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Leading by two goals five minutes into the third period, Syracuse began a 3:46 long power play due to two Mercyhurst penalties. In the stretch, though, Lakers’ goalie Ena Nystrøm held strong despite Rachel Teslak and Alexandria Weiss firing continuous slap shots from the point, making six saves across the two penalty kills.

Later in the final period, Mercyhurst took over, tallying two goals in the final seven minutes. Despite leading entering the third period, Syracuse (7-23-3, 4-13-2 College Hockey America) collapsed, falling 3-2 to Mercyhurst (17-15-1, 13-6 CHA). With just 10 points in league play following the penultimate game of the regular season, the Orange have officially been eliminated from the CHA playoffs for the first time in program history.

“I think because we were up, we kind of wanted to play more defense,” said SU forward Tatum White postgame. “And I don’t know if maybe we were gripping our sticks a little too tight and just focusing on it too much and I don’t know, they just popped a couple of goals on us.”

The Orange began the game on the wrong foot, allowing a goal from Mercyhurst’s leading goal scorer Sara Boucher just over eight minutes into the contest. In the opening period, Syracuse allowed the Lakers to generate the game’s first nine shots on goal.

SU’s initial shot on net wasn’t even a threat. As White raced down the ice on the penalty kill, she was cut off by a Lakers’ defender and lost the puck. But the puck trickled toward the net, forcing Nystrøm to make the save.

In the first period, SU was outshot 23-7 and beat on faceoffs 15-7.

“I thought we had a slow start,” SU head coach Britni Smith said. “We talked about it at that first media timeout that we needed to get our legs moving. I thought we were overthinking the game a little bit and just needed to start moving our legs and play with some energy and pace.”

But Syracuse found its groove in the second. The change in pace of play was evident from the start, as two minutes into the middle frame, White carved through the neutral zone and got to point-blank range in front of Nystrøm. She pushed to her left and delivered a perfectly placed wrist shot to the top left corner of the net, yet Nystrøm stretched her blocker to the spot for the stop.

Though soon after, White scored off a pass from Darci Johal to tie the game at 1-1. SU continued to attack in the period as Sarah Thompson split two Lakers’ defenders less than two minutes later. On a 2-on-1 opportunity, Thompson shot but Nystrøm made the save.

As the period continued, SU’s attack stayed strong, continuously testing Mercyhurst’s defense. On one of their five power plays, the Orange scored on a set-up from Weiss and Teslak to freshman Nea Tervonen to take a 2-1 advantage with six minutes to go in the second.

In the first 40 minutes of play, SU killed off four penalties, showing the strength of its penalty kill unit, but limiting its ability to produce offensively, often having just four players on the ice. Still, the Orange entered the third period with the lead and a chance to defeat the No. 2 team in the CHA.

As time dwindled on Mercyhurst, it turned up the heat. Off an offensive zone faceoff win for the Lakers, Sofia Ljung threw the puck on the net through traffic. As SU goalie Allie Kelley was screened, the puck found the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2 with six minutes left.

With the game knotted, the teams played physically. After a battle in front of Kelley, Marielle McHale and Sofia Nuutinen got into an altercation, putting them both in the penalty box for roughing. And on the ensuing 4-on-4, Syracuse made one fatal mistake that cost it the game.

As the Orange held the puck in the neutral zone with just over three minutes to play, they went for a quick shift change. Thompson sent an errant pass backward that was intercepted by Thea Johansson. She swiftly collected the puck and took it in on goal with little defensive pressure. She dangled from right to left and lifted the puck over a diving Kelley, taking the lead and ultimately the game.

“At the end of the game you’re looking to close things down and get through to a one-goal win if you can,” Smith said. “Taking a couple tough calls late in the game puts the pressure on that makes you have to be big in those moments.”

Published on February 17, 2024 at 12:02 am

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky