No. 15 MERCYHURST (3-3-0, 0-0-0 AHA) at No. 6 PENN STATE (6-0-0, 2-0-0 AHA)
Friday, Oct. 17 – 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 18– 1:00 p.m.
University Park, Pa.
TV: Big 10+
 
The Mercyhurst women's hockey begins AHA play this weekend with a series at No. 6 Penn State. Puck drop for game one will take place Friday, Oct. 17 at 3:00 p.m. Game two will begin Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1:00 p.m. 
 
Previous Results
The Lakers are 3-3-0 this season and have not played an AHA series yet. They hosted No. 5/6 Minnesota Duluth in their first series. Game one ended 4-3 in overtime and game two ended 5-3. The second series was on the road at New Hampshire where they swept the Wildcats. Game one ended 3-2 and game two finished in a 4-0 shutout. Most recently, Mercyhurst hosted No. 10 St. Lawrence in a series split. The Lakers picked up their second shutout of the season in game one, 1-0, and dropped game two 3-0. 
 
Matchup History
Mercyhurst is 20-18-5 all time versus Penn State. The Lakers first exhibition game in the 1999-2000 season was against the Nittany Lions. However, Penn State was a club team at the time which is why the Lakers won 17-0. The first official matchup between the two sides was in 2012 when Penn State officially added its DI hockey programs. The Lakers won every series in the Nittany Lion's first three seasons, outscoring them 44-5. In the 2014-15 season, the rivalry was truly born. Penn State hosted Mercyhurst at the Pegula, which had only been a season old at the time. The Nittany Lions swept the Lakers 2-1 and 5-3. Since then, there have only been six series sweeps in the last 15 series between the pair. In the 2021-22 season, the Lakers knocked the Nittany Lions out of the CHA tournament in the semifinals. The final two CHA championships in 2022-23 and 2023-24 as well as the first ever women's AHA championship in 2024-25 have featured a matchup between these teams. 
 
Lakers to Look Out for
Julia Perjus leads the Laker's goals and points column with five goals and an assist for six points. Perjus has two multi-goal games this season and has a .549 faceoff win percentage. The Stockholm native also scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win against No. 10 St. Lawrence in the Laker's most recent series. 
 
Nayeon Kim currently leads the team in assists with five. The freshman from South Korea has the second highest points on the team alongside Makayla Javier. 
 
Javier has one goal, four assists, and five points this season. The Laker's captain scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win at New Hampshire where she was then named AHA Defender of the Week. Her 20 blocked shots put her at second in the nation and her 223 career blocks are first in the nation among all active skaters.

Magdalena Luggin started between the pipes against No. 5/6 Minnesota Duluth and recorded a career-high 47 saves in the first game and another 28 saves in the second game. Luggin was the winning netminder in game one of the New Hampshire series. The Austrian native then posted 25 saves and a shutout victory against No. 10 St. Lawrence. This led to her being named the AHA Goaltender of the Week.
 
Tara Bach started game two against UNH and recorded 25 saves and a shutout in her first career game. 
 
Scouting #6 Penn State 

• The Nittany Lions finished last season 31-6-1 overall and 19-1-0 in the AHA. 
• Their one conference defeat was a 3-2 loss to Mercyhurst, who they went on to beat 4-1 in the AHA championship. 
• They eventually lost 4-1 to No. 7/8 St. Lawrence in the NCAA tournament. 
• This season, Penn State is 6-0-0 and 2-0-0 in the AHA.
• They swept No. 9 St. Lawrence, Vermont, and AHA newcomers Delaware. 
• At Delaware, they allowed a school record one shot on goal in game two. 
• Grace Outwater (6G, 1A, 7PTS), Danica Maynard (2G, 7A, 9 PTS), and Kendal Butze (0G, 4A, 4 PTS, 7 BLKS) all lead the team in goals, assists, blocks, and points.