Merrimack Defeated By Penn State In Overtime, 4-3

Junior forward Jessica Bonfe had a goal and an assist for the Warriors
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 10:52  PSU1-0 EV Natalie Heising (2) -
1st 13:48  MER1-1 EV Jessica Bonfe (3)Meghan Martin/1
1st 18:14  PSU2-1 PP Kelsey Crow (1)Bella Sutton/3
2nd 11:31  MER2-2 EV Paige Voight (1)Jessica Bonfe/1
2nd 17:42  MER3-2 EV Dominique Kremer (1)Katelyn Rae/1, Paige Voight/3
3rd 7:08  PSU3-3 EV Bella Sutton (1) -
OT 1:50  PSU4-3 EV GW Katie Rankin (2)Meike Meilleur/1
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd OT Final
Penn State  20114
Merrimack  12003
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd OT SOG
Penn State  1189331
Merrimack  81013132
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Penn State (2-5-1)  1/5 4/8 0
Merrimack (3-4-2)  0/4 5/10 0
Penn State Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 OT Saves
Hannah Ehresmann (W, 2-2-0)61:503 7813129
Merrimack Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 OT Saves
Samantha Ridgewell (L, 1-3-1)61:504 988227

NO. ANDOVER, Mass. - The Merrimack College women's ice hockey team split the weekend series against Penn State, dropping Saturday afternoon's contest, 4-3, in overtime. It was the second straight overtime the teams played, as the Warriors won 2-1 on Friday night.

The Basics

Score: Merrimack 3, Penn State 4 | Final OT
Records: Merrimack (3-4-2, 1-1-1 WHEA) // Penn State (2-5-1, 0-0-0 CHA)
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.

How it Happened

- 1st Period: After early pressure by the Warriors, it was Penn State that struck first. Natalie Heising won the face-off and took a shot that trickled over the goal line to give her team a 1-0 lead at 10:52. Merrimack answered less than three minutes later. Meghan Martin (Newport, Vt.) wristed a shot towards the net, and classmate Jessica Bonfe (Woodbury, Minn.) was in front of the net to redirect the shot by the goalie. Penn State scored with 1:36 left in the first period on a power play goal by Kesley Crow.

- 2nd Period: Merrimack some early chances in the period to tie the game, but the first half 10 minutes was spent killing off a pair of penalties. Junior Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.) tied the game at two at 11:31 of the second period. The puck got passed a Penn State defender at the blue line, and Voight was on a breakaway to beat Hannah Ehresmann. Junior Dominique Kremer (West Fargo, N.D.) gave Merrimack a 3-2 lead in at 17:42 of the period. Voight passed it across to junior Katelyn Rae (Courtice, Ontario), who shot towards the net. Kremer was there to tip the puck into the net.

- 3rd Period: Junior Samantha Ridgewell (Outlook, Saskatchewan) made three quick saves to start the period, including one while Merrimack was down a player. Rae had a chance to add to the lead four and a half minutes into the period. She skated by a defender and her shot narrowly missed the upper right post, going just wide. The Nittany Lions tied the game at 7:08 of the period. The Warriors attempted to clear the puck, however it went straight to Bella Sutton, who wristed a shot through traffic from the point. Junior Paige Sorensen (Plymouth, Minn.) defended an odd-man rush, while the Warriors were on the man advantage, denying a pass with seven minutes to go. Kremer had a great chance with a minute and a half left in regulation, skating down the boards and sending a back-handed shot off the blocker of Ehresmann.

- OT Period: Merrimack only had two shots in the overtime period, before Katie Rankin scored the game-winner for Penn State just 1:50 into the frame.

Inside The Numbers

- Five different Warriors recorded a point in the game, including a pair of two-point performances by Bonfe and Voight.
- The Merrimack defense blocked 16 shots. Rae had five, while Sorensen had four.
- Goaltenders: D-Samantha Ridgewell (27 Saves, 1-3-1) // D- Hannah Ehresmann (29, 2-2-0)
- Power Plays: Merrimack (0-4) | PSU (1-4)
- SOG (MC-PSU): 8-11 |10-8 | 13-9 | 1-3 | 32-31

Up Next

Merrimack returns to Hockey East action next weekend with a pair of games against Vermont. Friday's puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. and Saturday's game begins at 2 p.m.