A new era begins (2012–2014) Penn State women's ice hockey club

lady ice lions captain carly szyszko , liberty captain rena leone take ceremonial faceoff penn state assistant athletic director joe battista @ first intercollegiate hockey game in pegula ice arena on september 27, 2013

when lady icers evolved ncaa status following 2011–12 season, several former members of team not part of ncaa roster formed new acha team @ division 2 level during summer of 2012. mary kate tonetti led push – effort later win acha s off-ice mvp award 2012–13 season – along 2011–12 lady icers teammates carly szyszko, allie rothman, katie vaughan, ashton schaffer , sarah eisenhut. former lady icers assistant patrick fung brought on head coach, while freshmen devon fisk, mandy mortach, jackie saideh, nina elia , tara soukup helped fill out small roster included 13 players when re-christened team played first-ever game, 2–1 overtime loss california (pa) @ bladerunners ice complex in bethel park, pa.

penn state s home rink in 2012–13, purportedly, same penn state ice pavilion used lady icers. however, while team did practice there (using makeshift locker room large sheets walls), status late-arriving first-year team, coupled scheduling congestion @ soon-to-be-decommissioned single-sheet facility hosting 4 intercollegiate hockey teams , other events, meant did not play single on-campus home game. psu did manage 1 off-campus home contest, blowout of slippery rock on december 9, 2012 @ galactic ice in nearby altoona, pa. twin themes of thin schedule entirely on road , light roster dominate of regular season, although key wins on michigan state , particularly on west chester (then second-ranked team in east region, 1 of 2 in acha division 2) helped penn state sneak acha national tournament number 4 team in east region, final available bid.

few anticipated came next @ tournament, held @ ashburn ice house in ashburn, va march 7–10, 2013: wins on west no. 1 alaska (2–1) , defending division 2 national champion wisconsin-stout (3–1) on first 2 days of championships. top seed in semifinals secure after pair of games, lady ice lions tied north dakota state (3–3) close pool round of tournament. in semis, psu once again ran uw-stout, game stands 1 of signature contests in team history. blue devils leading 1–0 midway through third period, soukup shot on power play top of left circle flew through fisk , past stout goalie kaye collier. following remainder of regulation, five-minute first overtime , 4 minutes of second one, elia pushed home third-chance transition goal after tries fisk , elizabeth denis send team national championship game. run ended 1 win short however, west chester overturned 2–0 penn state lead , took title 5–2 victory.

the 2013–14 season marked both continuity , change. of senior-free 2012–13 squad returned (with second-leading scorer mortach notable exception), time little bit of depth, strong freshman class including future captains lucy yeatman, anna marcus , cassie dunne. newness came in form of penn state s joining conference first time, college hockey east (che), league included cal, west chester , delaware , guaranteed robust schedule. psu s other major issue during 2012–13 cured opening of $90 million pegula ice arena, twin-sheet facility allowed team permanent locker room , largely cured scheduling headaches. lady ice lions played first intercollegiate hockey game in arena s history, topping liberty on september 27, 2013.

other than, notably, intense rivalry cal saw teams split 6 overall meetings in 2013–14, high expectations , remainder of schedule proved no burden penn state ran 14–2–2 regular season record, 6–2–2 of came within che take league s regular-season title. although vulcans upended lady ice lions in che s playoff championship game, bid 2014 acha national tournament @ fred rust ice arena in newark, de largely foregone conclusion of year, psu placing in acha division 2 s east region s top 2 during every 2013–14 ranking period (in stark contrast previous season).

at nationals familiar pattern emerged, penn state opened tight win on alaska (3–2), topped delaware (3–0) once again wrap trip semifinals in short order. time though, repeat low-stakes game against ndsu , eventual zoë m. harris player of year kacie johnson resulted in dominating 5–2 penn state win featuring 2 goals marcus. fisk added own brace, vaughan making 20 necessary saves, lady ice lions held on 2–1 victory on frequent nemesis cal head acha division 2 championship game. however, psu once again came short in final, time iowa state , tournament mvp millie luedtke, scored game s goal on power play 7:21 remaining in third period.