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After a slow offensive start for Syracuse, they caught a break after RPI was assessed a tripping penalty late in the first period.

Working the puck along the blue line, Sami Gendron sent a pass to Jackson Kinsler who was waiting at the right point. All in one motion, she faked the shot around her defender and fired the puck glove side high through traffic, giving the Orange a 1-0 lead despite being out-shot 13-6 up to that point.

“Getting that one (goal) in the first period tonight when I believe we were being outplayed let us end the first period up,” SU head coach Britni Smith said postgame. “And that gave us the opportunity to find our game.”

In its 2-1 loss on Friday, Syracuse (2-2-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic Hockey Association) gained the lead early but faltered in the third period by allowing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference) to score back-to-back power-play goals and steal the victory.

To open the game, Syracuse’s offense was stymied by the Engineers’ fast and aggressive forecheck. SU goalie Allie Kelley was peppered with several chances, but the majority of the early chances she faced she easily turned away with routine pad stops.

While Kelley remained sharp early on, the Orange struggled to find offense due to active sticks and blocks by RPI any time Syracuse managed to work the puck into enemy territory. Syracuse was held without a single shot on net until almost seven minutes into the period.

To make matters worse for SU, Tatum White was given a hooking minor, giving the Engineers a prime scoring opportunity.

As RPI set up shop on the player advantage, Andrea Trnkova received the puck and put everything she had into a slapshot that appeared destined for the back of the net. But fortunately for Kelley, the shot clanged off the crossbar and out of play.

The Orange managed to kill off the Engineers’ power play and return to full strength. Almost immediately after, Syracuse gained a power play opportunity of its own.

SU’s power play unit converted to put the Orange ahead 1-0. The goal marked Syracuse’s fourth power-play goal in its first four games this season.

“Our power play, whether they score or not, has been something that’s definitely gained momentum for us,” Smith said.

In the second period, the Orange made adjustments that minimized RPI’s offensive attack. While they had lost races to pucks in the opening period, Syracuse now carried the pace of play by re-establishing its forecheck.

SU’s aggression from its forwards resulted in havoc for the Engineers as they were in transition in the neutral zone. By breaking up cross-ice passes and committing to well-timed checks, the Orange consistently managed to create turnovers all over the ice that sent them back on offense going the other way.

Despite their efforts to stop the Engineers from possessing the puck, the Orange still dominated 10-5 in the faceoff circle in the middle frame. A set play off the draw late in the second nearly allowed RPI to draw even.

Now to the right of the Syracuse goal, Natalie Tulchinsky won the puck cleanly on the draw back to Michelle Nutescu who was waiting on the blue line. Seeing the shooting lane in front of her, Nutescu fired a shot into the top corner of the net. But without a heavy screen in front of Kelley, she calmly snagged the puck to extinguish the chance and maintain SU’s lead entering the final period.

“They are a quick team, they play quick in transition and are hard on forechecks,” Smith said of RPI. “They make you work for everything and we certainly felt that tonight.”

But the third period couldn’t have started worse for the Orange. Just under five minutes in, Stella Costabile was called for interference. Just 15 seconds into the ensuing power play, Aylah Cioffi snuck the puck under Kelley to even the contest at 1-1. The goal marked Syracuse’s first goal given up on home ice this season.

From its first tally of the game onward, RPI seemed to have reclaimed all the game’s momentum.

Once again, pressed into their zone by the return of RPI’s relentless forecheck, the Orange were forced to sacrifice their bodies with numerous blocks in front of the net. Syracuse combined for 28 blocked shots in the contest. Eight of those came from Jessica Cheung, the most by an SU player in a game since Kelli Rowswell’s nine against Wisconsin on Dec. 12, 2018.

But in the end, SU’s willingness to block the puck proved to be its downfall.

On RPI’s fourth player-advantage of the contest, a shot from the point deflected off the shoulder of a Syracuse defender and bounced right onto the stick of Ellie Kaiser. Kelley quickly shifted to her right to readjust to the shot, but Kaiser’s shot beat her short side as the Engineers took their first lead of the night.

In the final two minutes, the Orange pulled the goalie to give them the six-on-five advantage in a final effort to salvage a point from the contest with a tie. But with one final save off the faceoff on Bryn Saarela, Maelee Ambrass sealed the Engineers’ win, handing the Orange their first loss at home this season.

Published on October 11, 2024 at 11:03 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu