Mercyhurst faceoff violation give Penn State back-to-back goals in Friday’s victory

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - One penalty can change an entire game. This was the case in Friday night’s matchup where No. 15 Penn State hosted the first of a two-game series against Mercyhurst and came out on top 4-0.

Mercyhurst seemed to lead the control of the game, keeping the puck in their attacking zone for much of the first ten minutes.

But the pace of play changed with a Mercyhurst faceoff violation. Senior forward Chantal Ste-Croix was sent to the penalty box and the Nittany Lions would go on a crucial power play.

Lyndie Lobdell got the job done, sending the puck into the back of the net with the assists by Alva Johnsson and Karley Garcia. The power-play goal gave the blue and white the advantage.

This was Lobdell’s fourth goal of the season, with two of her previous goals coming from the Penn State vs. Lindenwood series the weekend before.

The Nittany Lions entered the series ranked eighth in the NCAA for power play percentage, at .245.

Penn State kept the pressure up and scored not even 40 seconds later. Maddy Christian brought the crowd to their feet with her attack and Penn State would lead 2-0 just 14 minutes into the game.

Christian was ecstatic and said the team builds each other up after every period.

“The vibes are awesome. There’s positivity from everyone…let’s keep going,” she said.

The second period was relatively quiet until Brianna Brooks scored the unassisted goal with just over a minute left to play. This was her third goal in two games.

Although it was cold in Pegula, Penn State started off hot. Just 16 seconds after regaining full strength, sophomore Tessa Janecke squeezed the puck into the net for her 14th goal of the season.

Janecke leads the Nittany Lions in goals (14), assists (30) and points (44).

Penn State ended up winning 4-0 and goalie Katie DeSa would earn her second career shutout. Her first came on Jan. 20t against Syracuse.

DeSa is filling in for senior goaltender Josie Bothun who will miss the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury.

In regards to DeSa, Penn State head coach Jeff Kampersal feels confident that the team is in good hands.

“She’s taken advantage of her opportunity and hopefully we’re supportive as a team in front of her and do our best to play well,” he said.

With the Nittany Lions sitting on top of the CHA and the Lakers in slot two, this weekend is an important series to determine number one in the conference.

Looking ahead, the top two teams in the CHA will host a home playoff series, but the top team could host their entire time in the CHA tournament.

With the win, Penn State improves to 17-11-1 and Mercyhurst falls to 14-14-1.

It was also the Nittany Lions’ “Wear Pink” game in honor of breast cancer awareness. Coach Kampersal joined the Penn State fans in wearing a pink jacket to show his support.

Allie Wenskoski is a second-year broadcast journalism student. To contact her, please email amw7637@psu.edu.