Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
5 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he expectations change when you've been to a Frozen Four for the first time ever, but the ex- pectations also change when you lose the most celebrated player in the history of your program. That was the conundrum facing Penn State heading into the 2026-27 wom- en's ice hockey season. After trending steadily upward for several seasons un- der coach Jeff Kampersal, the Nittany Lions broke through last winter, win- ning a program-record 33 games, reach- ing the Frozen Four and taking eventual national champion Wisconsin to the limit in the semifinals before falling 4-3 in overtime at Pegula Ice Arena. The Nittany Lions set a standard last season that future Penn State teams will be looking to build on, starting with the 2026-27 squad. But they'll be doing it without seven players who were drafted into the Professional Women's Hockey League, including forward Tessa Ja- necke, PSU's all-time points leader and a member of the U.S. team that won gold at the Milano Cortina Olympics in February. Janecke tied a Penn State record with 26 goals in her final collegiate season. Could the Nittany Lions sustain their progress without her and other key players like Katie DeSa, a three-year starter and two-time Atlantic Hockey America Goaltender of the Year? So far, the results have been encour- aging. After starting out at No. 4 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll, the highest preseason ranking in the pro- gram's 15-year history, the Nittany Li- ons opened by winning nine of their first 12 games, including a 7-1 mark in the AHA. Penn State had won seven in a row heading into its early-November break and was seventh in the USCHO rankings. Two of the three losses came on the season's opening weekend. Second- ranked Ohio State edged the Lions, 2-1 in overtime, on Sept. 24 and prevailed by an identical score the following night. Junior captain Grace Outwater, the AHA's Preseason Player of the Year, scored both of Penn State's goals against the Buckeyes. The narrow margins against last sea- son's Frozen Four runners-up were en- couraging, but the season opener also illustrated the work that lies ahead. Ohio State outshot Penn State 46-21 and killed all eight of the Lions' power plays. Outwater tied the score early in the third period, only to see the Buck- eyes end the game with a goal 46 sec- onds into overtime. Penn State responded by winning nine of its next 10 games, its lone de- feat during that stretch coming on the road against Syracuse, a 5-4 overtime decision on Oct. 9. The Lions answered with a 4-0 victory the following after- noon and later swept Lindenwood, St. Lawrence and the Rochester Institute of Technology. A strong freshman class has elevated Penn State's outlook this season. The Nittany Lions brought in seven fresh- men, and several have already made major contributions. Forward Sofia Ismael had totaled 6 goals and 10 as- sists through 12 games, earning AHA Forward of the Week honors in early October, while defender Megan Hos- man scored the tying goal in the third period against St. Lawrence on Oct. 24 and assisted on Outwater's goal with 31 seconds remaining in overtime, a tally that lifted PSU to a 2-1 victory. "It's definitely exciting," Kampersal told Onward State in October. "We felt like we had recruited one of the better classes. They're taking advantage of the opportunities given." Another first-year standout has been goaltender Morgan Stickney. A mem- ber of U.S. teams that competed at the U18 Women's World Championships the past two years, Stickney was the AHA's Rookie of the Month after win- ning five of six starts in September and October, with a pair of shutouts, a .926 COLD FUSION Newcomers combine with key returnees to elevate women's ice hockey team M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M OLYMPIC SPORTS Junior forward Grace Outwater was Penn State's leader with 8 goals through 12 games. PHOTO BY BEN BURRELL/ PENN STATE ATHLETICS