Syracuse Ice Hockey splits its regular season finale to No. 13 Mercyhurst
Caitlin McDonough |@CaitlinMcDono
GAME ONE 2/13
ERIE, PA – Syracuse ice hockey (14-15-4, 10-10-3 in Atlantic Hockey America) hit the road for its last regular season home series against No. 13 Mercyhurst (20-10-3, 16-5-2 in Atlantic Hockey America). The Orange came out on top 3-2 in a shootout win for a much needed two points.
SU couldn’t have asked for a better start. Senior Jackson Kinsler dumped the puck in the offensive zone, which allowed the ‘Cuse to change its line. Forward Rylee McLeod skated right off the bench and pressured Mercyhurst defender Payten Evans. McLeod poked the puck free, spun and slotted it into the bottom right corner just 38 seconds into the opening frame.
Mercyhurst would respond 13 minutes later to tie the game at one through Holly VanNetten. The Lakers kept the puck alive behind the net where Sofia Nuutinen set up VanNetten for a one-timer.
Out of the break, the ‘Cuse had an early chance at the start on the power play, but couldn’t convert. The Lakers kept battling and had a chance on a breakaway, yet Ava Drabyk denied them. Neither team could find a way past either goaltender as things were tied heading into the third period.
The Lakers wanted three points and went ahead two and a half minutes into the final frame. They couldn’t capitalize on a second half breakaway, but did on this one. Jade Maisonneuve led a 2-on-1and set up Berlin Lolacher at the back door. Drabyk got a piece of it, but the shot trickled over the line.
Just as the Orange have done all season, they wouldn’t go away quietly. Mercyhurst again caused its own problems and failed to clear the puck. Stella Costabile collected the loose puck and hit Kinsler in the crease with 90 seconds left.
Kinsler’s nod sent the game to overtime. Extra hockey was pretty uneventful, except for a shot from SU that hit the post. Both teams had opportunities to put the game away, yet Drabyk and Magdalena Luggin didn’t give up anything between the pipes.
In the shootout, it was the netminders again who continued to make headlines. Drabyk made all three stops. It all came down to freshman Emma Gnade, and she made no mistake. Syracuse beat Mercyhurst for the second time in a shootout this season. The Orange now have 33 points and still sit fourth in the AHA standings since RIT beat No. 4 Penn State in overtime. SU and Mercyhurst met again for a 3pm puck drop on Saturday.
GAME TWO 2/14
ERIE, PA – Syracuse ice hockey (14-16-4, 10-11-3 in Atlantic Hockey America) picked up two huge points against No. 13 Mercyhurst (21-10-3, 17-5-2 in Atlantic Hockey America) on Friday. Today, it was the Lakers who beat the Orange 7-0.
In yesterday’s game, SU got on the board first and fast. This time it was Mercyhurst who came out of the gates quickly. Julia Perjus found the back of the net just five minutes into the game. Her score would kickstart an offensive onslaught from the Lakers.
Just seven minutes later, SU defender Sami Gendron delivered a hit on forward Henlee Mahoney close to the boards. The officials would review the call and upgrade it to a five minute major.
Mercyhurst would make use of that penalty. The Lakers peppered Ava Drabyk and the Syracuse defense. All that pressure paid off around two minutes into the penalty when Sofia Ljung connected off Holly VanNetten’s feed. Because Gendron was called for the major, that meant she would serve a full five minutes. The Lakers added another one two minutes later through Maja Alenius.
Just as the period was about to expire, Syracuse had a chance on the power play itself. The Orange went into the second period down by three. The second period mimicked how the first went. Mercyhurst scored three more goals.
The first was by Sophie McKinley with the assist credited to Julia Perjus who scored the opening goal. The Lakers didn’t have to wait long for their next as VanNetten found herself on the scoresheet. At that point it was 5-0, so associate head coach Heather Farrell pulled Drabyk and put in Bella Gould for her second appearance of the season. Gould’s first shot she faced was a goal by Jade Maisonneuve.
Down by six, the game was out of reach heading into the third. Just like the Lakers did in the first two periods, they made use of the power play. Ljung would grab her second of the game, which was Mercyhurst’s third extra skater goal of the contest. This was the most goals the ‘Cuse gave up since an 11-2 loss to then No. 6 Penn State in November.
Syracuse now awaits scores from other AHA competitions for its seeding in the AHA Postseason. For coverage of SU’s playoff run, follow @CaitlinMcDono and @CitrusTVSports on X/Twitter!
