The buzzer sounded as the final shot of the game ricocheted off the stick of sophomore goaltender Julie Bengis.

The weak attempt marked the end of Syracuse’s 3-1 victory over Canada’s University of Guelph on Friday at Tennity Ice Pavilion. The Orange won its only game of the preseason behind a strong performance from its goalies.

Prior to Friday’s preseason matchup, the Gryphons had cruised to 16 straight victories dating back to last season.

On a day that was relatively one-sided, head coach Paul Flanagan gave all three goalies a try. Each played one period, splitting time evenly.

“It’s nice when you can coach a game and every single player plays,” Flanagan said.

Senior Kallie Billadeau got the start in net for the Orange, coming off an excellent junior campaign. She stopped all eight shots she faced in a strong performance.

It took about half a period for both teams to really get their feet under them. Guelph’s first chance, and the first true chance of the game, came 10 minutes into the first period. Syracuse committed a neutral-zone turnover, leading to a breakaway for Gryphons’ winger Amanda Parkins.

Another chance for Guelph in the first period came on another SU turnover in the neutral zone. The second major mistake for the Orange turned into a promising two-on-one for the Gryphons. Billadeau made a fantastic glove save, keeping Syracuse on top 1-0.

“It felt great,” Billadeau said. “I thought we played pretty well after having only five practices under our belt. It was a lot of fun.”

Second-string goalie Jenesica Drinkwater also saw playing time. Drinkwater let in the lone goal of the game for the Gryphons — an unassisted effort by Parkins.

But not all was bad for Drinkwater. She stopped 11-of-12 shots she faced and just three minutes into her shift made a sprawling, highlight-reel save to stop the Gryphons.

“I thought Jenesica did a good job as well,” Flanagan said. “The shot that beat her was a good shot. She backed in a little bit but her defensemen were backed in so she did the right thing.”

SU’s third-string goalie Bengis also got her chance. Bengis played well, shutting out Guelph in the third period and turning away the six shots she faced. When Billadeau and Drinkwater graduate, Bengis will be expected to take over.

Bengis doesn’t get a lot of playing time, Flanagan said, so it was a good opportunity for her to showcase her abilities.

Her brightest moment came on an early power play for Guelph. A penalty just three minutes into the third period put some stress on Bengis, but she responded well and stopped a flurry of shots during the power play. Bengis made a save, gliding across the crease and stopping a rebound in front of the net.

“She played awesome,” Billadeau said. “She was completely cold going into the third period. It’s really tough. She made some great saves.”

Maturity and gaining experience are two things Billadeau hopes Bengis can work on as the season goes along. Having a star goaltender like Billadeau as a teammate truly does help Bengis’ maturation process, the sophomore believes.

Flanagan is on board, as well.

“It’s there for Julie to take,” Flanagan said. “She’s been a great understudy. She will hopefully get some more time this year as well. She’s a great kid.”

Published on September 30, 2013 at 1:35 am

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