Penn State women’s hockey enjoys quality time off the ice in Washington

After a six-game stretch that saw Penn State go 4-2 against its CHA foes, the Nittany Lions hit the road to take part in the D1 in D.C. showcase held in Arlington, Virginia.

The showcase featured three other teams besides the blue and white, including No. 2 Ohio State, then-No. 7 Minnesota Duluth and St. Lawrence.

This was also just the third-ever D1 in D.C. showcase and the first since 2017, with the first two being played in that same year.

This marked the first time Penn State has played in a regular-season tournament since the Windjammer Classic in the 2019-20 campaign.

Sophomore forward Kiara Zanon was extremely excited to hit the road and play in her first tournament as a Nittany Lion.

“I had never been to D.C., and I know there’s a bunch of eighth-grade trips that go to D.C. that I missed because of hockey, so it was nice to get the opportunity to go,” Zanon said. “Playing in front of the crowd, there was a bigger crowd than most of us were used to, so it was just a really cool atmosphere.”

The blue and white split the two-game showcase, defeating then-No. 7 Minnesota Duluth 3-2 this past Friday after sophomore defender Lyndie Lobdell scored the go-ahead goal in the waning minutes of the contest.

However, the next day did not go so well for Penn State, as No. 2 Ohio State dominated play throughout the game against the blue and white and came away with a 4-2 victory.

Leading the way for the Nittany Lions during the showcase was fifth-year senior forward Natalie Heising who tallied three goals and an assist.

Heising along with Lobdell took home CHA Forward and Defender of the Week, respectively, this past week for their performances in the tournament.

Coach Jeff Kampersal was pleased with the outcome of the showcase for his team.

“We had two really good games,” Kampersal said. “We did not cave, we battled pretty hard, and we ended up winning the third period against a really good Ohio State team.”

With the showcase taking place during the Thanksgiving break, the players were away from their respective families on thanksgiving.

Despite not being able to spend time with their families, the blue and white were able to celebrate Thanksgiving together — even if that quality time was marred by a botched Thanksgiving dinner.

“Our meal got messed up, but I think that those are the moments we bond over. They’re so annoying in the moment, but those are the times that we ended up spending two hours together just talking,” Zanon said. “Those are the little things that are just special.”

During the trip, the team prioritized a multitude of team-bonding activities such as sightseeing in Washington D.C. and attending a Washington Capitals game.

The Nittany Lions also got to take part and watch the Capitals practice, which is something that will stick with the team for a while.

“Being around their practice rink while they were practicing and they had their family skate,” Zanon said. “It was just a cute atmosphere to see them interacting with their families and just being able to be around that.”

The Nittany Lions have one more tournament this season — the Battle in the ‘Burgh — which is slated to start on New Years Day.

Penn State will take on St. Cloud State, and the winner will advance to the championship to face the winner of Boston University-Syracuse.

Despite the excitement of playing in another tournament, the blue and white remain focused on improving each week and spending more time together off the ice.

“We might try to have a couple of cookie-baking activities either before or after Christmas and those types of things to keep it light,” Kampersal said. “They can do things around campus that they normally don’t get to do.”