Syracuse Stumbles in First Conference Weekend
By Andrew Della Piana | @dellie_5
It may be Halloween, but No. 15 Penn State wasn’t scared of entering the Tennity Ice Pavilion and returning to Happy Valley with two victories. Syracuse women’s hockey was defeated 4-2 and 6-2, and the Orange have now lost a total of six consecutive games versus the Nittany Lions. Following the contest on Sunday, head coach Britni Smith highlighted how her squad is on the verge of turning the page against PSU.
“I think we have a team that believes we can do that, that we can beat the Penn State’s of the world. I believe that as well. We went over some video and had a really good game plan in place, and they executed very well for about 90 percent of the game today. Overall we are very happy with our play and, obviously, that 10 percent that Penn State was able to capitalize on is our focus now.”
Senior Rayla Clemons returned to the lineup after suffering a leg injury against Post in the opening weekend, and her speed was back in full force. On Sunday, Clemons intercepted a pass near the offensive blue line and poked it to Marielle McHale, who was positioned on the left side of the ice. McHale took a few strides and beautifully placed a pass to the right of the goal, where Sarah Thompson slammed home her second goal of the year.
St. Lawrence transfer Rachel Teslak continued to shine offensively this weekend, recording two points and scoring her team-leading fourth goal of the season. The graduate student has already doubled her scoring total from her senior season with the Saints.
Faceoffs were a strength throughout the weekend, with captain Tatum White finishing with a CHA season-high 24 faceoff wins in Sunday’s loss.
Goaltender Allie Kelley recorded 74 saves in the series and has now made at least 30 saves in six consecutive games.
Syracuse continues CHA play this weekend visiting Robert Morris on Friday and Saturday. Follow @Dellie_5 on X for live in-game updates and coverage for everything Syracuse women’s ice hockey all semester long.
