Syracuse Plays Two Strong Periods, Struggles in Third in Loss to Penn State
After conceding seven goals in their meeting last night, The Orange looked to avenge their loss and produce a positive result against CHA rival and #10 nationally ranked, the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Syracuse and Coach Britni Smith came into this matchup with one major lineup change: forward Sarah Marchand would start on the top line with Lauren Bellefontaine and Tatum White. Although Coach Smith is not a stranger to switching up her lines, it was almost needed after not finding any goals the night prior.
One of the major takeaways from Friday’s game was the amount of time it took for The Orange to find their first shot on target. This afternoon was a different story, as it did not take long for Syracuse to test Josie Bothun. Syracuse’s best chance of the 1st period came just six minutes in as Lauren Bellefontaine found Tatum White with a perfectly timed, tape-to-tape saucer pass that was steered away by Bothun. Penn State had a quality chance of their own as Eleri McKay tried to score on a stuff-in play, but DeSmet was able to deny her. It would end scoreless after the first twenty minutes of play.
The 2nd period was highlighted by an early deflection chance for Penn State, followed by a Rayla Clemons drop pass for a Madison Primeau wrist shot, but neither would not end up in the back of the net. DeSmet would be tested all period long, including a double save that she took off of her mask. Josie Bothun would find her “web gem” in the middle period as she was able to deny Sarah Marchand right on the doorstep, flashing the leather in a critical part of the contest. Yet again, it would be scoreless entering the final twenty minutes of play.
Five goals would be tallied in the final period with four coming from the 10th ranked team in the nation, as Penn State would find the breakthrough just 1:42 into the 3rd as a deflection from Mallory Uihlein snuck past DeSmet. Even strength goals from Team USA World Junior Silver Medalist Teresa Janecke and Eleri MacKay made it 3-0 Nittany Lions before the midway point. A powerplay goal from Penn State’s leading scorer, Kiara Zanon (23 G, 22 A, 45 PTS) would make it a 4-0 lead in a blink of an eye. Although, Syracuse would not give up just yet as Mae Batherson earned her 4th of the season, but that would be all that she wrote for this one and the Nittany Lions left Tennity with a 4-1 win, clinching the CHA Regular Season Championship.
Even though Syracuse was outscored 11-1 this weekend, there were positives you can take out of this series. First, the spectacular play of Arielle DeSmet. This weekend proves that last year’s CHA Goaltender of the Year can keep The Orange in any matchup they are given. Next, how the defensive core is able to sacrifice the body in front of their netminder, keep an eye on the amount of blocked shots as it gets closer to playoff time. Finally, the creativity on the offensive side is still present, even though we only saw one shot find twine tonight. All lines showed promise tonight, especially the top line of Marchand-Bellefontaine-White. I asked Coach Smith how she is going to transition these positives into next weekend’s crucial series against CHA competitor, Mercyhurst.
“We played a very tight game against a top ten team, so we have to come next weekend ready to play the same sixty that we played tonight,” Coach Smith said. “And it comes from playing a simple game for us, we just need to buy into that simple, gritty hockey.”
The Orange await Mercyhurst on Friday, February 10th as the Lakers will travel to Tennity Ice Pavilion for an all-important weekend series. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be aired on Cuse.com.