the last seven meetings, with the streak starting on Jan. 20, 2024.
  • Over those seven games, PSU has outscored Syracuse 36-6.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE

  • Syracuse is 12-11-3 overall and 8-6-2 in AHA play, sitting at fourth in the conference.
  • Britni Smith is the head coach of the Orange in her fourth season.
  • She owns a record of 44-82-8 since taking the reins of the program.
  • Emma Gnade leads the Orange in points at 15 on eight goals and seven assists.
  • Ava Drabyk has started 23 games for Syracuse this season posting a .931 save percentage and 2.07 GAA with five shutouts.
Follow the Action

Follow the Action

Dates: January 16-17
Place: Tennity Ice Pavilion | Syracuse, N.Y.
Time: 6 p.m. | 3 p.m. 

PENN STATE IN THE POLLS

  • The Penn State Nittany Lions currently sit fourth in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey polls.
  • It is the highest ranking the program has achieved in either poll in its history.

DEFENSE TO OFFENSE

  • Penn State is currently second in the country in scoring defense and tied for fourth overall in scoring offense.
  • The Nittany Lions are scoring 4.3 goals per game while only allowing 1.4 goals per game, making for the fourth highest scoring margin in the nation.
  • PSU also has only allowed 20.2 shots on goal per game, which is the lowest in the nation.
  • The Nittany Lions also lead the nation in shorthanded goals with seven.
  • PSU makes up the entire top 10 in plus/minus rating in the AHA with Maddy Christian leading the way at +25.

ALL ON EYES ON KATIE

  • Senior goaltender Katie DeSa has been named to the HCA Goalie of the Year Watch List for the second straight season as announced by the HCA on Jan. 13.
  • DeSa has had another historic year in net after being named the AHA’s Goaltender of the Year a season ago.
  • She currently has a record of 16-2 which is the third most in the nation while posting seven shutouts which is the most nationally.
  • Her 1.36 GAA is second nationally and leads the AHA.

DOMINANCE IN THE DOT

  • The Nittany Lions are ranked second nationally in faceoff win percentage at 58.6 percent.
  • Tessa Janecke has won 281 faceoffs, good for fourth nationally in faceoff wins.
  • Her 67.1 win percentage leads the AHA while Matilde Fantin is second at 64.5 with 107 faceoff wins.

MILESTONE WATCH

  • Several veteran members of the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions are inching closer to break career program records.
  • Goaltender Katie DeSa is one shutout from breaking the program’s career shutout record, currently sitting at 20. She tied Josie Bothun ’24 in the Nittany Lions’ 1-0 win over Cornell on December 30.
  • Kendall Butze is one assist from passing Izzy Heminger for the most career assists by a defenseman, sitting at 65 currently.
  • She is also within eight points of breaking the program’s career points by a defenseman record which was set at 84 last season by Lyndie Lobdell.
  • Katelyn Roberts recently reached 90 points, inching closer to the century mark and becoming the sixth player in program history to reach the milestone.
PLAY FREE BIRD

PLAY FREE BIRD

  • Senior forward Tessa Janecke became the first Nittany Lion named to the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team as announced by USA Hockey last Friday.
  • Janecke is the second Nittany Lion ever to be named a women’s ice hockey Olympian, following Jessica Adolfsson ’21 who skated for Sweden in the 2022 Olympic games in Beijing.
  • The Orangeville, Ill. native enters the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics with significant international experience, having played in 38 games for the U.S. senior national team, scoring 13 goals and dishing 15 assists.
  • In last spring’s IIHF World Championships Gold Medal game, Janecke played the hero, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the United States over Canada.
HALL TO WEAR THE THREE CROWNS

HALL TO WEAR THE THREE CROWNS

  • This past Monday, Nicole Hall was named to Sweden’s Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey roster along with Nittany Lion alum Jessica Adolfsson ’21.
  • Hall becomes the third Nittany Lion named to an Olympic women’s ice hockey roster overall and second Swede.
  • The Stockholm native has played 15 games with the Swedish senior national team along with 38 games in U18, including being named captain for 2021-22 U18 World Championships.
  • Jessica Adolfsson ’21 has the most international experience of the three Nittany Lions heading to Milan with over 50 games played and skating in all five games for Sweden in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Follow the Nittany Lions

Follow the Nittany Lions

Get all of the latest updates on Penn State women's ice hockey by following @PennStateWHKY on Twitter, "liking" the Penn State Women's Ice Hockey page on Facebook and following @pennstatewhky on Instagram.