Penn State Women's Ice Hockey

Brandwene enters his fifth year at the helm of the program in 2016-17. After tallying their highest College Hockey America (CHA) Tournament seed in program history (third), the 2015-16 season came to a close for the Nittany Lions in a 3-2 triple overtime loss in the CHA Semifinal round to No. 2 seed Syracuse the eighth-longest game in NCAA womens hockey history. During the 2015-16 season, the Nittany Lions captured their third win in program history over a ranked opponent (5-3 No. 7/8 Boston University Oct. 9), received votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll (Oct. 20) for the first time in program history and recorded a five-game unbeaten streak the longest  in team history. In the Penn State record books, the 2015-16 Nittany Lions eclipsed 900 shots on goal for the first time as a program (924) and set program-bests in save percentage (.931), goals against average (1.81), and shutouts (six). In the classroom, the Nittany Lions maintained their programs perfect 1.000 APR, improved the team GPA to 3.40, and had a record 17 student-athletes make deans list in the spring of 2016. Individually, Laura Bowman became the first womens hockey student-athlete to receive Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District At-Large First Team honors. The 2014-15 season featured the Nittany Lions' best season in program history, posting the finest record in school history at 17-16-4 and earning its highest CHA Tournament seed at No. 4. Penn State earned its first wins over a ranked opponent (No. 6 Mercyhurst) and its first conference series sweep against the Lakers. The most improved team in the NCAA from the 2013-14 campaign, the Blue and White set program marks for wins (17), power play goals (23), and shorthanded goals (3) during the year. After setting the programs single-season record for goals (16) and shorthanded goals (2), Laura Bowman, Decembers CHA Player of the Month, picked up Penn States first All-CHA Second Team selection, alongside All-CHA Rookie Team honors for goalie Hannah Ehresmann and defenseman Bella Sutton. Celine Whitlinger also had a breakout season between the pipes, earning single-season marks for goals against average (2.17), goaltender wins (13), and shutouts (3). The two-time CHA Goaltender of the Month also collected six conference Goaltender of the Week accolades, the most in the CHA. In 2013-14, a freshman recruited by Brandwene, Bowman, earned All-CHA Rookie Team by leading the Nittany Lions in scoring with 10 goals. Penn States second season featured a more challenging schedule that featured seven opponents who finished with winning records. During Penn States historic first season, Brandwene orchestrated a season-opening win at Vermont and guided the team through a tough College Hockey America conference season. Under his tutelage, Penn State freshman Shannon Yoxheimer earned a spot on the All-CHA Rookie Team. Brandwene was named the first head coach of the Penn State womens ice hockey team on May 31, 2011. Brandwene, a Penn State alumnus, brings more than 20 years of coaching and administrative experience at the international, collegiate, and prep school levels to Happy Valley. Brandwenes previous coaching experience included a stint as the Team USAs mens ice hockey assistant coach at the 2003 World University Games. He also served as head boys coach at top New England prep program Northfield Mount Hermon School (Mass.) in 2004-07, and head girls coach at the Kingsford Oxford School (Conn.) in 2007-10. During his two-year tenure with the Kingsford Oxford girls team, Brandwene successfully rebuilt the program and led the New England Division II prep school team to a runner-up finish at the Canterbury Invitational Tournament and four victories over Division I prep programs. He was then asked to take over the boys program in the 2010-11 season prior to arriving at Penn State. Brandwenes prep school coaching was preceded by a 10-year stint leading three different American College Hockey Association (ACHA) mens programs, beginning with a two-year stint as head coach at West Virginia (1994-96). He led the program to its first bid to the national tournament and the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season championship in its first season in the league. Brandwene then left the Mountaineers to become the head coach and director of youth hockey programs at Delaware. During his seven-year stay (1996-2003), he led the team to three straight ECHA titles and seven consecutive national tournament appearances. In 2001, Delaware advanced to the national championship game and appeared in the semifinals two years later. After serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the World University Games, Brandwene spent the 2003-04 season at the University of Michigan Dearborn. He led the program to a 20-win season and collected the 200th win of his ACHA coaching career. Brandwene began his coaching career immediately after graduating from Penn State in 1991 when he became the head coach at Farmington High School (Conn.). In three seasons (1991-94), Brandwene led the program to its first state tournament berth in five years and a trip to the semifinals in his second season. In addition to coaching, Brandwene served as ACHA president from 1997-2004. Under his watch, the organizations membership more than tripled to 278 teams. A womens division was also formed in 2000 and a third mens division was added in 1999. Brandwene was elected to the ACHA Hall of Fame in 2009, the Penn State Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 and the University of Delaware Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005. A standout defenseman for Penn States club hockey team, Brandwene was a member of the 1990 ACHA National Championship team. He earned both team and league MVP honors and garnered first-team All-Tournament recognition as a senior. Brandwene graduated as the programs all-time leader in points among defensemen. Brandwene and his wife, Leona, also a Penn State graduate, have a daughter, Sophie.

Drennens goaltending expertise guided the Nittany Lions to an unprecedented 2014-15 campaign. Celine Whitlinger, a junior, had a breakout season between the pipes, earning program single-season marks for goals against average (2.17), goaltender wins (13) and shutouts (3). The two-time CHA Goaltender of the Month also collected six conference Goaltender of the Week accolades, the most in the CHA. Freshman Hannah Ehresmann earned All-CHA Rookie Team honors, turning away 25-or-more shots in eight of 12 appearances. Most recently at Wesleyan, Drennen helped steer the program from a 4-20-0 overall record in the year before she arrived in Middletown, Conn. (2011-12) to a 8-11-6 mark in the 2013-14 season. The Cardinals allowed 89 goals in that 2011-12 season (3.71 goals against per game), but gave up just 53 goals under Drennens tutelage (2.12 allowed per game) in 2013-14. At North Dakota (2009-12), Drennen was the goalie coach and video coordinator. In 2011-12, North Dakota finished with a 22-12-3 record and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. While at UND, Drennen began her Masters degree in Public History. In 2010-11, Drennen was also the girls player development director for the North Dakota Amateur Hockey Association. As a Mercyhurst student-athlete, Drennen was part of some of the most successful teams in Laker history, including the 2008-09 squad that reached the Womens Frozen Four title game. Drennen started 30 of the 37 games in which she played, compiling a .927 save percentage and a 1.42 GAA with eight shutouts. Mercyhurst went an impressive 112-24-12 during her four years in Erie. In addition to her experience at Wesleyan and North Dakota, Drennen has been an instructor for ProCrease Goaltending Institute since 2012 as well as the USA Hockey National Festival Camps (2010-12). She remains a part of the USA Hockey District Selection and Development Camps for the Atlantic, New England and Rocky Mountain Regions since 2010. Women's Ice Hockey Home   Email this article   Printer-friendly format

Dawes enters his fourth year at Penn State, and first as the director of operations for men's ice hockey. Dawes spent the last two seasons as an assistant women's coach/director of operations. A 2012 graduate of Utica, he served as assistant coach/director of hockey operations for the Pioneer mens team (2009-13). Dawes will serve as the coordinator of all internal and external video efforts while coordinating travel plans, working with opposing teams and their video efforts and assisting the coaching staff in all pregame and postgame preparation. With the Penn State women, Dawes was a member of the on-ice coaching staff whose main responsibilities included working with the defensemen, the penalty kill and video coaching. He also oversaw the day-to-day operation of the program including game scheduling, away trip management, home game day coordination and hockey technology. Under Dawes, the Nittany Lion defense has improved each year in goals allowed, goals against average and shutouts. The Nittany Lions have also increased their penalty kill percentage from .719 in 2013-14 to .813 in 2014-15 to .847 during the 2015-16 season. In addition to his duties with the Nittany Lions, Dawes served as video coach of the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team for the 2015-16 season, winning a gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Championships. He produced scouting reports, pre and post-game meeting packages, and assisted in all areas of hockey technology. While at Utica, Dawes primarily oversaw the day-to-day operations of the mens hockey team and helped develop scouting reports and video breakdowns. Additionally, Dawes assisted in Uticas recruiting efforts and the teams expenditures. During his time at UC, the Pioneers improved every season, going from an 8-14-4 record in 2009-10 to a 21-6-1 record in 2012-13 en route to the NCAA Division III Semifinals. Dawes also played a part in Utica Colleges fundraising effort. Prior to Utica, Dawes spent his freshman year, 2008-09, at Vermont as the director of hockey operations/video coach. That year, the Catamounts reached the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 1996 as he created all video breakdowns and was responsible for logistical and physical operations.