Penn State women’s hockey looks for pair of wins in home opener against UConn

Fall has finally arrived in Happy Valley and so has women’s hockey.

The Nittany Lions will make their Pegula Ice Arena debut for the 2023-24 campaign on Friday when they host the UConn Huskies.

The blue and white will kick off its weekend with a two-game homestand before it hits the road again in October.

In its first series this season, Penn State split against No. 5 Northeastern.

The Nittany Lions were unable to put any puck in the net in their first matchup, falling 1-0 to a lone goal from the Huskies’ Peyton Compton.

After its first shutout loss, the blue and white made sure to leave Boston on a high note, topping Northeastern in an upset win, 2-1.

Late third-period goals from Leah Stecker and Alyssa Machado put the Nittany Lions into the win column and high spirits upon returning to Happy Valley.

Despite the first loss, Penn State remains ranked, sitting at No. 10 in the USA Hockey Poll, as it battles a new pack of Huskies, this time from Connecticut.

UConn will open its season this weekend at Pegula Ice Arena, meeting the Nittany Lions for the sixth time in program history.

In all-time meetings, the Huskies lead the series 3-0-2 and the Nittany Lions have yet to secure a win, even on their home ice.

Since their first meeting in 2015 and last meeting in 2017, both rosters have changed and added depth.

Last season for the blue and white, Kiara Zanon, Tessa Janecke and Eleri MacKay were among the team leaders in points. However, there are big skates to fill since MacKay graduated and Zanon transferred to the national runner-up, Ohio State.

The Nittany Lions already have the much-needed leaders emerging in addition to sophomore Janecke, as seen from Stecker and Machado’s goals on the road.

Meanwhile, defensively, Maggie MacEachern has been a strong addition to the Penn State roster after her four years at Colgate. The graduate defender was named the CHA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Yet, the Huskies won’t go down without a fight.

Jada Habisch and Coryn Tormala will be UConn’s top competitors on the ice after leading their team in goals last season.

Habisch doubled her goals from her first season last year and is only going to continue to strive. The senior skater notched six game-winners in 2023 and will be looking for some this weekend.

The weakness for the Huskies might be between the posts. Goaltenders Megan Warrener and Tia Chan have a narrow margin of wins compared to Penn State’s Josie Bothun.

The navy and white have added freshman goaltender Shannon Moran since graduating MacKenzie Nicholas, who did not see any ice time.

Yet Chan’s 12-10 record from last season lingers as they face an aggressive and offensively-sound Nittany Lion roster.

Despite opposing schedules, last season Penn State finished ahead of UConn, with a winning record of 29-9-2, compared to the Huskies’ 18-13-4. Of the Nittany Lions’ losses, only four were on their home ice.

In addition to the defensive lineup, Pegula’s student section is just another obstacle UConn will have to face in its pair of games against the blue and white.

As the season heads back to Hockey Valley, expect another defensive season and weekend at home for Penn State.

Meghan Strange is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her email mgs5649@psu.edu.