A dominant women’s hockey season for the Nittany Lions continued on Saturday as Penn State defeated UConn in their NCAA Regional Final to secure a spot in the program’s first Frozen Four.
Penn State got on the board early with Matilde Fantin scoring just one minute and 40 seconds into the game.
That goal actually ended up being all the Nittany Lions truly needed as they shutout the Huskies on the day, thanks in large part to goalie Katie DeSa who had 37 saves on the afternoon. Still, that didn’t stop Penn State from tacking on a few additional goals. Captain and Olympic Gold Medalist Tessa Janecke put one in the back of the net with just over 6 minutes to go in the third period, and Abby Stonehouse scored an empty netter that was the exclamation point for the Nittany Lions victory.
Penn State will be joined by Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Northeastern in the Frozen Four next weekend, with the Nittany Lions drawing Wisconsin for their semifinal matchup. One major thing going in Penn State’s favor? Pegula Arena is the host for the Frozen Four, meaning the Nittany Lions will be skating on home ice for the semifinal and potentially the final as well.
