Syracuse isn’t ready to hang with the best teams in Division I.

With its 9-1 loss to No. 1 Wisconsin (17-1, 7-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association), the Orange are 0-7 against top-10 teams and 0-9-1 against out of conference opponents. Syracuse’s sixth straight loss came on Sunday afternoon in Madison, Wisconsin, and capped a string of four games in which SU (4-12-1, 4-3-0 College Hockey America) mustered two goals.

The game was never in doubt. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, the Badgers won the second period 2-1 and poured on four third-period goals. Wisconsin registered 31 more shots than Syracuse and scored on three of four power plays.

A day after Syracuse goalie Maddi Welch recorded a career-high 48 saves, she faced 40 shots on goal, conceding nine times.

Wisconsin struck first with a goal by redshirt senior forward Emily Clark seven minutes into the game. Five minutes later, forward Sophia Shaver added to Wisconsin’s lead. Later in the period, Clark scored her second goal on a power play to make it 3-0.

Fourteen minutes into the second period, SU freshman Abby Moloughney scored a short-handed goal while killing Emma Polaski’s interference penalty. Moloughney’s third goal of the season was assisted by freshman Lauren Bellefontaine, who played alongside Moloughney prior to coming to Syracuse on the Nepean Wildcats, an Ontario Juniors club.

“I’ve been playing with Abby for a few years,” Bellefontaine said last week. “We’re playing really well together, we just haven’t always capitalized.”

The Badgers quickly halted any Orange momentum, though, with back-to-back goals late in the second period to extend their lead to 5-1 heading into the final frame.

In the third period, Clark netted her third goal of the game on a five-on-three power play after penalties by Polaski and Kristen Siermachesky. Before Siermachesky could return to the ice, Wisconsin added another power play goal to go up 7-1. The Badgers piled on two more goals late in the third period to sink SU.

Polaski, who leads the Orange in scoring with eight goals, committed two costly penalties that resulted in Wisconsin goals and didn’t record a shot.

Senior defenseman Allie Munroe, who scored SU’s lone goal yesterday, played solid defense with a team-high nine blocks.

Syracuse’s last win came nearly a month ago, when they beat Penn State, 5-2, on Nov. 4.

Syracuse’s schedule eases slightly in the upcoming week as the team travels to Hamilton, New York for a weekend series with unranked Colgate (9-5-2).

Published on December 2, 2018 at 3:25 pm

Contact Danny: [email protected] | @DannyEmerman