BOSTON – After a Lindenwood victory improved Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) to 5-0-0 in women’s non-conference play the conference suffered its first setback of the season in a top-five matchup at Penn State. The No. 4/6 Nittany Lions took No. 2/2 Ohio State to overtime but lost, 2-1, after raising their 2025-26 AHA championship banners.

LINDENWOOD 3, MERRIMACK 2
Box Score
North Andover, Mass. – A three-goal first period and a 27-save effort from junior goaltender Madison Bowtell (Lake Country, B.C.) lifted Lindenwood to a 3-2 victory at Merrimack and the Lions’ first 3-0-0 start in program history. 

Lindenwood – which had scored three goals in a 57-second span of its game Saturday at Post – got its first two goals just 53 seconds apart in the first period. Freshman Raquel McCormack (West Bend, Wis.) and sophomore Tatiana Blichova (Presov, Slovakia) each scored their second goals of the season, both coming in the first 4:26 of the game. Junior Silje Gundersen (Kristainsand, Norway) added her second of the year later in the first period.

Merrimack scored late in the second and again late in the third, but Bowtell held strong and the Lions blocked 15 shots and went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. The two teams close out their series on Friday afternoon. 
 

	Scoring	Shots	Pen/Min	PP	New Record (Conf.)
Lindenwood	3-0-0–3	30	4/8	0/3	3-0-0 (0-0-0)
Merrimack	0-1-1–2	29	3/6	0/4	0-1-0 (0-0-0)

NO. 2/2 OHIO STATE 2, NO. 4/6 PENN STATE 1 OT
Box Score
University Park, Pa. – Two 2026 Frozen Four teams went to overtime in both teams’ season opener, with Ohio State edging Penn State on a Joy Dunne goal 46 seconds into the extra frame.

AHA Preseason Player of the Year Grace Outwater (Picton, Ont.) accounted for the Penn State goal, tying the score just 12 seconds into the third period at 1-1. Ohio State had struck first in the second period following a scoreless first.

Freshman goaltender Morgan Stickney (St. Charles, Mo.) starred in her collegiate debut for Penn State, stopping 44 of 46 shots.
 

	Scoring	Shots	Pen/Min	PP	New Record (Conf.)
Ohio State	0-1-0-1–2	46	8/16	0/5	1-0-0 (0-0-0)
Penn State	0-0-1-0–1	21	5/10	0/8	0-1-0 (0-0-0)

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, September 25
Lindenwood at Merrimack, 1 p.m. ET
No. 2/2 Ohio State at No. 4/6 Penn State, 4 p.m. ET
RIT at No. 12/12 Clarkson, 6 p.m. ET
Delaware at Holy Cross, 6 p.m. ET
Stonehill at Syracuse, 6 p.m. ET
No. 15/14 Mercyhurst at No. 9/9 Minnesota Duluth, 6 p.m. CT
Post at Robert Morris, 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, September 26
Delaware at Holy Cross, 2 p.m. ET
Post at Robert Morris, 3 p.m. ET
RIT at No. 12/12 Clarkson, 3 p.m. ET
Stonehill at Syracuse, 3 p.m. ET
No. 15/14 Mercyhurst at No. 9/9 Minnesota Duluth, 3 p.m. CT

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.