Syracuse and Penn State draw 1-1 in first game of weekend series
Meghan Hendricks | Photo Editor
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Syracuse held a 1-0 lead for 40 minutes until Penn State’s Alyssa Machado tied the game late in the third period on a feed from Natalie Heising. Penn State (14-8-4, 7-2-2-2 College Hockey America) and Syracuse (11-9-6, 9-3-1-1 CHA) both couldn’t score in the remaining time in the third period or in overtime, resulting in a tie.
Penn State was in control early on, taking eight shots in the first six minutes, while Syracuse only had one attempt from Victoria Klimek, which was blocked by Avery Mitchell. But Syracuse found its footing a minute later and launched six consecutive shots. The first three shots all went wide, and Josie Bothun saved the last three.
Arielle DeSmet saved nine shots before Syracuse caught a break when Lyndie Lobdell got a slashing penalty right as Syracuse earned the penalty kill, giving the Orange a power play. Anna Leschyshyn took advantage and scored her fifth goal of the season, assisted by Klimek and Shelby Calof, to get an early 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
Penn State dominated the beginning of the second period, holding Syracuse to only three shots compared to the 16 from the Nittany Lions in the first 10 minutes. PSU finished Friday’s game with a total of 82 shots.
DeSmet and the Syracuse defense kept Penn State off the scoresheet, which allowed the Orange to counter in the last five minutes of the period. Rachel Weiss got a penalty for tripping, which gave Syracuse a power play, and Syracuse managed two shots but couldn’t convert before the penalty was over. But the Orange recorded 11 consecutive shots, ending the second period with momentum.
The third period started off back and forth until Syracuse got its third power-play opportunity of the night. The Orange failed to extend their lead during the power play, and Penn State soon got a power play of its own a minute later.
Penn State then amped up its attack and recorded three shots and three faceoff wins in a three minute span. The Nittany Lions couldn’t convert and Jessica DiGirolamo notched a shot on the other end for Syracuse, but she missed, which allowed Machado to come back and tie the game late in the third period. The Orange had one more power-play opportunity at the end of the third period but only managed one shot during it from Klimek, which was blocked by Rene Gangarosa.
In overtime, Syracuse had another power-play opportunity three minutes into the period. DiGirolamo got the first chance, but Bothun saved it. Then Mae Batherson missed two shots in a row, and DiGirolamo did the same.
Penn State once again killed off the penalty enough to preserve the tie, and Syracuse, who had seven power-play opportunities, only converted on one.
Published on February 4, 2022 at 9:24 pm
Contact Adam: amccaffe@syr.edu