Penn State falls 3-1 in close-knit matchup against Northeastern

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As the 2023-24 championship banner was unveiled, the Penn State Nittany Lions had a vision for a three-peat.

Head coach Jeff Kampersal stressed the importance of starting the season off hot which didn't quite happen.

“It’s frustrating,” Kampersal said. “After Robbie (Katelyn Roberts) scored, we didn't keep our foot on the pedal.”

Kampersal thinks part of this could be because the team didn't prepare effectively.

“I’m not looking for perfection, obviously, in the opener,” Kampersal said, “but for habits, they aren’t great.”

The No. 12 Nittany Lions struggled to capitalize on the man advantage, going 0/7 on the power play, which helped the No. 13 Northeastern Huskies top Penn State 3-1 in the season opener at Pegula Ice Arena.

“In moments like this, it's kind of just getting people to believe in themselves,” forward Tessa Janecke said when asked about her leadership on the team.

The Nittany Lions got out to an early 1-0 lead eight minutes into the game after Janecke won a face-off in Northestern’s zone. She shoveled the puck back to Roberts who corralled it and netted it to the right of Paige Taborski.

“I would like her to shoot all the time,” Kamperdal said. “Robbie’s like a very unselfish human and she needs to be more selfish and rip when she has it (puck).”

Less than a minute later, the Huskies tied the game. Jaden Bogden skated up the right wing in a three-on-two scenario and sauced a pass over to Skylar Irving. She held the puck for a second before squeezing it past the shoulder of Katie Desa.

The scoring didn't pick up until Northeastern made great work of a 5-on-3 powerplay halfway through the second period. Lily Shannon had a quick back-and-forth play with Lily Yovetich and found a hole over Desa’s left shoulder to take a 2-1 lead.

Penn State spent the entire third period trying to put the puck past Taborski. While they generated plenty of chances, the offense just couldn't find a way to find the back of the net. Their closest opportunity came when Kendall Butze bounced one off the post.

Northeastern added an empty net goal to ensure their victory.

These two teams will face off again on Sept. 27 for their second game of the series. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. EST.

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