The Penn State women’s hockey team’s historic season came to a close in the Frozen Four on Friday night at the hands of Wisconsin.
The No. 2-seed Badgers downed the No. 3 Nittany Lions, 4-3 in overtime, in front of a record crowd at Pegula Ice Arena, punching their ticket to the national championship.
How it happened
Less than two minutes into the contest, Penn State went to the power play courtesy of an interference call on forward Charlotte Pieckenhagen. Just 10 seconds later, forward Tessa Janecke wristed the team’s first shot over goaltender Ava McNaughton, reaching 200 career points with the goal.
“Obviously a testament to this team, just how much better this program has got, obviously goals don’t come without assists, and not having those people on the ice, I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Janecke said after the game. “It’s a testament to our team, but just to get to do it at home in the Frozen Four against Wisconsin was pretty cool.”
The Nittany Lions’ lead was short-lived, with forward Laila Edwards beating netminder Katie DeSa glove side for the equalizer.
Knotted up at one apiece, Penn State returned to the advantage when defender Laney Potter was booked for high sticking, creating another scoring opportunity. Abby Stonehouse cashed in, slotting the puck through to regain the lead in a high-scoring opening period.
Defending a lead, DeSa stonewalled Pieckenhagen on multiple stuff attempts in front of the net, drawing roars from a packed house. Despite trailing 15-8 in shots, the Nittany Lions carried a lead into the first intermission.
Forward Nicole Hall was convicted of interference with under a minute in the opening frame, while Wisconsin‘s Edwards was hit with interference after the whistle, leading to four-on-four action to open the second period.
While the Badgers proved to be a physical foe, Penn State’s game was predicated on speed, providing an edge with players in the penalty box and less traffic on the ice. After a return to even strength, Wisconsin was back on the attack.
With intensity ramping up, there were opportunities for penalties on both sides, but it was Nittany Lion forward Mya Vaslet who was sent to the sin bin for tripping for the first penalty of the period.
With a skater advantage, Edwards notched her second goal of the night to tie the contest. Kampersal challenged for offsides and was unsuccessful, though replay showed he had a strong argument.
Wisconsin maintained its onslaught on net, and forward Adéla Šapovalivová broke through for her team’s first lead of the night at 3-2 heading into the second intermission.
Despite an overlapping power play from the previous period and another power play early in the frame, Penn State couldn’t find the net to balance the score. Still, the Nittany Lions had better puck control and led 9-1 in shots through 12 minutes of the third period.
The Badgers weathered the surge for a time, but a turnover resulted in a breakaway opportunity, with Janecke streaking down the slot and wristing the puck past McNaughton to tie the game at three all, where it remained to the end of regulation.
“I thought Tessa had missed the kennel, but she brought it wide and pulled around … when she did score, the bench went crazy,” Kampersal said. “And so we had a lot of momentum, obviously, at that point.”
Wisconsin nearly ended things with a shot that rang off the pipe less than 30 seconds into the 20-minute overtime period, then went to the power play after a boarding call on Kendall Butze. The next shot from forward Kirsten Simms snuck past DeSa for the win.
“(SImms has) a knack for being present and making plays in big moments … when you get into overtime, there’s no bad shots,” Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson said. “All it takes is the puck to go over the line, no matter where you shoot it from.”
Team leaders
Goals: Tessa Janecke, 2
Assists: Katelyn Roberts, Maddy Christian, Mikah Keller, Kendall Butze, Nicole Hall, 1
Saves: Katie DeSa, 31/35
Up next: Wisconsin advances to face top-seed Ohio State for the national championship, while Penn State’s 2025-26 campaign is over
“This crowd tonight was one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in, and I just wish for these girls that that continues next year,” Janecke said.
