Syracuse demolished by No. 6 Penn State for 2nd straight game in 11-2 loss
Syracuse concluded its road series against No. 6 Penn State by allowing 11 goals, its most surrendered in a game since Jan. 9, 2024. Eli Schwartz | Staff Photographer
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STATE COLLEGE, PA — The last time Syracuse defeated Penn State as the visiting team, it took one of the best special teams performances the program had ever seen to get the job done.
On Jan.19, 2024, the Orange marched into the unfriendly confines of Pegula Ice Arena and silenced the Nittany Lions with a sound 3-1 victory. While it couldn’t find the back of the net at even strength, its power play and penalty kill units picked up the slack. Less than eight minutes in, graduate transfer Alexandria Weiss opened the scoring on an advantage, but Penn State punched right back with a player-up tally of its own in the second.
Even at 1-1 entering the third, the Orange’s shorthanded unit carried them he rest of the way. Down a player early in the frame, Darci Johal notched the eventual game-winner for SU off a feed from Tatum White. With less than 10 seconds left, White then went on to secure SU’s win with a tally of her own — also a shorthanded goal.
While SU sported a much different cast of characters from that group Saturday, it looked to rekindle the same magic in its second matchup against Penn State after being shut out 7-0 Friday. But there was none to be found.
Syracuse (6-9-0, 4-4-0 Atlantic Hockey America) suffered its first double-digit loss of the campaign in an 11-2 drubbing at the hands of No. 6 Penn State (14-0-0, 10-0-0 AHA), marking its third consecutive conference loss. The Orange stunned the Nittany Lions less than two minutes in with a strike from Rylee McLeod, but allowed 11 of the next 12 tallies the rest of the way. The loss marked the most goals SU has allowed in a game since Jan. 9, 2024.
Following Syracuse’s blowout loss in Game 1, associate head coach Heather Farrell said her team needed to find a way to return to how it played at the end of the first period. During the stretch, the Orange tested Katie DeSa and Co. with a flurry of shots and likely would’ve scored if it wasn’t for PSU’s shot-blocking ability.
After starting a step behind out of the gate the day before, SU took the ice with a sense of urgency and was rewarded with the all-important first strike Saturday. Just over one minute in, the Orange’s third line gave them the hot start they sorely needed.
Taking the puck at the top of the Nittany Lions’ zone, McLeod carried it along the left boards and fired a tough-angle bid toward DeSa in net. With the help of a little puck luck, McLeod’s shot trickled through the netminder’s pads and found twine. The tally marked DeSa’s first given up in 22 days.
“It was kind of a fluky shot, so it probably did kick them in the butt to know that they gotta get going, and they did,” Penn State head coach Jeff Kampersal said postgame.
As strong as SU’s start was, it didn’t last. Trailing early was an unfamiliar feeling for the Nittany Lions, but they remained unfazed. Taking 13 of the next 14 shot attempts, Penn State forced Ava Drabyk to be sharp during the stretch as it slowly reclaimed control. Midway through the frame, Katelyn Roberts leveled the game with a top-shelf laser from range.
After falling into just three penalties last time out, the Nittany Lions gave the Orange their first power-play chance of the day, and with it an opportunity to restore their lead. Instead, the unit watched as Abby Stonehouse pickpocketed Celia Wiegand and gave PSU its first lead with a shorthanded breakaway goal.
From there, a once-promising first period continued to fall apart for SU. Following a scuffle in front of Penn State’s bench, Charlotte Hallett was ejected from the game, receiving a five-minute major penalty to put the Orange in a tough spot. What ensued was a 5-on-4 clinic by Penn State that saw Drabyk allow two more goals, spelling the end of her afternoon between the pipes.
“I feel like we’re never the team that has to really keep our emotions in check. We’re the team that constantly is getting hunted or dragged down, so I think we just know if we play through that and keep getting (goals) on the board, it really doesn’t matter,” Penn State’s Tessa Janecke said.
With Maïka Paquin now in net, Syracuse was given a lifeline early in the middle frame when Penn State was assessed three minor penalties less than a minute apart. On a rare 5-on-3 chance, the Orange overcame their recent special teams struggles with a goal from Wiegand that took a friendly bounce off a defender in front.
But in the grand scheme, the tally didn’t do much. The Nittany Lions continued to impose their will, finding the back of the net twice more before the second intermission.
In the third, it was more of the same. Paquin did her best to keep the Orange within a respectable margin, but Penn State remained just as goal-hungry in the final 20 minutes. When the dust settled, SU trailed by nine.
“When I feel like they are taking advantage of us (physically), I would just tell the team to just pound them on the scoreboard. You guys aren’t going to go fight in the parking lot,” Kampersal said.
Syracuse arrived in State College hoping to at least give the reigning AHA champions a run for their money. It never even came close. And with the bulk of its conference schedule still ahead, SU knows nobody will feel sorry for them. All it can do from here is move forward.
“(Syracuse) is going to have a long bus ride home thinking about this weekend,” Kampersal said.
