BOSTON – Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) announced its women’s players of the week for the first week of conference play, with three schools represented led by Penn State with two honorees.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Forward of the Week: Sofia Ismael, Fr., Penn State (St. George, Ont.)
Defenseman of the Week: Sophie Morrow, So., Penn State (Darien, Conn.)
Goaltender of the Week: Charlotte Payne, So., Delaware (Oakville, Ont.)
Rookie of the Week: Mariia Polozkova, Fr., F, Mercyhurst (Moscow, Russia)

FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Sofia Ismael and her linemate, Abby Stonehouse (Blenheim, Ont.), shared the AHA lead with six points in two games on the weekend. Ismael recorded her first collegiate goal and added an assist in Friday’s come-from-behind victory against Robert Morris, then had a hat trick and another assist in Saturday’s 4-1 win. 

Ismael’s hat trick was the first of the season for a Nittany Lion and the first by a Penn State freshman since current junior captain Grace Outwater (Picton, Ont.) in 2024.

Ismael factored on six of Penn State’s nine goals in the weekend sweep and scored on four of her seven shots. She shares the national lead among freshmen in goals on the season (4) and is one off the lead in points (6) through four games.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Sophie Morrow earned her first career AHA weekly award after leading the Penn State defense in a sweep of Robert Morris. Morrow had two assists on the weekend, both in Saturday’s 4-1 win, and finished with a +2 rating.

Morrow and the Nittany Lions limited the Colonials to four shots on goal in Saturday's game, and none in the first or third periods. That marked the second-fewest shots allowed by an AHA team all-time, trailing only the single shot Penn State allowed at Delaware on Oct. 11, 2025.

Morrow had a career-high eight shots on goal to go with her two assists in Saturday’s win.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Delaware, which had one AHA win last season, matched that total in its conference opener Saturday behind Charlotte Payne’s 33 saves on 34 shots. She stopped all 12 third-period shots she faced while Delaware held a 2-1 lead before adding two empty net goals.

Payne has been between the pipes for all three Delaware victories all-time and three of four games this season as the Blue Hens have started 1-2-1 (1-1-0 AHA).

Payne is 1-1-1 on the year with a 1.99 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. Among goaltenders with more than one game played she ranks 16th nationally in both GAA and save percentage.

This marks Payne’s first AHA weekly award of her career. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Mariia Polozkova posted a two-goal, three-point game to help Mercyhurst earn a split against Syracuse with a 5-2 victory on Saturday.

Polozkova’s goals both came in the second period, the first a shorthanded beauty that would stand up as the game-winner. Her second came with just 0:00.3 on the clock and gave Mercyhurst a 4-1 lead entering the third period. Polozkova was +4 with two blocks in the game.

Polozkova’s six points through six games ranks tied for second nationally among freshmen, just one point off the lead. Saturday’s game was the second multiple-point game of her young career, following a one-goal, one-assist effort against RPI on Sept. 19.  

ABOUT ATLANTIC HOCKEY AMERICA
Atlantic Hockey America is in its third season in 2026-27 following the merger of the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference fields nine Division I men’s teams and seven women’s teams representing 14 institutions. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com or follow the conference on X (@Atlantic_Hockey), Instagram (@atlantichockeyamerica) and Facebook (Atlantic Hockey America). Watch Atlantic Hockey America home games on FloHockey.