UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The RMU women's hockey team jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but No. 4 Penn State answered back to claim a 5-3 victory in the series opener on Friday night. With the loss, RMU falls to 1-2 overall and 0-1 to open Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) play.
FIRST PERIOD
RMU struck early on its first power-play opportunity of the evening. Capitalizing on an early Nittany Lion penalty, captain
Alaina Giampietro netted a power-play goal on the Colonials' first shot on goal, assisted by
Greta Brezenski and
Jessica MacKinnon.
The Colonials extended their lead on the very next shot. Junior forward
Rowyn Ringor collected a loose puck off the end wall in the offensive zone, skated toward the slot, and ripped a shot past the netminder to put RMU up 2-0.
Penn State answered back at the midpoint of the frame with a power-play goal from Nicole Hale. With three minutes remaining in the period, the Nittany Lions netted an even-strength equalizer to send the teams into intermission tied 2-2.
SECOND PERIOD
After the Colonials successfully killed off an early penalty, Penn State took its first lead of the night with five minutes remaining in the second period on a goal by Grace Outwater.
Through 40 minutes of play, Penn State held a 27-9 advantage in shots on goal.
THIRD PERIOD
Penn State doubled its lead early in the third period with its second power-play tally of the night, capitalizing on a 5-on-3 advantage after RMU killed off the first 100 seconds down two players.
Late in the frame, RMU earned a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity of its own. Giampietro notched her second power-play goal of the night, assisted by defensemen
Mya Kearns and
Thalia D'Elia, to cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Colonials generated eight shot attempts on a subsequent power play but were unable to find the equalizer. With the goaltender pulled late in favor of an extra attacker, Penn State's Abby Stonehouse scored an empty-net goal to secure the 5-3 final.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Penn State outshot RMU 40-16. Ringor led the Colonials with five shots on goal.
- The Nittany Lions won 32 of 56 draws. MacKinnon led RMU with nine faceoff wins.
- Both teams scored two power play goals. RMU added 13 blocked shots on defense.
- Maggie Hatch recorded a season-high 35 saves for RMU, marking her 42nd career game with 30 or more saves.
GIAMPIETRO GOES FOR TWO
Giampietro continued her strong start to the season with her second multi-point performance of the year. The Strongsville, Ohio native is now tied with Brezenski for the team goal lead following her 10th career two-goal game. Giampietro has accumulated 43 goals, 29 assists, and 72 points in 84 career games.
UP NEXT
RMU wraps up the two-game series tomorrow against Penn State. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:00 PM at Pegula Ice Arena.
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