No. 10 Penn State women’s hockey faced off against No. 8 Quinnipiac in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. It was the first meeting between the Nittany Lions and Bobcats since Quinnipiac defeated Penn State 2-1 on Dec. 30, 2016.
The Nittany Lions were defeated in three overtime periods by the Bobcats, 3-2.
The game marked the blue and white’s first NCAA Tournament game in program history.
The Nittany Lions were coming off their first CHA Tournament championship, as they defeated Mercyhurst in overtime, 2-1, on March 4.
For the Bobcats, they received an at-large bid to the tournament. They lost to No. 2 Colgate in the ECAC Hockey Semifinals, 5-1, on March 3.
Despite the Nittany Lions leading in shots early, the Bobcats struck first thanks to a bouncing puck from the stick of Shay Maloney, beating Josie Bothun to give Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the game.
Penn State goaltender Josie Bothun piled together a handful of saves to keep her team down by one with two minutes to go in the first period, as Quinnipiac held the lead in shots.
After 20 minutes of play, the Bobcats held the lead in both goals and shots, outshooting the Nittany Lions 12-9 and leading where it matters, 1-0.
Just three minutes into the second period, Tessa Janecke was penalized for body checking, sending Quinnipiac to the power play for the first time. The Nittany Lions were able to kill it off.
Josie Bothun continued to dominate as the game reached its midway point, keeping the blue and white down by one.
Penn State continued to put pressure on each time they entered Quinnipiac’s zone, but Bobcats’ goaltender Logan Angers was able to shut the door each time.
The blue and white was finally able to beat Angers, as Kiara Zanon got one past her on the backhand to tie the game at one with a highlight-reel goal.
The Nittany Lions electric power play was able to get to work as Maya Labad was sent to the box for tripping with five minutes and some change left in the second frame.
Penn State was able to convert on the power play as birthday girl Olivia Wallin beat Angers to give her team a 2-1 lead with four minutes to go in the period. Wallin’s goal was the blue and white’s 24th shot on goal.
The Nittany Lions completely flipped the script as they took the shot lead and score lead to the second intermission, outshooting the Bobcats 28-21 and leading in the game, 2-1.
Penn State forward Kiara Zanon reaches for the puck during the Penn State women’s hockey game against Mercyhurst at Pegula Ice Arena on Nov. 4, 2022, in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions won the game 4-1.
The third and final period began with the Nittany Lions holding a one-goal lead.
Penn State received a penalty for too many players on the ice just seven minutes in, and Josie Bothun kept the Bobcats off the board and killed the penalty.
Quinnipiac was able to get the equalizer from a game-tying goal from Kate Reilly, beating Bothun to tie the game at two with 6:44 remaining in the third period.
Tessa Janecke came inches away from giving the Nittany Lions the lead back, as she was tripped up on a breakaway but there was no call from the officials.
The third and final frame came to a close and the two teams skated in a sudden death overtime period.
A goaltending duel came down to a five-on-five sudden death overtime. Penn State won its previous game in overtime when it defeated Mercyhurst for the CHA Tournament title.
Both Josie Bothun and Logan Angers kept their respective teams alive as the first overtime period reached the eight minute mark.
With 6:42 to go in overtime, the goaltenders continued to dominate as a winner was still to be determined. Penn State led in shots 38-34.
Eighty minutes of hockey was not enough to find a game-winner and the game would go to a second overtime period. Penn State and Quinnipiac combined for 80 total shots through four periods of play, 40 shots each.
The teams returned to the ice and got set for the second overtime period.
With 2:55 remaining in double-overtime, the two teams skated four-on-four as Karley Garcia and Olivia Mobley each received roughing minors.
Believe it or not, 100 minutes of hockey was still not enough to determine a winner, as the Nittany Lions and Bobcats headed to a third overtime period.
This game became the second-longest game in NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament history after surpassing 100 minutes, or two overtime periods.
The puck dropped at 9:59 p.m. EST as triple overtime began between Penn State and Quinnipiac.
With 10:23 remaining in the third overtime, Josie Bothun was finally beaten by Bobcat forward Madison Chantler, ending the game and giving Quinnipiac the victory.
Over 110 minutes of hockey was played and the Bobcats will face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.
As for the Nittany Lions, a remarkable season which included a berth in the NCAA Tournament and a CHA Tournament championship came to a close.
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