Syracuse falls to No. 12 Penn State 3-2 in overtime
Christian Calabrese | Staff Photographer
Despite leading at the beginning of the third period, Syracuse fell 3-2 to No. 12 Penn State in overtime. The Orange were outshot 37-16, but Allie Kelley’s 35 saves kept them in the game.
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Three minutes into sudden-death overtime, Leah Stecker skated from the right circle into the slot and laid off a pass to her left to the stick of Brianna Brooks. Brooks attacked on the edge of the left circle and fired a shot past Syracuse goaltender Allie Kelley into the back of the net.
As the horn sounded, SU could only watch the Nittany Lions celebrate, dropping an eighth straight game and losing its conference opener for the second straight season.
Syracuse (2-8-0, 0-1-0 Atlantic Hockey America) scored twice in the second period but couldn’t pull off the upset over No. 12 Penn State (8-3-0, 1-0-0 AHA), losing 3-2 in overtime Thursday night. While SU found two goals, it was outshot 37-16 and was forced to rely on its defense in the third period and overtime. Despite 34 saves from Kelley, the Orange couldn’t scrape out the victory.
The first period involved solid chances for both teams, but it was the Nittany Lions who made the most of them. While Syracuse earned a penalty kill and withstood Penn State’s first 10 shots of the night, its 11th found the net. With just over a minute remaining in the period, Kendall Butze found herself in the right place at the right time. She pounced on a pinballing puck in the slot and placed it into the top right corner of Kelley’s goal to put Penn State up 1-0.
Early in the second period, SU responded. After the Orange diffused a 4-v-2 chance, Tatum White was the beneficiary of a giveaway at the center of the ice. White skated down the left side as Syracuse had a 3-v-1, yet she elected to take it herself. She blasted a shot past Katie Desa to level the game at 1-1.
Just as SU began to claw its way back, a five-minute game misconduct penalty was called on Carly Sardine, forcing the Orange to kill PSU’s power play. Nonetheless, Syracuse stood strong, outshooting the Nittany Lions 3-2 over the five-minute span and continuing to display an improved special teams unit.
Gaining momentum from the penalty kill, the Orange found a way to manufacture a go-ahead goal late in the period. Jocelyn Fiala received the puck near her own bench and fired a slapshot toward the crease. The puck fell on the left side of the goal line, where Nea Tervonen tucked the puck inside the far post, putting SU up a goal. Syracuse led 2-1 backed by an impressive second period in which it outshot Penn State 10-4.
The third period was primarily played in SU’s zone, as the Nittany Lions threw everything forward in an attempt to tie it up. Kelley and the Orange backline made several crucial blocks to stay in front, even catching a break as Stella Retrum’s would-be equalizer was disallowed for interference. Nonetheless, Syracuse eventually caved. Despite entering the game with just a 16% conversion rate on the power play, Penn State used it to do damage. Maddy Christian received the puck from Stecker down the left side, skated into the circle and ripped a shot past Kelley into the top left corner. Despite leading for 20 minutes, SU couldn’t hold on.
Overtime brought more of the same, as Penn State remained on the attack. The Orange couldn’t muster up any chances in the final minutes, being outshot 3-0 before Brooks closed the curtain on their upset bid.
Published on October 31, 2024 at 9:19 pm
