SU ice hockey shuts out RIT
SU blanks RIT
The Orange pulled away late for a 3-0 win on the Syracuse Crunch’s home ice.
Syracuse women’s ice hockey avenged a Friday night loss to Rochester Institute of Technology with a 3-0 win against the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
It was a tight contest until the end, with SU scoring twice against an empty net in the dying moments of the game to secure the victory.
The game had added significance for a few reasons. It was a home game for the Orange but it wasn’t played at the usual location of Tennity Ice Pavilion. Instead, the teams met at the Upstate Medical University Arena in downtown Syracuse.
The Syracuse Athletics partnership with the Syracuse Crunch has been a relationship that has been around since 2008, with the game between the Orange and Tigers marking the 14th time the program has played on the Crunch’s ice.
The game against RIT was also representative of National Women In Sports Day.
With RIT prevailing 1-0 on Friday, it looked like the teams were for another low-scoring contest after neither side found the net in the first period despite pressure from the visitors.
Allie Kelley, a graduate student and goalie for the Syracuse Orange, made 13 saves in the first period. Kelley’s defense was strong against RIT’s dominant offense.
RIT continued to win the majority of the face-offs and held strong defense throughout the second period. Nonetheless, in the last minute of the period, the Orange were on attack, and sophomore Charlotte Hallett sank the puck into the net with 25.4 seconds left to spare in the period, giving SU a 1-0 lead
“Charlotte is someone who has come from defender to forward for us and she’s been ready to take on any role we’ve asked,” Syracuse head coach Britni Smith said.
After Hallett’s beautiful shot, she explained the importance of second and third opportunities and being able to forecheck and be on the attack. “When it comes to our gameplan, a lot of it is getting shots on net.”
With 1:13 left in the game, RIT pulled their goalie in search of the tying goal. It didn’t work, with SU’s Darci Johal, a graduate student defender, scoring on an open goal.
Shortly after, with only 1.4 seconds left in the third period, another open goal was scored by Sarah Thompson, a senior forward, with an assist from Tatum White, a senior forward for the Orange.
Kelley finished the afternoon with 33 saves to secure the shutout in her 100th career game, extending her own record for saves in a single season.
“I’m confident every time she’s in that net. She makes some beautiful saves,” Hallett said of her teammate.
The Orange will be back in action at home on Friday to face Mercyhurst at Tennity Ice Pavilion.
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