SU’s special teams struggle in 4-3 overtime loss to Robert Morris
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RMU’s Morgan Giannone skated down toward the crease with the puck. With less than a minute left in the second period, Giannone squeezed the puck through two Syracuse defenders to find Courtney Hall. After gathering, Hall collected and struck the puck past SU goaltender Allie Kelley. The score by Hall came on a player advantage for RMU and it extended the Colonials’ lead to 3-1.
About a minute before Hall’s goal, SU defender Jocelyn Fiala was called for interference. Down a player, Syracuse was backed into its defensive zone, facing its second penalty kill opportunity of the period. This time RMU capitalized on its chance — something SU struggled to defend all game against the Colonials.
Despite forcing overtime, Syracuse (5-20-2, 2-10-1 College Hockey America) lost 4-3 to Robert Morris (10-15, 7-6 CHA) after going 0-for-5 on power play chances. Both teams combined for nine penalties in the game, but RMU capitalized on its opportunities while Syracuse did not. Before the game, RMU held the worst power-play percentage in the CHA at .130, but its 1-for-4 success tonight proved to be the game’s difference. SU had chances to convert its power plays, but secure defense by Robert Morris blanketed the Orange.
Syracuse got its first power-play chance 13 minutes into the game after former SU player Madison Primeau was called for tripping. The Orange created lanes for five shots on RMU goaltender Maggie Hatch, but each one was bodied up.
A minute after the Colonials’ first penalty kill, RMU got an advantage of its own. Up a player, the Colonials worked to put two shots on Kelley, but the graduate transfer gloved both. 10 seconds after a Kelley save, the puck fizzled out to Tatum White. White got the puck and found a cutting Darci Johal who was dashing up the ice. Johal got the puck for a 1-on-1 chance and made a move on Hatch to take the game’s first lead, even while shorthanded.
With 45 seconds left in the first period, RMU’s Lindsey Smolen was called for tripping. Syracuse fired off three shots but none broke through the back of the net.
“Sometimes (RMU) was being aggressive and then sometimes (RMU) was kind of not being aggressive,” Johal said. “Once we got it set up, we were moving the puck around, but we had trouble getting into their zone.”
RMU presented different defensive looks which caused SU’s lead to stall at 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Three minutes into the second, White committed a hooking penalty, kickstarting a flurry of three penalties between the two teams. Two penalties by Robert Morris followed, giving SU a 30-second window of 5-on-3 hockey. Syracuse applied offensive pressure on the Colonials but its defense relented to let the puck through. Chloé Puddifant and Allyson Hebert each notched blocks.
Eight minutes into the second period, Robert Morris returned to full strength and it took just 20 seconds for it to score. Jersey Phillips found Catriona Crarer for a goal from just outside the SU crease, tying the game 1-1.
Just after the score, RMU committed its third penalty of the period. Despite Syracuse being a player-up, the Colonials recorded the next shot, which Kelley gloved. The two minutes of the power play expired and SU did not record a shot, failing to capitalize on its fifth and final power play of the game.
“We were fighting the puck a little bit tonight,” SU senior Kambel Beacom said. “That made things tougher. We need to settle down and play our game.”
Once back to full strength, Shailynn Snow wasted no time before scoring past Kelley on a breakaway for a 2-1 RMU lead. Syracuse fired nine shots in the remainder of the second period but could not power it past Hatch and the Colonials’ back line.
Fiala was called for interference and Hall’s power-play goal raised the Colonials’ lead to 3-1 right before the end of the second period.
In the second period, SU surrendered three goals while going 0-for-3 on power plays. RMU converted on one of its two player-up chances, springing it to a 3-1 lead with 20 minutes left in regulation.
Rachel Teslak led a more aggressive offensive attack for the Orange in the third. Teslak fired two shots, but both were stopped. Five minutes into the period, Nea Tervonen brought the game to a 1-goal differential, scoring from behind the left circle.
In the third period, Syracuse applied more pressure on Robert Morris, but its defense continued to overpower Syracuse. SU recorded 12 straight shots but RMU’s tight interior defense halted the Orange. With a minute left, Syracuse was down to its final chances. SU worked the puck around the perimeter to Beacom who received the puck and delivered a strike from the left boards past Hatch for the tying score.
Beacom’s goal tied the game 3-3 and was part of Syracuse’s 2-0 third period. SU outshot RMU 17-13 in the third, forcing overtime behind a more aggressive offense.
In overtime, Syracuse again outshot Robert Morris, but the loss resulted from failure to convert in the offensive zone. Kate Holmes and Sarah Thompson nearly connected for a score but Hatch gloved it. Johal also had her second breakaway chance of the game, but she was stopped.
Late in overtime, while SU was caught making substitutions, RMU struck. Thalia D’Elia delivered the game-winner past Kelley on a 3-on-1 chance to give the Colonials the victory in extra time. SU gave up its early lead after failing to convert its chances in the game’s opening two periods.
“We really struggled to get any type of (offensive) setup,” SU head coach Britni Smith said. “We really couldn’t get much going. It really just comes down to we got away from what made us successful.”
