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Two Syracuse skaters earned College Hockey America honors after opening up conference play with two straight wins over RIT. Sarah Marchand won forward of the week and Arielle DeSmet won her second goalie of the week in a row. 

The Orange (3-7-1) picked up their first regulation win on Thursday, defeating the Tigers 1-0. Arielle DeSmet recorded her first shutout of the season, saving 25 shots. The reigning CHA Goalie of the Year has turned away 297 shots in 11 games.

DeSmet helped Syracuse kill four power plays in the game, coming up with eight saves while SU was down a player. In the third period, SU was on a power play of their own when the puck squirted free, sending Megan McCormick free, creating a one-on-one with DeSmet. DeSmet aggressively came out of her crease to close the angle, sticking out her leg to make the save, keeping her shutout alive. 

In Syracuse’s 4-1 win over RIT on Saturday, DeSmet made just 17 saves, her second-fewest of the year. She conceded her only goal in 120 minutes of play against RIT when Lexi Sung sent one past her with less than a minute left in the second period.

Marchand recorded a team-high five shots in the game on Thursday to add to her team-leading total of 33 on the season. Marchand has taken an increased role in the offense in her sophomore season, leading the Orange with nine points on the season. She also went 9-for-15 on faceoffs in the first game against the Tigers. 

Marchand recorded a season-high three points in the victory, scoring twice and assisting once. With RIT on the power play, the puck was loose in the neutral zone. Marchand was the first to react skating with it into the offensive zone. Lauren Bellefontaine flanked to her right creating a two-on-two chance, but Marchand took the puck herself, firing a wrister into the top left hand corner to give Syracuse a 2-0 advantage. With Syracuse on the power play, Marchand redirected a Bellefontaine shot for her second goal of the game, putting SU up 3-1. 

Saturday was Marchand’s third multipoint game of the season. It was also her first career multi-goal game after scoring 10 last season. 

Published on October 31, 2022 at 3:52 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22