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 take on Aquinas College in a home-and-home series. Game 1 is slated for Friday, October 16 at 7:30 PM CT at the Kube in Hammond, Indian and then the Lions hit the road on Saturday, October 17 at 6:30 PM CT in Grand Rapids, Michigan.