Penn State looks to polish up challenges as team gets set to face No. 9 UConn

The No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions are set to make a short road trip east to face off against the No. 9 University of Connecticut Huskies for their first away series of the year.

The blue and white are coming off a series split against Northeastern that featured good signs for what to expect throughout the season.

Specifically, Kaite DeSa has displayed stellar performance between the pipes.

“Katie came up big,” head coach Jeff Kampersal said. “There were some breakdowns…but Katie completely bailed us out.”

She only allowed three goals on 35 shots throughout the series and took away key chances while Northeastern was on the attack. It will be important for DeSa to continue this dominant playstyle in order to defend against this top-10 team.

Penn State also showcased a great performance while down a player.

Despite going to the box nine times, the Nittany Lions only conceded one power play goal and even managed to score a shorthanded goal that ultimately won game two of the series.

However, Kampersal wants to see more discipline. He wants to keep it under four penalties per game with zero coming from the offense.

“At this moment, we need to work smarter in terms of what we’re doing,” he said.

Tessa Janecke accounts for three of the team’s penalties.

Many teams like to “beat on her” and Kampersal wants her to give it back.

“I don’t really get to give it back to them because usually the hand will go up,” she said.

However, she needs to be careful because of who she is.

“She’s bigger, stronger, and probably faster than probably anyone in college hockey,” Kampersal said.

He adds that Janecke needs to “figure out who her opponents are and adjust accordingly,” so she doesn’t take retaliatory penalties.

The team's offense also fell flat, especially on the power play.

Northeastern was penalized eight times throughout the series, but the Nittany Lions failed to convert on the man advantage.

The Huskies, similar to Northeastern, have a strong defense and are working with a great penalty kill. Last year, they held opponents to just nine goals on 75 opportunities (0.120%) which doesn’t help the Nittany Lions.

Finding ways to penetrate UConn’s defense has been a focal point for Penn State this week.

Kampersal’s game plan is to keep it simple on the power play, which wasn't the case in the first series.

“That puck needs to be constantly moving,” he said. “Hopefully get them out of shape…and then bury the chances that you get.”

UConn doesn’t take many penalties, so it’ll be important for Penn State to capitalize when given the opportunity.

The Huskies are currently winless after two close losses to No. 2 Minnesota and are hungry for their first win of the season. They are likely going to be aggressive and come out hot.

UConn has the better of Penn State overall, with a 4-0-3 record dating back to 2015. However, these games have always been close and have been no more than a two-goal differential.

These two teams will face off in a weekend series on Oct. 4 and 5 with puck drop scheduled for 3 p.m. Viewers can watch on ESPN+.

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