This weekend, No. 4 Penn State will play a major role in the first-ever “Winter Sports Weekend” in historic fashion when it hosts the first-ever outdoor game in Penn State history. The Nittany Lions will host the Robert Morris Colonials.
Game 1 of the series will be at 1 p.m. on Friday at Beaver Stadium, with Game 2 at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams after they first met on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 of 2025. Penn State took both games with a 4-0 score as goaltender Katie DeSa recorded back-to-back shutouts.
Penn State is 16-24-8 all time against Robert Morris and has won the last six games played between the two.
Recent records
The blue and white will walk through the gates of Beaver Stadium on the heels of a five-game win streak and are 7-2-1 in its last 10 games. The Nittany Lions currently sit atop the AHA standings with a 17-1 record, giving them 52 points.
As for the Colonials, they have dropped each of their last four contests and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. With a 6-10-2 conference record, they sit sixth in the standings with 21 points on the year.
Scoring centers
Centering the top line for the red, white and blue is Jessica MacKinnon, the team’s top scorer. In 28 games, MacKinnon has recorded 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points. Her goal and point totals rank her fifth in the conference in both categories.
In the faceoff circle, MacKinnon has the most wins in the conference with 375 and a faceoff win-rate of 61.5%, the third most in the conference.
Who she’ll face up against is still to be determined, with Penn State’s first-line center position needing to be filled with the absence of captain Tessa Janecke, who has begun her preparations for the Winter Olympics.
One likely candidate to fill that position is winger Grace Outwater. Next to Janecke, Outwater is the team’s second-highest scorer. She is second in the conference to Janecke in goals with 18, and third in points with 30.
Another option for coach Jeff Kampersal is McKenna Walsh. The freshman forward went 8-for-11 in the faceoff circle in the series against Delaware.
Forward McKenna Walsh (12) fights for the puck in a faceoff during the Penn State women’s hockey game against Syracuse at Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Orange 11-2.
Sawyer Hadlum
Rookie energy
This series also brings a matchup between a top group of rookies.
Playing on a line with Outwater and Maddy Christian is freshman Mikah Keller. With a goal and two assists in two games against Delaware, Keller tied for the most freshman points over the weekend, earning her honors as the AHA Rookie of the Week.
On the year, Keller has seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points, with five points in her last four games.
Manning the blue line for the Colonials is Linnea Misner, a freshman from Springfield, Manitoba.
Forward Mikah Keller (28) skates with the puck during the Penn State women’s hockey game against Cornell in Pegula Ice Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Bears 1-0.
Matt Cropp
A two-time AHA Rookie of the Week this season, Misner has put up four goals and 13 assists in 28 games. Her 17 points are the fourth-most among the team and the most for a defenseman.
Goaltending probables
After recording a new Penn State record 21 shutouts, DeSa will most likely get the nod for the blue and white in Friday’s outdoor game. This season, the Pawcatuck, Connecticut, native is 18-2 with a conference-best .933 save percentage and a 1.26 goals-against-average, the third lowest in the nation.
With DeSa making just two starts since leaving with an injury during a Jan. 2 game against Ohio State, it is possible Kampersal could still ease her back into consistent play.
This would mean a potential start by Maddy Campbell, who set a women’s hockey program record with her fourth shutout of the season, the most by a freshman goaltender. She is 6-2 with a .935 save percentage and a 1.44 goals-against-average.
Across the ice from DeSa, it is expected that Maggie Hatch will be between the pipes for Robert Morris. She made her most recent start last Friday against Mercyhurst and surrendered five goals in roughly 50 minutes before being pulled for redshirt sophomore Lucy Phillips.
Hatch is 8-10-2 with a .927 save percentage, 2.24 goals-against-average and five shutouts this season.
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