One week after falling to St. Lawrence by a goal, Syracuse (2-11-1, 1-1-1 College Hockey America) played Penn State (3-6-4, 0-2-1) to a 1-1 draw Saturday afternoon in State College, Pennsylvania. It’s the first of two weekend matchups against the Nittany Lions.

All scoring took place in the first period, with SU scoring first off the Victoria Klimek shot, her third of the year. Sophomore Shelby Calof found Klimek for the assist just shy of the five-minute mark in the game. Eleven minutes later, PSU’s Brook Madsen capitalized on Savannah Rennie’s hooking penalty for the power-play goal, tying the game back at one. 

From there on, the game was a stalemate, with both teams combining for 52 shots and eight penalties – five from SU, three from PSU. The Orange played the Nittany Lions for a full three periods before entering overtime, and even in the extra five minutes — which included a power play for each team and a 4-on-4 stint — the deadlock wasn’t broken. The final horn sounded with both teams stuck at one, the first time this season the Orange have tied an opponent.

With Syracuse moving into the bulk of its conference schedule, ties will play a crucial role in the playoff conversation. Saving points from a loss is vital for a team on the bubble, but not being able to convert ties into the full point-haul that a win is worth could result in the Orange finishing lower in the standings once the regular season ends. 

SU continues its CHA schedule Sunday with its second game against the Nittany Lions, before moving onto their penultimate nonconference game of the year against in-state rival Cornell on Tuesday.