UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Providence College women's hockey team fell on the road to the Penn State Nittany Lions, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 20).
SCORE
Providence - 3 | Penn State - 5
RECORDS
Providence: 4-1-0 (1-0-0 HE) | Penn State: 4-3-1 (0-0-0 CHA)
VENUE
Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa.
GAME FLOW & NOTES
- Similar to yesterday, Penn State struck early. Just 2:50 into the game Natalie Heising made it 1-0 in favor of the Nittany Lions. She picked up a loose puck at the bottom of the right circle and fired it over Sandra Abstreiter's (Freising, Germany) shoulder.
- Jenna Brenneman made 12 saves in the first period. The Nittany Lions also blocked seven shots in the opening 20 minutes, which helped keep the Friars off the scoreboard.
- At the 11:12 mark of the middle stanza, Katie McMillan extended Penn State's lead to 2-0. Her fourth goal of the season was assisted by Loli Fidler.
- With less than eight minutes remaining in the game, Heising scored her second goal of the day to make it 3-0.
- Providence pulled Abstreiter with about 7:30 remaining in the game. The move paid off as Christina Putigna (Grimsby, Ontario) scored her first goal of the season to make it 3-1. Her unassisted goal came at the 13:06 mark and was an odd-angle shot from the goal line on the right side of the net.
- Penn State responded with a goal seven seconds later to push the lead back to three goals. Meike Meilleur shoved a back-door rebound home to make it 4-1.
- The Friars tried to pull the goalie again with about 5:30 to play. This time, it resulted in an empty-netter for Shea Nelson, making the score 5-1.
- With under three minutes to play, Providence went on a 5-on-3 power play. Whitney Dove (Port Moody, British Columbia) blasted a slap shot from the point that found the top corner. Sara Hjalmarsson (Bankeryd, Sweden) and Maureen Murphy (Buffalo, N.Y.) assisted the goal that made it 5-2.
- Providence struck again on the power play with 1:06 on the clock. This time, Hjalmarsson scored from the point on a wrist shot. She was assisted by Dove and Murphy.
- Abstreiter made 23 saves in her second-career outing. Brenneman made 26 at the other end.
- Dove and Hjalmarsson had two-point performances, notching a goal and an assist apiece.
- Murphy also finished with two points on two assists. She has recorded at least two points in all five of the Friars games this season.
HOW THEY SCORED
1-0 (Penn State) - 2:50/1st - EV - Natalie Heising (Rankin, Rolph) - Wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle
2-0 (Penn State) - 11:12/2nd - EV - Katie McMillan (Fidler) - Goal from the top of the crease
3-0 (Penn State) - 12:20/3rd - EV - Natalie Heising (unassisted) - Shot from just inside the blue line
3-1 (Providence) - 13:06/3rd - EX - Christina Putigna (unassisted) - Odd-angle shot from the right side goal line
4-1 (Penn State) - 13:13/3rd - EV - Meike Meilleur (Nelson) - Back-door rebound
5-1 (Penn State) - 15:20/3rd - EN - Shea Nelson (unassisted) - Empty-netter
5-2 (Providence) - 17:32/3rd - PP (5-on-3) - Whitney Dove (Hjalmarsson, Murphy) - Slap shot from the point
5-3 (Providence) - 18:54/3rd - PP - Sara Hjalmarsson (Dove, Murphy) - Wrist shot from the point
GOALTENDERS
Providence: Sandra Abstreiter, 1-1-0: 23 saves, 4 goals against
Penn State: Jenna Brenneman, 4-3-1: 26 saves, 3 goals against
STAT COMPARISON
Providence-
Shots: 29
Face-offs: 33/70
Power plays: 2-4 (50%)
Penalty kill: 2-2 (100%)
Penn State-
Shots: 28
Face-offs: 37/70
Power plays: 0-2 (0%)
Penalty kill: 2-4 (50%)
PC GAME HIGHS
Shots: Hjalmarsson (9)
Goals: Putigna, Dove, Hjalmarsson (1)
Assists: Murphy (2)
Points: Dove, Hjalmarsson, Murphy (2)
LOOKING AHEAD
The Friars play a pair of league games on the road next weekend. Friday night (Oct. 26) features a 7:00 game at Northeastern, while Sunday afternoon (Oct. 28) features a 2:00 puck drop at New Hampshire.
