Syracuse drops 4th home game with 5-1 loss vs. No. 7 Quinnipiac
Syracuse committed seven penalties in its 5-1 loss to No. 7 Quinnipiac Saturday. The Bobcats converted two of them, keeping SU winless at Tennity Ice Pavilion through four contests. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer
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Trailing 2-0 with two minutes remaining in the first period Saturday, Syracuse had its best chance to reassert itself into its contest with Quinnipiac. The Orange hadn’t led at any point — let alone scored — during their first three matchups versus ranked opponents.
SU was pinned down on its third penalty kill, and it came through. Rachel Walsh skated out of the penalty box, and she immediately subbed out for Makenna Williment on the left wing. Peyton Armstrong joined her, and they watched Jackson Kinsler lead the 3-on-2.
Kinsler laced a pass for Armstrong, but the most recent Atlantic Hockey America Forward of the Week couldn’t get a stick on it, as Quinnipiac’s Ella Sennick misdirected it. On Armstrong’s backside was Zoe Uens, who took her out of the play with a push.
But the puck popped free to a wide-open Williment, who fired it at Felicia Frank’s left pad. Celia Wiegand flew from her defensive stance up to the crease and lifted the juicy rebound into the net. It appeared the Orange had finally scored their first home goal.
That wasn’t exactly the case, though. When Uens pushed Armstrong, she fell onto Frank. Armstrong set the net off its moorings and obstructed Frank from making a play on Wiegand’s shot. After nearly 10 minutes of discussion between the referees and linesmen, the goal was called off, irrevocably taking SU out of the game.
Syracuse (2-4, 0-0 AHA) was thrashed 5-1 by No. 7 Quinnipiac (6-0, 0-0 Eastern Collegiate Athletic) Saturday in a game where its few chances at lighting the lamp were almost always halted. A lack of discipline found the Orange behind the eight ball far before their most optimal chance.
Not even a minute into the contest, Charlotte Hallett was assessed with a slashing penalty. The Bobcats dominated possession early, and when SU tried pushing the puck into the offensive zone, it couldn’t even get past QU’s defenders. In a span of about two minutes, Nea Tervonen was blocked twice by Sennick.
In fact, Syracuse’s first shot on Frank was over nine minutes into the first frame. By that point, Quinnipiac was firmly in the driver’s seat. Heidi Knoll had a couple chances within the next several minutes, including a breakaway, but Frank had the Orange’s number, stopping 28 of their 29 shots on goal.
Three minutes prior, Kinsler was stymied by Laurence Frenette along the boards parallel to center ice. Frenette pushed the puck across the ice to Kahlen Lamarche, who was barely onsides. Lamarche glided on Ava Drabyk’s right side and fired the puck past her. Lamarche scored twice in the Bobcats’ victory Friday, and she replicated that performance with a later goal Saturday.
Hallett picked up her second slashing penalty of the game, and SU paid the price. Quinnipiac spread the puck around the attacking zone, maintaining a lengthy possession. It was playing the keepaway game with Syracuse, which couldn’t get a stick on the puck. Finally, Uens settled and delivered a wristshot into the back of the net.
Even at full strength, the Orange seemed like they were down a player because of QU’s clinical play. Thirty-six seconds into the second frame, Ella Johnson fed Lamarche, and she had the opportunity to tack on her second tally of the game with an opening on the right side of the net. But she went around Drabyk and passed up her auspicious opportunity for an even better one, finding Frenette for the score.
Knoll, Williment and Jocelyn Fiala delivered an array of shots right after yet another penalty. But Mik Todd was assessed with a tripping call. Forty-four seconds into the advantage, the Bobcats struck for the fourth time.
Emerson Jarvis tried to tap a pass to Bryn Prier, but Drabyk got to it first. The only issue was that no Syracuse skater could track the puck. Prier was the first one to lock her eyes on it, and she found the back of the net for Quinnipiac’s second power play goal Saturday.
It was much of the same in the third period, as SU committed another two penalties. Though, it showed more aggression. A Jordan Blouin centering pass just minutes into the period barely missed Stella Costabile.
The Orange finally found the back of the net, marking their first goal at Tennity Ice Pavilion and against ranked opposition this season. Kinsler replicated what Lamarche did on the Bobcats’ third goal by moving around the net to look for the most favorable shot. Emma Gnade parked in front of the crease and put Syracuse on the board. Gnade scored in both of SU’s wins at Stonehill last weekend.
Though, the score was just a moral victory for Syracuse. Through four contests against top-7 opponents, it’s safe to say the Orange struggled to compete with their adversaries. Besides their victories over the Skyhawks, they’ve been outshot in every game, and outscored 16-1.
And the 16th goal came because SU was forced to pull Drabyk for an extra skater. Even on a power play with a 6-on-4 advantage, Lamarche was playing target practice on the empty net and hit the back iron. Being in situations where they pull their goaltender is inexcusable, as the Orange have been outmatched early on in every game versus ranked competition.
