Some would call it luck. Others would call it being in the right place at the right time.

Head coach Paul Flanagan will take a goal either way.

Junior forward Allie LaCombe and senior forward Cara Johnson took advantage of several fortuitous bounces of the puck, leading the Orange (15-11-2, 6-6-2 College Hockey America) to a 3-0 defeat of St. Lawrence (9-15-3, 8-5-3) on Tuesday night at the OnCenter Complex.

After being swept by Mercyhurst over the weekend, Syracuse was able to win convincingly over Flanagan’s former team and alma mater, giving him a little more vocal ammunition for the foreseeable future.

“I’m buddies with their coach, so if anything, I get bragging rights for a year,” Flanagan said.

Fifteen seconds into the game, the host almost found itself down a goal when goaltender Jenesica Drinkwater was caught out of position, but the St. Lawrence forward was unable to pounce on the puck sliding across the face of the net.

Syracuse got on the board with just over seven minutes remaining in the first period, as a Brittany Krebs shot deflected off St. Lawrence goaltender Giulia Mazzocchi and right to the stick of an unmarked LaCombe.

But it wasn’t pure luck that put LaCombe in a position to pounce on a rebound and tally her eighth goal of the season.

“I actually heard (assistant) coach Brendon (Knight) screaming to go to the net,” LaCombe said. “It was a 3-on-2 and I crashed the net, cracked a shot, and crashing the net pays off if you’re willing to pay the price, and it did.”

Sophomore forward Melissa Piacentini also assisted on the goal, extending her point streak to nine games, officially setting a new school record.

The next goal for the Orange came 7:18 into the final stanza when Johnson stole a pass that the St. Lawrence defender was unable to control, allowing the senior to compose herself and slot it in the bottom right corner for her first goal of the season.

Johnson has struggled to get much of anything going for the majority of the year, but Flanagan was pleased to see her finally get on the score sheet.

“Their defender just didn’t see her, and she snagged the puck from her,” Flanagan said. “Cara has been snake-bitten for quite a while, and it’s great for us to see her score.”

For a stretch in the second half of the third period, Syracuse played three men down as it had two skaters in the penalty box, and the visitors pulled their goalie for an extra skater.

But Drinkwater and the Syracuse back line came up big, not allowing any of St. Lawrence’s seven shots during that span to find the back of the net.

For Drinkwater, her 37 saves were one shy of her career high, as she recorded her third shutout on the year in a game where the Saints more than doubled Syracuse’s total shots.

“I think our defensive core has been strong all year,” Krebs said. “We just stuck together back there and got (the puck) out when we could.”

SU’s final goal on the night came with 1:25 remaining, when Johnson intercepted the puck at center ice and scored on an empty net.

Her second goal on the night and of the season capped off a much-needed victory for the Orange against Flanagan’s old stomping ground before it heads off on a five-game road trip.

“We have a big weekend coming up with two long road trips, so it’s good to grab momentum when we can” Krebs said. “(Flanagan) was pretty hyped about it.”

Published on February 5, 2014 at 12:38 am

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