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Head coach Britni Smith has emphasized the importance of starting strong on multiple occasions. But on Friday, the Orange found themselves on the opposite end of a dominant start. 

The Tigers fired off nine shots in the game’s first four minutes, followed by a goal at 6:02 to give them an early lead. Katherine Khramtsov sped down the left side before being cut off by Charlotte Hallett, so she passed back to Solveig Neunzert who sent a slap shot from the left circle.

The puck bounced off goalie Arielle DeSmet before Daniella Calabrese cleaned up the rebound on a wide-open right side. Princeton scored two more times before the first period ended. 

No. 15 Princeton (2-3, 1-3 Ivy League) snapped a five-game winning streak against Syracuse (6-8, 4-0 College Hockey America) with a commanding 4-2 victory. Syracuse struggled offensively as Princeton swarmed the puck and made SU rush shots and passes. Defensively, SU locked down for a bit in the second period, but a score with 12 seconds remaining in the period triggered a goalie change in the third, giving Ariella Merlino her first career appearance.

Before tonight, DeSmet had played in every period of every game this season. She won CHA Goaltender of the Year in 2021-2022 and has been vital to the Orange’s success. Coming in with a .923 season-long save percentage, DeSmet earned 23 saves in the first two periods for a rate of .852 before being replaced by the freshman. Merlino finished with 13 saves and no goals allowed in the loss.

After overlapping penalties in the first period, the Tigers capitalized before SU got back into position at full strength. Dominique Cormier saw a moment of complacency in the SU defense and sent a slap shot through a sea of bodies from beyond the left circle. DeSmet didn’t seem to see it and it whizzed past her face mask to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. 

Princeton got on the board again less than two minutes later as Maggie Connors secured a feed from Emerson O’Leary off a steal. She sent the puck between Terryn Mozes’ legs and another backhand shot around DeSmet. Three goals in the span of nine minutes presented a massive hurdle that the Orange couldn’t overcome.

SU, who leads the CHA in power-play percentage at 18.5%, went 0-3 on the day and allowed Cormier to score in Princeton’s lone power play. This was uncharacteristic for a Syracuse team that has relied on better scoring and passing on special teams.

On the Orange’s final power play, Lauren Bellefontaine whiffed on a shot from the left circle to start it off. Princeton stole the puck and got a shot off on the opposite end in less than 40 seconds, keeping SU off the puck even while outnumbered.

SU didn’t capitalize when it needed to, but scored twice in the last period to decrease the lead. Princeton controlled the game from the beginning through team defense and an overwhelming opening period. 

Princeton was relentless in its pursuit of the puck on defense, working to outnumber the Orange at all times on their end. SU’s leading scorer Sarah Marchand got off just two shots, but she finally got an opportunity near the end of the second period. 

Marchand sped down the middle of the ice on a fastbreak, but her shot from point-blank range went too high. Syracuse would score twice in the third period, but Marchand could have swung the momentum earlier to give SU a chance to come back.

Published on November 11, 2022 at 9:00 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu