Penn State women’s hockey’s 2021-22 season concludes with 5th consecutive defeat in semifinals

All good things must come to an end.

And with a semifinals exit from the CHA Tournament, Penn State’s came to an end on Friday night in Syracuse, New York.

The 4-2 loss to Mercyhurst marked the fifth-straight campaign where the Nittany Lions’ season ended in the semifinals.

Despite the loss, coach Jeff Kampersal was extremely proud of his team’s performance this year.

“They take care of business in school, and when they get to the rink, they do their thing,” Kampersal said. “I am very proud of their leadership.”

The Lakers jumped out to an early one-goal lead midway through the first period after a puck deflected off of defender Jordan Mortlock and past sophomore goalie Josie Bothun.

After scoring just three goals during the regular season, Mortlock’s goal got her team some much-needed momentum to start the contest.

“I was taking the puck up and got hit at the blue line, so I was late getting back,” Mortlock said. “[Upson] kept the puck in, and she just threw it on net, and it luckily went in.”

The Nittany Lions finished the first period leading in shots 12-6 but down on the scoreboard.

That would quickly change as senior forward Amy Dobson fought for the puck in front of the net and made no mistake tying the game at one.

Just minutes later, the blue and white took its first lead of the game after sophomore forward Olivia Wallin ripped a shot past junior goalie Ena Nystrøm.

Penn State found itself leading five minutes into the second period after trailing just a few minutes prior.

Kampersal enjoyed the start to the second period but wanted that type of energy from the opening face-off.

“This game we wanted to move the puck north as quickly as possible so we could put pressure on their defense,” Kampersal said. “We were hovering around and buzzing that first 10 minutes, but we just needed that urgency from the get-go.”

However, those two goals would be the only goals scored for the Nittany Lions as the tide began to shift.

The blue and white continued to pressure Nystrøm, but she was up for the task making 43 saves in the victory.

Coach Michael Sisti was very proud of his goalie’s showing on Friday.

“Ena was great tonight, and she did a wonderful job for us,” Sisti said. “She’s awesome.”

The Lakers tied the game at two with just 40.9 seconds left in the period with a goal from sophomore forward Mary Kromer.

Mercyhurst opened the period and struck fast with Mortlock’s second goal of the contest, and minutes later with Sara Boucher notching a goal, the Lakers had a 4-2 advantage.

The Nittany Lions tried to claw their way back into the game but couldn’t slot anything past Nystrøm.

The two third-period goals proved to be the difference in the matchup as the Lakers came away with a 4-2 win.

After the loss and the season effectively over for Penn State, Kampersal credited his seniors for helping establish a culture in Happy Valley.

“With Natalie, Dobson, Anna, Avery and Cam — those guys run the show, and hopefully that's the message they pass on to future groups,” Kampersal said. “The players run it. We try to provide a little framework, but they're the ones that run it, set the standards, and hold one another accountable to those standards.”

The loss also marked the end of the illustrious career of fifth-year senior forward and captain Natalie Heising.

The Wayzata, Minnesota, native suited up for 156 games and recorded 137 points and 74 goals.

The reigning CHA Player of the Year set numerous program records, including goals and points in a season.

Heising was visibly upset after coming up short once again and mentioned she was going to miss all of her teammates.

“These girls. They’re the reason I stayed for a fifth year and come to the rink every single day, and practicing with them has been so much fun this year,” Heising said. “We’re a really close group, and we all love and care for each other and fight day in and day out for each other.

“So, I’m just going to miss having that family.”