Syracuse fails to limit Robert Morris’ 1st line in 2-2 tie, shootout loss
Tasked with combatting Robert Morris' first offensive line, the Orange struggled to limit the Colonials in their 2-2 tie Saturday. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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There’s a reason why Robert Morris head coach Logan Bittle has center Jessica MacKinnon flanked by Morgan Giannone and Alaina Giampietro on her left and right sides.
Many teams would opt to spread out their top-three scorers across multiple forward lines. Take Syracuse, for example. Emma Gnade leads it in goals with eight and plays on the top line. But four players are tied for second place with four tallies each, and only two play on the same line.
The Colonials’ top forward trio has accrued 53 points this season. That tally ranks fourth in Atlantic Hockey America among top-three point scorers. Giampietro’s scored double-digit goals, Giannone’s dished out double-digit assists and MacKinnon’s notched double digits in both categories. The three have combined for a plus-24 plus-minus, too.
SU was tasked with handling the unit Friday and Saturday. Despite its 1-0 loss to RMU Friday, it kept the line in check. The forwards failed to combine for double-digit shots on goal for the first time since Nov. 22.
“(Containing them was) definitely one of our focuses, and likely will be a similar theme tomorrow,” SU head coach Britni Smith said Friday.
But the trend didn’t continue on Saturday. Syracuse (8-11-3, 4-6-2 AHA) was scorched by Robert Morris’ (8-12-2, 6-6-2 AHA) top line in its 2-2 tie and shootout defeat. Giampietro scored the game-winning goal in the penalty shuffle, along with a regulation tally to give the Colonials their first lead. MacKinnon orchestrated RMU’s first goal, setting up Alexis Vrana with an assist. And Giannone peppered SU goaltender Ava Drabyk with three shots while winning both of her faceoffs.
“That top line of theirs is really strong, and we kept them off the board yesterday,” Syracuse associate head coach Heather Farrell said. “We thought scoring a couple goals today, if we had kept them off the board again, we probably would have been victorious.”
Giannone recorded RMU’s first shot during her first shift just 57 seconds in. Giampietro had five shots on goal on Friday, and it was expected that she’d carry the momentum immediately into the first period Saturday. It took a while, but she got going with four on goal in a two-minute stretch halfway through the period.
MacKinnon is normally one of the best faceoff takers in the AHA. Her 298 faceoff victories are the most in the conference, and her 61.7% success rate places fourth. But SU gave her trouble early, as she went just 4-for-11 on draws in the first period.
That didn’t stop MacKinnon from getting involved. With just over a minute to go, she received a pass from Thalia D’Elia, Friday’s lone goal-scorer. She corralled the puck, gliding down the left side, and fed D’Elia with a centering pass, who made the extra pass to Vrana for a goal.
On a Nea Tervonen shot with 22 seconds remaining, MacKinnon blocked her before it could reach goaltender Maggie Hatch. Every forward on the first line recorded a block Saturday, adding to RMU’s total of 20 on the day, constantly halting the Orange from racking up more goals.
“I thought we outpossessioned, outchanced and outshot them but couldn’t find a way to score,” Farrell said.
In an uneventful second period, MacKinnon and Giannone couldn’t get anything going. MacKinnon’s lone shot went wide, while Giannone’s was stopped by Drabyk. MacKinnon was also outlasted by the Orange on faceoffs.
But Giampietro had their backs.
On the same shift in the second period’s first four minutes, Giampietro managed to block Peyton Armstrong on one end of the ice and pelt a shot on Drabyk on the other.
With just over three minutes remaining in the frame, she changed the game. Catriona Crarer intercepted a Rachel Walsh pass and fed it to Laura Eustace, who gave Giampietro a centering pass. It kicked off the skates of Gnade, who couldn’t track the puck. Giampietro was one-on-one with Drabyk, and she capitalized, giving RMU its first lead with perfect top line play.
“Definitely very skilled. They work very well together,” Syracuse defender Maya D’Arcy said of the trio. “They’re very individual.”
Giampietro continued making SU work. She gave it a scare with two shots off target just over five minutes into the third. The captain had consecutive shots blocked by Stella Costabile and Celia Wiegand and one on goal.
In the 3-on-3 overtime, MacKinnon went 5-for-5 on draws and recorded a shot. Giampietro, who had a game-high 10 shots on goal, added three.
But none of that mattered. Only the shootout did. After Drabyk halted Mya Kearns, Robert Morris called on Giampietro. Gliding down the ice, the top-line winger weaved in toward Drabyk and flicked the puck past her to give the Colonials an extra AHA point.
“They’re tough to beat. You got to be on your game when they’re on the ice,” Farrell said of RMU’s top line. “They tilt the ice every time they’re on. Any program would be happy to have that.”
