Syracuse ice hockey loses again to Penn State in 4-1 defeat

Syracuse ice hockey loses again to Penn State in 4-1 defeat

The Orange drops to under .500 in conference play.
Published: February 4, 2023
Penn State forward Eleri MacKay scores on goaltender Arielle DeSmet to put the Nittany Lions ahead 3-0.
Penn State forward Eleri MacKay (28) scores on Syracuse goaltender Arielle DeSmet to put the Nittany Lions ahead 3-0 during an NCAA ice hockey game Saturday at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

After a crushing 7-0 loss to No. 10 Penn State on Friday, the two teams took to the ice once more on a chilly Saturday afternoon in Syracuse. The Orange were motivated to get revenge for the previous day’s blowout, and it seemed as though they might’ve been able to pull off the upset early on, but fell too far behind.

The 4-1 loss drops SU’s record to under .500 in conference play.

Syracuse started the first period of action by winning the puck, which was then dumped into the offensive zone by defender Hannah Johnson.

SU applied a lot of pressure to the Nittany Lions as one breakaway scoring chance nearly resulted in a goal for forward Tatum White until Penn State goaltender Josie Bothun made a timely pad save.

Towards the end of the period, Syracuse defender Sarah Thompson got in the way of several Penn State shots to keep the game scoreless heading into the second.

The next 20 minutes proved to be just as tight as the first period. Both sides went at each other on offense and by the time the period ended, the teams had a combined total of 35 shots on goal, setting the stage for a decisive final period.

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Syracuse's Kambel Beacom (left) fights Penn State's Tessa Janecke for the puck.

The third period was in fact decisive, but unfortunately for the Orange, not in the way they hoped. Less than two minutes in, Penn State got on the board first as defender Mallory Uihlein’s shot managed to find its way past Syracuse goaltender Arielle DeSmet to make it a 1-0 game.

Five minutes later, a penalty on each team meant that both sides would be skating with just four players. It didn’t take long for the fast paced Penn State offense to capitalize on this opportunity. A sharp pass courtesy of Kendall Butze slid across the crease to Tessa Janecke who tapped it in for her team’s second goal.

Janecke wasn’t done yet, though. Just two minutes later, she skated down the ice with teammate Eleri MacKay on a 2-on-1 opportunity. Syracuse defender Hannah Johnson was unable to block Janecke’s dish to MacKay, who then sent the puck past DeSmet to make it 3-0.

With five minutes left to play, Syracuse was on the power play thanks to a tripping penalty by Janecke. The Orange pulled goaltender Arielle DeSmet to bring another player onto the ice, giving them a two skater advantage over the Nittany Lions.

The two teams soon gathered for a faceoff in Penn State’s defensive zone. The puck was corralled and cleared by Penn State defender Izzy Heminger. Chasing after the puck was Kiara Zanon, who got to it before the Syracuse defense and slid it into the empty net to give her team a four goal cushion.

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Penn State forward Kiara Zanon looks for a teammate across the ice.

The Orange finally answered with two minutes left to play in the game, but it was too late to add any real value. Forward Marielle McHale sent a pass from behind the net to Mae Batherson, who fired it past Bothun to put Syracuse on the board. The game ended with the Nittany Lions winning by three goals in a 4-1 loss for the Orange.

SU shot just 19 times while Penn State made 35 shots.

Syracuse has now lost all four games they’ve played against Penn State this year. Although her team lost, SU head coach Britni Smith feels optimistic about how her players performed on the ice.

“I’m proud of our fight and of the effort these girls showed tonight,” Smith said. “Next weekend we need to come in and play the same game we did tonight against this Top-10 team.”

Syracuse’s next matchup is Friday at 6 p.m. against Mercyhurst at the Tennity Ice Pavilion.