No. 12 Penn State women’s hockey boasts talent on both sides of the puck. Here’s a look at the team

Playing seven ranked games in the first 10 contests of the year is no simple task, but that’s exactly what Penn State women’s hockey did.

The No. 12 Nittany Lions went 5-4-1 through those matchups, kicking off their season with a dominant win over No. 3 Wisconsin — which is still their only loss thus far. The blue and white was blown out 9-1 the next day, but the end result, a split with the third-ranked team in the nation, was positive nonetheless.

Since then, Penn State was shut out by No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, won convincingly against Saint Lawrence, was swept by No. 6 Colgate in heartbreaking fashion, took three standings points from No. 14 Boston College and secured its first series sweep against Franklin Pierce.

Earning his 400th career collegiate hockey win in his team’s win against Boston College on Oct. 14, head coach Jeff Kampersal leads a top-heavy, yet talented unit in the 2022-23 season after setting a program record for wins over two seasons during the past couple of campaigns.

A look at the forwards

Up until the team’s most recent series against the Ravens, in which it outscored them 10-1, Penn State’s goal scoring was fueled heavily by two forwards, freshman Tessa Janecke and junior Kiara Zanon.

In that dominant series win, a multitude of attacking players found the board for the first time in the young season, including senior Eleri MacKay and juniors Olivia Wallin and Maeve Connolly.

“They’ve been around the net like all season, it’s nice to see them get their first ones,” Kampersal said. “I do think we have a lot of depth.”

Janecke and Zanon still had a significant role, though, tallying two goals a piece despite the team’s more balanced scoring attack. On the year, the duo sits first and second on the team in points and goals, with the first-year phenom leading the way with six goals and the third-year co-captain pacing the unit with 10 points — both of which are tops in the CHA as well.

To this point, Janecke’s six tallies rank seventh in the nation among freshmen, making her one of the most prolific first-year scorers in Division I. What truly stands out about her, though, is her ability to skate and her willingness to block pucks.

Janecke’s speed on the ice stands out and her dedication to defense likely makes her one of the best complete young players in the country. The Orangeville, Illinois, native is tied for third on the team in blocked shots with 13, only sitting behind two veteran defenders.

While Janecke must continue to prove herself, former All-American Zanon is already one of the greatest players in program history. After following up a historic freshman year with an astounding 39-point campaign, the junior forward is off to another hot start.

Rounding out the group is senior Courtney Correia, who’s played more of a distributing role outside of a hat trick performance against Saint Lawrence, and current two-goal scorers senior Julie Gough and junior Alyssa Machado, who each contributed to the drubbing of Franklin Pierce.

Scoring 2.70 goals per game so far, Penn State ranks 15th in the nation in scoring offense and is tied for 17th in scoring margin. While a balanced attack should help it when the unit’s top players eventually have off nights, the blue and white’s offense should continue to run through its dynamic duo.

On the special teams end, sophomore forward Mya Vaslet leads the conference in faceoff win percentage, securing a staggering 86.7% of her draws for the blue and white. Vaslet leads a Penn State unit that also ranks first among the five squads in the CHA in the same category.

Continuing to dominate in the faceoff circle is one of the best ways for the blue and white to control puck possession and keep the puck out of its d-zone.

A look at the defenders

Defensively, the blue and white is led by seniors co-captain Mallory Uihlein and Rene Gangarosa.

Uihlein entered her fourth season with the squad fifth in program history by points by a defender and has a solid chance to break her collegiate high in points of 19, which she set last year. Her counterpart Gangarosa is the best two-way blueliner on the team. Third in the conference in blocked shots, the New Yorker is also second among Penn State defenders in points, with five thus far.

Outside of Gangarosa, the Nittany Lions boast four other defensive pieces with 10-plus blocked shots already — in junior Lyndie Lobdell, sophomore Karley Garcia, freshman Kendall Butze and senior Izzy Heminger. The efforts of these backliners, in addition to those of the rest of the squad, have Penn State first in the CHA in total blocked shots.

Joining Uihlein as the only defenders with a positive plus-minus through 10 games, is Butze. Tied for second on the team in assists, with four so far, the young blue and white skater will — in all likelihood — earn a spot alongside Janecke on the conference all-freshman team. The two freshmen standouts will lead Penn State’s core in Happy Valley for years to come.

Lobdell and Heminger are reliable veteran defenders that can contribute offensively but will mostly make their mark in the defensive zone.

A look at the goalies

Backending up the defensive group is one of the best goaltenders in the nation.

Junior Josie Bothun is the starter in net for the blue and white for a third consecutive year and picked up right where she left off over the past couple of seasons.

Penn State’s head coach recognized the cheat code that is his starting goaltender.

“Hopefully we’re not making mistakes, but we know if we do that Josie is back there to help,” Kampersal said.

Bothun holds the second-highest goals-against average and save percentage in the conference through nine starts, even with an outlier contest in which she surrendered five goals in a little over 47 minutes of ice time.

Heading into the campaign, Bothun was already Penn State’s all-time leader in wins and shutouts, and she’s added to those numbers early in the year; Bothun has four wins and a shutout thus far.

In the second spot on the depth chart sits freshman Katie DeSa, who’s made two appearances in her career. Each appearance was drastically different, with the first coming in relief in the blowout loss to Wisconsin — a game in which DeSa lasted less than three minutes on the ice after taking over for Bothun, surrendering three goals in her first collegiate game.

The second game went much better for DeSa, who surrendered one goal in her first career start in the Nittany Lions’ 4-1 win over Franklin Pierce.

Rounding out the group is junior Annie Spring, who relieved the freshman goalie against Wisconsin for her only 10 minutes of play this year. In her two-plus year career, Spring has appeared in just four games for the blue and white.

While there’s talent at every level, Penn state has shown signs of inconsistency outside of a select few players on the roster.

Finding that consistency once conference play kicks off will be key for a team looking to secure a second CHA title in the past three years.

The team will next play Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri, on Friday and Saturday and is back at Pegula Ice Arena on Nov. 4-5.