From The Times of Northwest Indiana
The Purdue Northwest ACHA D1 women’s hockey team battled through a pair of road contests at Penn State over the weekend, falling 5-3 Saturday before dropping a 3-1 decision Sunday as the Lions continued their inaugural season.
The basics
Records: Purdue Northwest (1-3), Penn State (5-2)
Location: Penn State University – University Park, Pennsylvania
Game 1 (L, 3-5)
Inside the numbers
Purdue Northwest scored three goals in the contest, but Penn State answered with five to earn the 5-3 victory.
The Lions were outshot 50-25, but remained within striking distance throughout the contest.
PNW finished 1-for-2 on the power play, while Penn State went 1-for-7 with the man advantage.
Freshman Riley Reed, graduate student Megan Rasberry and sophomore Emma Durand each scored for the Lions.
Freshman Allie Attema made 45 saves on 50 shots in goal for PNW.
PNW received goals from Reed on the power play, Durand and Rasberry, while Penn State’s Kat Willey and Livia Comishock each scored twice.
The breakdown
PNW struck first at 7:56 of the opening period when Reed converted on the power play to give the Lions an early 1-0 lead.
Penn State answered at 13:34 with a power-play goal from Willey, sending the game into the second period tied at 1-1.
The Lions regained the lead just 26 seconds into the second when Durand found the back of the net.
Penn State responded with three goals in the period, but Rasberry cut into the deficit at 14:07 to make it a one-goal game.
Willey added another goal with 16 seconds remaining in the second period, giving Penn State a 4-3 advantage heading into the final frame.
Penn State added an insurance goal at 10:21 of the third period to secure the 5-3 victory.
Attema kept the Lions within striking distance throughout the contest, making 45 saves in a 50-shot performance.
Game 2 (L, 1-3)
Inside the numbers
Purdue Northwest scored once in the opening period, but Penn State scored twice in the first and added another goal in the second to secure the 3-1 victory.
The Lions were outshot 59-20, with Penn State holding a 21-6 advantage in the first period and a 24-7 edge in the third.
PNW went 0-for-2 on the power play, while Penn State finished 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
Junior Petra Cernicek scored the lone goal for the Lions, with freshman Payton Burnett recording the assist.
Freshman Kalia Starcok delivered a strong performance in goal, stopping 56 of 59 Penn State shots.
The breakdown
Penn State opened the scoring at 3:56 of the first period when Maya Duthie found the back of the net.
The Nittany Lions doubled their advantage at 13:57 before Cernicek answered just 1:42 later to pull PNW within one.
Cernicek’s goal, assisted by Burnett, made it a 2-1 game heading into the first intermission.
Penn State added the only goal of the second period at 5:47 when Morgan Otoole scored to extend the lead to 3-1.
Starcok and the Lions’ defense kept Penn State off the scoreboard throughout the third period, but PNW was unable to generate another goal as the Nittany Lions secured the 3-1 win.
Starcok finished with 56 saves on 59 shots, keeping the Lions within reach throughout the contest.
Up next
Purdue Northwest returns to action when it takes on Aquinas College in a home-and-home series. Game 1 is slated for Friday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. CT at the Kube in Hammond, Indiana, and then the Lions hit the road on Saturday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m. CT in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(Originally published at https://nwitimes.com/sports/community/article_470f4e62-00bf-5ed0-9053-614d9519fb8c.html)
