Lady Icers dominate Cougars

By CHRISTIAN TAYLOR
Collegian Staff Writer

Overall, it was a good season.

The Penn State Lady Icers (9-4-1) finished the best season in their three-year history Saturday by dominating the Chatham Cougars, 8-0.

The win was especially sweet considering that Chatham is a NCAA Div. III team.

Penn State goaltenders Jess Gursky and Missy Werner split the shutout at the Ice Pavilion at Greenberg Sports Complex.

The Icers out-shot the Cougars 34-5 and controlled the faceoffs, 25-2.

The squad also managed to stay undefeated in league play for the season, its only losses coming in tournaments.

During the game, the Icers maintained a vicious fore-check with an aggressive edge and kept the puck in their offensive zone for the majority of the game.

Icers center Ellen Zajko led the team with four goals and two assists, while forward Jaime Thorne notched two goals and an assist.

"We're all excited that we ended the season with a win," Zajko said.

The ice seemed tilted the entire game. Even during penalty kills, the Icers looked as if they were on the power play, scoring two shorthanded goals.

Despite the win, the Icers felt they could have played more aggressively.

"I didn't feel we were as aggressive as we could have been," Icers defenseman Talia Smith said. "But we still dominated them."

The Icers beat Chatham to almost every loose puck and kept the visiting goalie pressured and reeling.

"We played aggressive enough to get the job done," Icers forward Grace Eberhardt said. "We didn't play up to our full potential."

One inconsistent factor in the game was the officiating. The referees missed a lot of blatant offside calls and were quick to call anything that barely resembled a penalty.

"When we play on the road the referees usually let us play more physically, but at home they are very strict," Smith said.

The Icers are most satisfied with how the team has improved during the season.

"At the beginning of the season we all played well, but we weren't a team," Eberhardt said. "Towards the end we worked better as a team."

"We've improved in every aspect of our game as a team," Smith said. "In the beginning we weren't playing together as well, but we really came together and played really well."