DeSa stands strong in Penn State’s 2-0 victory against Dartmouth

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It was a goalie showdown between the No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions and the Dartmouth Big Green.

Junior Katie DeSa and freshman Michaela Hesová remained solid between the pipes stopping every shot they faced. That was all until Nicole Hall scored the game-winning goal for the Nittany Lions to top Dartmouth, 2-0 at Pegula Ice Arena.

“I thought we were solid for 60 minutes,” head coach Jeff Kampersal said, “especially when we scored the first goal, we poured it [pressure] on.”

DeSa remained perfect in net and saved all 15 shots to receive her first shutout of the year.

Through her six starts, she hasn’t faced all that many shots. Although, she’s always prepared for them.

“To be mentally prepared for those opportunities to come, it’s really important,” Kampersal said. “She stayed mentally sharp through 60 minutes.”

DeSa adds how important it is to take one shot at a time.

“[I’m] trying to keep it fun and light and just make sure I track every puck and go from there and watch the minutes tick down,” she said.

The Nittany Lions dominated first period possession, managing to keep the puck in the offensive zone for a majority of the period even while shorthanded. They ripped nine shots on net yet they couldn't get the puck past Hesová.

Penn State had an early opportunity in the second to put the puck past Hesová, but the post ruined that chance.

The Big Green followed that with an offensive surge and generated multiple opportunities of their own. DeSa stood tall and saved each chance she faced to keep the game tied through two periods.

Part of that stems from the Nittany Lions being tired.

“We just need to be better at communicating,” Kapersal said. “Like pin pucks against the wall just to kill a little more time so we can get help.”

He adds that icing the puck would’ve also helped rotate the lines and bring fresh players into the game.

Hesová, who seemed unbreakable, finally broke eight minutes into the third period after Hall scored the first goal of the game. She stickhandled the puck from backhand to forehand beside the cage and put it top shelf past Hesová.

Penn State continued to play strong throughout the rest of the period and added an empty net goal by Tessa Janecke to secure the victory for the Nittany Lions.

These two teams will be back at Pegula tomorrow at 2 p.m. to face off for Game 2 of the series, which will be the annual Pink Game. After the game, there will be a post-game skate with the Nittany Lions.

Carlin Whalen is a fourth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cjw6426@psu.edu.