Syracuse ice hockey continues strong start with a 3-1 victory over Mercyhurst.
By: Carter Masterson | @cwmasterson16
ERIE, Pa. – After a pair of victories against Stonehill on opening weekend, Syracuse ice hockey (2-0, 0-0 AHA) knew it had a much tougher test on hand when it hit the road to take on Mercyhurst (2-2, 0-0 AHA) this weekend. The Lakers began in the preseason rankings, but now sit as the first team out after getting blanked in two road games at Minnesota-Duluth last weekend.
But Mercyhurst had the same goal SU had, hit the ground running in AHA play.
Both squads were firing pucks on frame early in this one. The first period was one of streaks, and no team could seize the momentum, but not due to a lack of chances. The goaltenders each made over 10 saves by the first intermission.
Toward the end of the first frame things got chippy, when the Lakers and Orange took matching roughing penalties to close the period. Mercyhurst narrowly outshot the ‘Cuse by one, while SU controlled the face off dot. But neither team could find the back of the net in the first 20 minutes of conference play.
The second frame started hot for the ‘Cuse when Celia Wiegand stepped up and blocked a shot from the point and took it the other way. The associate captain found her fellow associate captain, Jackson Kinsler, whose chance was finished by Rylee McLeod for her first goal of the campaign.
Just over three minutes later the top line struck again McLeod potted her second of the night and season just as soon as she found her first, this time off Maryn Broderick’s fourth assist over three games. But the game began to turn in favor of the home side about halfway through the night.
The Orange took their second and third penalties of the night to send Mercyhurst to the man advantage. On its second power play of the night Mercyhurst executed. Sofia Nuutinen slid it cross crease to find the left handed shot of Abby Poitras, who wristed it home to cut SU’s lead to one.
Although the shots on goal numbers were even, and the ‘Cuse still lead, Mercyhurst aimed to take some momentum heading into the final period of the AHA opener. For the first 15 minutes of the third, each squad rode the flow of the game. Mercyhurst had the more serious chances on net, but SU kept the numbers even and maintained some pressure of its own.
With around five minutes to go, Mercyhurst took back to back penalty to calls hindering its chance of completing the comeback. After SU pummeled the Lakers goaltender Magdalena Luggin with shots on the five on three, Mercyhurst got back to even strength after an Emma Gnade roughing call with under four minutes to go.
Mercyhurst went into desperation mode firing shot after shot, many of which did not even need to be saved by sophomore goalie Ava Drabyk. Just four seconds after Syracuse stepped out of the box, The Orange put this one away with Nina Geric’s empty net goal to call the game, 3-1 in favor of SU.
Despite being outshot and losing the faceoff battle, the ‘Cuse answered the bell to get its first conference win of the season and remain undefeated. Ava Drabyk made her third consecutive start to begin this campaign with one or fewer goals conceded.
SU retakes the ice tomorrow for another battle against Mercyhurst at 3pm. The Orange could start 4-0 for the first time ever in program history. @cwmasterson16 has live game updates on X when the two sides go at it again on Saturday.
