Syracuse can’t overcome shot-blocking struggles in loss to Lindenwood
Syracuse struggled to block shots down the stretch against Lindenwood, finishing the contest with 16 blocks compared to the Lions’ 21. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
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When Syracuse’s players and coaching staff are ever asked about goaltender Ava Drabyk’s performance this season, words like “confidence” and “consistency” usually follow. And for good reason.
Before Saturday, Drabyk’s save percentage of 93.1% ranked second in the Atlantic Hockey America, and her 715 saves also marked the most of any goaltender. However, despite the heavier workload than most, her six individual accolades this campaign show she’s handled it well.
As good as she’s been on her own, Drabyk will be the first to tell you she couldn’t have earned those honors without the players in front of her.
“They block a lot of shots, which helps me out a lot.” Drabyk said after Syracuse’s 4-1 loss to then-No. 4 Penn State on Jan. 16. “(They get) lots of sticks on pucks, and I can just do my part and make the saves I need to.”
Usually a consistent aspect of its game, Syracuse (13-14-3, 9-9-2 AHA) struggled to consistently block shots against Lindenwood (9-17-2, 7-10-1 AHA) Saturday afternoon. The Orange started strong in the department in the opening period but fizzled out down the stretch as the Lions peppered Drabyk with 24 shots on target over the next 40 minutes en route to a 4-0 victory.
Just like the day before, Syracuse and Lindenwood both came out of the first period still in search of the opening goal. However, it wasn’t for a lack of chances.
In the early minutes of the frame, Lindenwood created some early offense with shots from distance that Drabyk calmly turned aside. Besides those chances, the Lions failed to generate many dangerous opportunities as SU’s gap control in its own end was superb. When LU attempted to set up shop in front of Drabyk, it didn’t take long for a Syracuse stick to disrupt the play and send the puck out of harm’s way.
Fueled by the strong start from its back end, the Orange threatened at the other end of the ice and nearly cashed in on numerous occasions. On one such opportunity, Nea Tervonen took a pass from below the goal line and would’ve scored if not for a heroic pad save by Lexington Secreto. The netminder also denied Stella Costabile’s ensuing try seconds later.
By the end of the first, Syracuse held a 13-10 edge in shots on target. That advantage wouldn’t have been possible without its 9-3 edge in blocked shots in the frame — something the team had focused on that week at practice, per forward Heidi Knoll.
“I think that’s to be expected at this time of year, and that’s part of our game,” SU head coach Britni Smith said postgame.
But Syracuse isn’t the only team in the AHA that understands the value of cutting off shooting lanes. Its 14.63 shots blocked per game ranked third in the AHA behind conference basement-dwellers Robert Morris (14.89) and Delaware (23.54), entering Saturday. In the second period, Lindenwood showed off that same ability to step in front of pucks for its goalie.
Just as the Orange had done in the first period, the Lions formed a brick wall in front of Secreto and stalled SU’s offense for minutes on end via a series of timely blocks. Seven different LU players registered at least one block, which set the stage for a barrage of chances off the rush for its offense. Just under five minutes in, a sloppy SU turnover sprang a breakaway chance the other way for Silje Gundersen, who forced Drabyk to come up big with a glove save.
As Syracuse’s defenders remained a step behind the rest of the period, Drabyk had to be sharp. She went on to save all 10 shots she faced in the frame, a workload that could’ve been lighter if not for Syracuse’s lowly five blocks.
Out of the intermission, it took the Lions all of 12 seconds to break the ice as Molly Henderson cut behind three SU players from the left-wing side and beat Drabyk one-on-one. As Syracuse continued to give Lindenwood ample room to shoot the puck, it wasn’t long before the puck ended up in the back of its net again.
Receiving the puck directly off the face-off, Paige Cline shifted over to the top of the right circle and doubled the Lions’ lead with a bar-down snipe over the shoulder of Drabyk. Later in the period, a similar defensive breakdown by the Orange led to another long-range strike for Lindenwood, this time from the left circle. Both tallies could’ve been prevented with a pair of timely blocks.
Syracuse eventually finished the contest with 16 blocks — including just seven over the final two periods — marking a step back for a team that had recorded 22-plus in each of its past three outings.
If the Orange want to remain one of the AHA’s top-seeded teams as the regular season comes to a close, they’ll need to find a way to rediscover the shot-blocking prowess that got them to this point in the first place.
”We have a number of people stepping up and finding that shot lane and being willing to stay in it and block shots. That’s the kind of game it’s gonna take (to win) moving forward as well,” Smith said.
