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With 20 seconds on the clock, Syracuse had RIT down to its last breath.

The Tigers swapped goalkeeper Sophia Bellina for an extra skater, throwing forward everything they had. Mia Tsilemos fired a pass to the base of the left circle, which Nicole Ness corralled, flicking a shot on goal. Just as she had all night, Allie Kelley made a crucial play to push it wide. One final faceoff win in the dying moments allowed the Orange to hold on to a gritty one-goal win.

SU (4-9-0, 2-2-0 Atlantic Hockey America) earned its first road win of the season and first shutout since Oct. 5, blanking RIT (6-5-3, 1-2-1 AHA) 1-0 Saturday evening. Despite facing a season-high 79 shots, 33 of which were on goal, Syracuse completed the weekend sweep over the Tigers backed by a stellar performance from Kelley.

While the final score suggested a defensive battle, the first few moments of the match indicated the opposite. After scoring three goals in the third period a night ago, the Orange picked up right where they left off.

Early in the first period, Jessica Cheung blasted a shot off the boards behind the net. The puck ricocheted to Peyton Armstrong near the left post, and she poked it across the face of goal. Nea Tervonen pounced, whipping a shot into the net before Bellina could recover. Just a minute and 42 seconds into the game, SU led 1-0.

Despite finding the back of the net early, the Orange spent the majority of the first period — and the rest of the game — defending. Though it earned two power plays, SU didn’t show much else offensively in the period.

The Tigers, however, attacked the Syracuse zone relentlessly, forcing multiple one-on-ones with Kelley. A five-minute major penalty on Cheung late in the period left the Orange in an elongated penalty kill, but the SU defensive line stood strong; Kelley made 10 saves in the first.

It was more of the same in the second period. Kelley faced 24 shots, saving 7-of-7 on goal. SU was unable to keep the puck out of its zone due to RIT’s persistent forecheck, but it succeeded in preserving the shutout. Despite being outshot by 14 in the period, Syracuse led 1-0 through two.

To start the third period, the Tigers earned a power play in the middle of the frame and began to inch closer toward an equalizer. RIT fired six shots in the two-minute span, with three being saved by Kelley, and another sailing over the bar in a missed one-on-one opportunity.

However, SU wasn’t out of the woods just yet. The Tigers continued to rain shots on goal and found themselves with a number of chances to level the score. Jackson Kinsler and Tervonen both made important back checks to stall RIT threats in Syracuse’s zone, and Kelley remained consistent between the sticks.

A power play with four minutes remaining allowed the Orange to drain the clock, and a final two-minute stand by their defensive unit allowed them to hold on for a second consecutive win. SU mustered just six shots to the Tigers’ whopping 31 in the final frame, but it proved irrelevant to the end result.

Despite utilizing an explosive offensive attack to win in the first game of the weekend series, the Orange proved Saturday that they can hold their own on both ends of the ice. While Tervonen’s early goal was the difference in the contest, Syracuse’s performance in the defensive zone and Kelley’s stellar night paved the path to victory.

Published on November 16, 2024 at 7:51 pm

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