UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State women’s hockey meets Lindenwood in a pair of afternoon matinees on Friday and Saturday as the team wraps up its home schedule at Greenberg Ice Pavilion. Both games will begin at 2 p.m. and stream live on AmericaOneSports.com with live stats on GoPSUsports.com’s GameTracker.
PROMOTIONS
Friday: Penn State hosts Skate for the Cure with silent auctions of Penn State athletic gear benefiting the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Friday is Pink Day as fans are encouraged to wear pink and the auctions will run throughout the game in the lobby of Greenberg Ice Pavilion.
Saturday: Penn State celebrates Alumni Weekend and Senior Day. It’s also the last women’s hockey game at Greenberg Ice Pavilion as the Nittany Lions open $90 million Pegula Ice Arena in September.
ADMISSION & PARKING
All Penn State women’s hockey games are free to attend. Fans attending Friday’s game can park for free in the Orange H Lot off University Drive and Hastings Drive. Penn state will provide a free shuttle from the Orange H Lot to the Greenberg Ice Pavilion.
For Saturday’s game, fans are able to park for free in the surrounding Orange Lots C, F or G all day. These lots are permit-based and are subject to ticketing Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Parking is prohibited in the Nittany Apartments lots and there will not be shuttle service from Orange Lot H.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (7-19-1, 1-12-1 CHA) vs. LINDENWOOD LIONS (3-23-2, 3-9-2 CHA)
Games 28-29: Feb. 8-9, 2013 // 2 p.m. & 2 p.m. // Greenberg Ice Pavilion // University Park, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE: Greenberg Ice Pavilion (1,300)
STREAMING COVERAGE: AmericaOneSports.com
SERIES RECORD: 1-1-0
LAST MEETING: Nov. 17, 2012; Penn State 3-2
NEXT SERIES: Feb. 15-16 at RIT
GAME NOTES
• Penn State hosts Lindenwood in its home finale this weekend
• Nittany Lions dropped hard-fought games to No. 7 Mercyhurst last weekend
• Penn State celebrates Skate for the Cure this weekend
• Lindenwood took three of four points last week vs. RIT
• Penn State and Lindenwood split a series on Nov. 16-17 in Missouri
• Celine Whitlinger has saved 246 of last 258 shots she has faced
• Kate Christoffersen will be honored for Senior Day on Saturday
SKATE FOR THE CURE
Penn State women’s hockey is hosting Skate for the Cure this weekend, College Hockey America’s initiative to raise money for local charities of its member schools. The funds women’s hockey raises this weekend will benefit the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Cancer Institute.
The Nittany Lions will be auctioning off several items from the athletic community including signed baseball helmets, lacrosse gear and much more. Along with the silent auctions, Penn State will wear pink bands, accessories and t-shirts on Friday afternoon. Fans are encouraged to wear pink this weekend as well.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Last weekend, Lindenwood (3-23-2, 3-9-2 CHA) had its most successful weekend as an NCAA Division I program, taking three of four points in a home series with RIT. The Lions and Tigers skated to a 1-1 tie on Friday before a wild Saturday game yielded a 4-3 win for the Lions. RIT came back from a two-goal deficit to the game with 54 seconds remaining before Lindenwood got the game winner from leading scorer Alison Wickenheiser with seven seconds left.
Wickenheiser has a team-high nine goals and 17 points, while a quintet of Lions have double-digit points in Kendra Broad (13), Allysson Arcibal (12), Lyndsay Kirkham (12), Alyssa West (12) and Chelsea Witwicke (11).
In net the reigning CHA Rookie of the Week Nicole Hensley is Lindenwood’s top goaltender. Hensley has a conference-high 767 saves and a 3-14-2 record. On the season, Hensley owns a 4.06 GAA and .910 save percentage. Backup Taylor Fairchild has a 6.17 GAA, .867 save percentage and a 0-9-0 record in 11 appearances.
SENIOR DAY
Penn State women’s hockey will celebrate Senior Day by honoring Kate Christoffersen in the Lions’ final home game on Saturday. Christoffersen was one of eight members of Penn State’s ACHA team to be a part of the varsity side this year. Fellow classmate Lindsay Reihl is expected to return next year for the Nittany Lions.
PENN STATE FIGHTS, FALLS TO LAKERS
A pair of valiant efforts weren’t enough to upset the No. 7 Mercyhurst Lakers this past weekend (Feb. 1-2), falling 5-2 and 4-1. Penn State’s three-goal deficit on Friday was too great to overcome, but PSU matched Mercyhurst 2-2 over the course of 56 minutes between the second period of Friday and Saturday’s game. Celine Whitlinger was outstanding in net on Friday night, making a career-high 59 saves o keep the Lions in it. Hannah Hoenshell beat MU’s goaltender with a nifty move and Jordin Pardoski netted a power-play goal off a Laker skate.
On Saturday, Nicole Paniccia was tasked with stopping the Mercyhurst onslaught and saved 46 of 50 shots. Jill Holdcroft’s late third period goal on the power play ended the shutout and PSU dropped the season series 0-4-0 to the CHA leaders.
PEGULA ICE ARENA ON SCHEDULE
Pegula Ice Arena, a $90 million state-of-the-art facility, will serve as the home of the Penn State hockey programs in 2012-13. As of Jan. 10, 2013, all the steel has been put in place for the project with installation of glass and some brick on the outside. Additionally, portions of the center-hung scoreboard have been assembled.
The building held its official topping off ceremony on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Construction is set to conclude in time for the 2012-13 season as the building will open Sept. 5, 2013.