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Women's Ice Hockey Gabe Herman, Director of Communications

AHA Women’s Weekly Journal (Jan. 7, 2026)

AHA play is back at full capacity this week with three conference series.

BOSTON - Six of seven Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) programs go head-to-head this week in two-game series with conference points on the line.

MATCHUPS
Thursday/Friday (Jan. 8/9)
  • RIT at Delaware

Friday/Saturday (Jan. 9/10)
  • No. 4/4 Penn State at (RV) Mercyhurst
  • Syracuse at Robert Morris

AROUND AHA
  • Delaware freshman blueliner Lexie Lonask leads the nation with 93 blocks, the only Division I skater this season with 90+.
  • RIT has netted a power play goal in six straight contests, tied for the longest active streak in the nation.
  • Robert Morris has recorded six shutouts this season, tied for the third-most in collegiate hockey.
  • Syracuse freshman goaltender Ava Drabyk has the second-most saves among Division I freshmen with 578.

QUICK HITS
  • Robert Morris sophomore forward Jessica MacKinnon led the nation in December with seven points (2G-5A) in four games played.
  • Going back to 2018-19, no goaltender in the nation has recorded more shutouts in a single season through Jan. 7 than Penn State senior Katie DeSa’s seven.
  • DeSa is one of three active netminders with 20+ career shutouts, after she recorded her 20th on Dec. 30 in a 1 -0 win over Cornell.
  • No freshman defenseman in the nation has recorded more multi-point efforts this season than Penn State’s Danica Maynard.

FROM AHA TO MILANO CORTINA
To date, four active AHA women’s student-athletes have been named to national rosters that are set to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

Penn State senior forward Tessa Janecke (USA), Mercyhurst sophomore forward Julia Schalin (Finland) and a pair of Lindenwood blueliners, Lucie Quarto (France) and Elina Zilliox (France).  

Other individuals with AHA ties to the Olympics include Syracuse head coach Britni Smith, who will serve as an assistant for Canada and AHA official and former Robert Morris blueliner (2015-19) Kirsten Welsh, who will serve as a linesperson for the women’s tournament.


ROARING AHEAD
RIT enters the 2026 portion of its campaign leading Division I with 27 power play goals.

The Tigers are averaging 1.23 goals per game on the advantage. This season, junior blueliner Emma Pickering leads the unit with five power play goals and six Tigers have netted multiple.

Coming into its first game of the new year, RIT has netted a power play goal in six straight games.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Forward: Sofia Nuutinen, JR, Mercyhurst (Vantaa, Finland) - 2 GP, 4 PTS (2G-2A) vs. Lindenwood
Defenseman: Sofia Ljung, JR, Mercyhurst (Hudiksvall, Sweden) - 2 GP, 3 PTS (1G-2A) vs. Lindenwood
Goaltender: Tara Bach, FR, Mercyhurst (Oakville, Ontario) - 2 GP (2-0-0), 0.96 GAA, .953 SV% vs. Lindenwood
Rookie: Ava Drabyk, G, Syracuse (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) - 2 GP (2-0-0), 0.50 GAA, .967 SV% vs. Delaware

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Forward: Jessica MacKinnon, SO, Robert Morris (Clarks Harbour, Nova Scotia) - 4 GP, 7 PTS (2G-5A)
Defenseman: Payten Evans, SR, Mercyhurst (Calgary, Alberta) - 2 GP, 6 PTS (2G-4A)
Goaltender: Maggie Hatch, JR, Robert Morris (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) - 4 GP (3-0-1), 0.49 GAA, .985 SV%
Rookie: Julia Perjus, R-FR, Mercyhurst (Stockholm, Sweden) - 2 GP, 5 PTS (1G-4A)

BY THE NUMBERS
4 - Four AHA skaters are tied for the lead in multi-goal games with three (Alaina Giampietro, Robert Morris - MacKinnon, Robert Morris - Maddy Christian, Penn State - Schalin, Mercyhurst).

8 - Penn State sophomore forward Grace Outwater has tallied 12 points (4G-8A) during her active eight-game point streak, the longest in AHA.

12 - Janecke’s 12 multi-point games are tied for the most in Division I.  

13 - Since Nov. 15, Schalin’s 13 points (5G-8A) are the second-most in the nation by a sophomore.


SCORING LEADERS
*Stats are from all regular-season contests.

GOALS
  1. Maddy Christian (Penn State) - 13
  2. Grace Outwater (Penn State) - 13
  3. Jessica MacKinnon (Robert Morris) - 13
  4. Tessa Janecke (Penn State) - 12

ASSISTS
  1. Tessa Janecke (Penn State) - 16
  2. Julia Schalin (Mercyhurst) - 15
  3. Jessica MacKinnon (Robert Morris) - 15
  4. Four tied - 14

POINTS
  1. Jessica MacKinnon (Robert Morris) - 28
  2. Tessa Janecke (Penn State) - 28
  3. Julia Schalin (Mercyhurst) - 23
  4. Grace Outwater (Penn State) - 23

GOALTENDING LEADERS
*Min. 33% of team minutes played.

GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE
  1. Katie DeSa (Penn State) - 1.35
  2. Maggie Hatch (Robert Morris) - 2.08
  3. Ava Drabyk (Syracuse) - 2.27
  4. Magdalena Luggin (Mercyhurst) - 2.35

SAVE PERCENTAGE
  1. Maggie Hatch (Robert Morris) - .933
  2. Katie DeSa (Penn State) - .928
  3. Ava Drabyk (Syracuse) - .926
  4. Magdalena Luggin (Mercyhurst) -.923

SAVES
  1. Ava Drabyk (Syracuse) - 578
  2. Magdalena Luggin (Mercyhurst) - 549
  3. Sophia Bellina (RIT) - 515
  4. Maggie Hatch (Robert Morris) - 498


ABOUT ATLANTIC HOCKEY AMERICA
Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) is in its second season following the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference fields 10 Division I men's teams and seven women's teams. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com.

Connect with AHA on X (@Atlantic_Hockey), Instagram (@atlantichockeyamerica) and Facebook (Atlantic Hockey America).

Watch AHA home games on FloHockey this season.