Syracuse Shut Down by Mercyhurst in a 6-1 Loss

By Luke Burgess | @BurgessLuke03 Citrus TV Women’s Ice Hockey Beat Reporter

ERIE, PA — Syracuse (9-18-1, 6-5 in CHA) was dominated by Mercyhurst (14-13-0, 6-3-0 in CHA)  on Saturday afternoon. The Orange couldn’t find an answer for Laker Goaltender Ena Nystrøm, who made 28 saves in the win. Mercyhurst did not let that performance go to waste as they put six behind Cuse Goalie Arielle DeSmet, who had a very rough go of things in northwest Pennsylvania.

The Orange knew that this matchup would be anything but easy coming in, and Britini Smith echoed how important it is that her team plays every shift within their system. 

The First Star of the day was undoubtedly Sara Boucher. The Mercyhurst forward had three goals and two assists, factoring in all but one of the goals in the afternoon. The junior now sits at 29 points this season, after tallying her third hat trick this year on Saturday. 

The outlook for Syracuse has to be moving forward. They play Mercyhurst again tomorrow, but quickly return home for a two game series against Penn State, who currently rank 12th in the country.

With the CHA Playoffs looming, it is important that Syracuse catch fire at the right time. The Orange finish out its schedule entirely at home, as tomorrow marks the last road game of the season, so it will be important for Syracuse to put together some consistent performances as crunch time approaches. 

One bright spot from this afternoon was the lone Syracuse goal. The goal, which came from Heidi Knoll, marked the first of her career. The Ottawa native is in the midst of her first season at Syracuse after playing with the Nepean Junior Wildcats throughout her junior career. 

For more updates tomorrow and through the end of the season, follow along on my Twitter, as well as Citrus TV Sports.

ljburges@syr.edu | @BurgessLuke03