Penn State goaltender Katie DeSa doesn’t come from a hockey background. Her parents never played the sport. Yet, when a six-year-old DeSa watched the Winter Olympics and watched hockey on the world stage, she immediately loved it.
“I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” the now 22-year-old told The Ice Garden. She started skating lessons soon after that.
DeSa was inspired by the 2010 Winter Olympics to play hockey. Photo by Mark Selders via gopsusports.com
Her parents signed her up for hockey and she picked up goaltending. “I wasn’t very good when I first started,” DeSa explained. “All I could focus on was the one save I made.” DeSa’s parents figured she wouldn’t stick to the sport after giving up double digit goals.
“I remember my parents thinking I wasn’t going to like it at all,” DeSa said.”I came off the ice being like, ‘did you see that one save that I made?’ My dad was like, ‘what about the others that went in?’ I was like, ‘I don’t care. I made that one save. That was awesome.’”
The back-to-back Atlantic Hockey America Goaltender of the Year recipient and HCA Goalie of the Year semifinalist currently leads the nation with 12 shutouts. Her most recent shutout against UConn in the NCAA regional semifinal, helped Penn State punch their ticket to the program’s first-ever Frozen Four appearance. DeSa will be in familiar territory with the event happening on home ice with a berth to the National Championship on the line as she takes the ice for the Frozen Four.
A Season Like No Other in Hockey Valley
The Nittany Lions put together a historic regular season. It began with a 16-game win streak that lasted until the end of November. On Feb. 23, they reached their highest ranking in program history, when they were ranked third by the USCHO. The team won their fourth straight AHA regular season title then defeated Mercyhurst for their fourth conference championship on March 7. They recorded a program record 31 wins in the regular season. While the likes of Olympic gold medalist Tessa Janecke, breakout rookie Danica Maynard, and offensive talent in Grace Outwater and Katelyn Roberts are finding the back of the net every weekend, DeSa is quietly doing her thing in net.
The Connecticut native recorded the most shutouts in a single season in program history. She posted a 16-1-0 record in conference play and has a 27-3-0 record overall heading into the Frozen Four. Though she continues to gain recognition within her conference and across the NCAA, DeSa still passes the credit on to her teammates.
“I always say, especially with all the shutouts I’ve had this year, I’m able to do it with the team I have in front of me,” DeSa said. “Things don’t always go as planned. Yes, maybe I make the initial save, but they’re always there to clean up rebounds, get people out of the net, things like that. It’s definitely a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Goals Realized
When DeSa began her collegiate career with Penn State in the 2022-23 season, she only appeared in three games. By her junior season, however, she was the starting netminder. DeSa appeared in 33 games, was the AHA Goaltender of the Year and an All-AHA First Team selection. Her 27-6-0 record was the most wins in program history – a feat she tied again this season – and she finished fourth nationally in goals against average with a 1.41.
When she was younger, DeSa said her dream was to play Division I college hockey. And she’s grateful to PSU for the chance to accomplish that and for the opportunity to grow within the program.
“[It] has been everything to me,” DeSa said. “I didn’t come in and start, which was hard, but I think that’s developed me into the goalie I am today. Knowing that you don’t always get what you want right away, but when you continue to work hard, good things do happen. Now looking back, I’ve had a pretty great career here and I’m grateful that Penn State gave me the opportunity to have it.”
After her remarkable junior year, where her performance in net brought her to the forefront of college hockey, DeSa found a way to excel once again. When asked what change led to an even better season, DeSa attributed it to something simple – fun. One of the moments where she found herself delighted to play was when Penn State faced Northeastern at the Dorothy Talbot Skating Rink in Gloucester, Mass.
“It took me a little bit back to high school… like, look how far you’ve come,” DeSa said. “You grow up in these small town rinks playing in the middle of nowhere with the people right on the glass. That’s exactly what that felt like. So to get a win in that type of environment was awesome.”
Reflections of Season’s Past
As DeSa finishes her senior season, she says reflections of her time with the program come in bits and pieces. After already feeling reflective in the game against Northeastern, she’s noticed that also happens as a group with other seniors on the team. They caught themselves reflecting during their last road trip to Lindenwood and the last regular season home games as well.
It’s a group of players who won the program’s first-ever conference championship as freshmen, and the ones who fueled their first regional semifinal win last weekend. Understanding their time is coming to an end also serves as motivation for DeSa and her teammates.
”That’s kind of fueled us to where we’ve gotten to now as seniors,” DeSa said. “Every game’s a privilege, and this could be the last time that we ever wear the jersey, that definitely has some motivation for us. But also as the team, knowing that we’re hosting the Frozen Four and never having been in that situation… that has been a lot of motivation for many girls on the team.”
One Step at a Time
This current season is much longer, given how far the NIttany Lions have advanced in the NCAA playoffs. So, how does someone like DeSa, who has made 30 appearances so far this season, stay strong?
It’s in taking things one step at a time.
“I’ve started translating that into everything that I do in life: one task at a time, one thing at a time,” DeSa explained. “So trying to focus on one thing ahead, focus on that next shot and that next game, the next practice.” The records that we’ve had collectively as a team this year have happened from building upon prior successes. So maintaining that mindset as we move forward.”
DeSa admitted she does return to the mentality of little Katie who focused on one save instead of the non-saves. She entered her best games this season with the thought of things not being about her, but about her teammates. “When you’re focused on something greater than yourself, things usually fall into place,” she said.
DeSa’s favorite things about playing at Penn State include the outdoor game at Beaver Stadium in late January. It was a sentimental game given she attended many football games there throughout her time at school. And besides the location, DeSa especially loved watching the 1,838 fans there break Penn State’s single game attendance record. The women’s hockey team doesn’t have season tickets like other sports do, but it hasn’t prevented the team from making connections with the local community. They have been able to get to know families on a first name basis and have connected with local girls as well.
DeSa was quick to share advice to girls who are thinking about playing hockey or are currently playing.
“Obviously, there’s ups and downs. We’re not always going to be perfect despite how many shutouts a goalie may have,” DeSa said. “We also always give up goals in the end. Even when it is a little bit challenging, always try to find the positives and keep working hard.”
Next Stop: the Frozen Four
DeSa has found the positives in a long career at Penn State. Now the leading netminder is preparing to host the defending champion Wisconsin Badgers on Friday in the Frozen Four.
Even though they are facing an opponent that spent the entire season as the top-ranked team, DeSa knows that Penn State, with its nine All-AHA team selections, can handle a strong opponent like Wisconsin.
“Penn State is still an up-and-coming program. This is a year of a lot of records, not just for individuals, but also as [a] team,” DeSa said. “Sitting third right now, this is the highest we’ve ever been ranked in program history. That goes to show that our success as a team comes from individual efforts. Whether it’s goalies, forwards, defense, collectively all together is what makes our program so strong.”
The Frozen Four is on March 20, with Ohio State vs. Northeastern at 4 P.M. and Penn State vs. Wisconsin at 7:30 P.M. ET on ESPN+.
