Syracuse had finally done it. It had overcome a third period lead and sent the game to overtime for the first time this season. But just 20 seconds into the extra frame, the Orange’s strong third period, the Savannah Rennie tying goal, SU’s hopes for consecutive wins – they were all erased.

Despite tying the game with 8:38 remaining in the final frame and dominating the final minutes of the third period, Syracuse (2-11-0, 1-1-0 College Hockey America) found themselves back in the loss column just seconds into overtime. The 169 fans who came to War Memorial Arena on Saturday afternoon were treated to just 20 seconds of extra hockey, as St. Lawrence (5-4-3, 2-1-1 ECAC) forward Anna Segedi quickly wired home the winner.

After an Orange forward slipped at the blue line, the Saints came in on an outnumbered attack leading to Segedi’s goal. The two Syracuse defenders each picked up a Saint but that left Segedi, the trailer, open to receive a pass in the slot. She made quick work of the pass, and thus the game, rocketing a wrist shot past the glove side of Allison Small.

“We had a play that we were going to do off the draw, and it worked initially,” said Orange forward Victoria Klimek. “But then I guess we just kind of turned it over pretty quickly.”

After the opening frame, which saw Syracuse give up two straight goals and head into the locker room trailing, the Orange did something that has been a rarity thus far this season: Play better as the game went on.

“I mentioned to the girls we were having a little Saturday afternoon skate at the War Memorial for the first part of the game,” head coach Paul Flanagan said.

Emily Steinberger | Staff Photographer

In the second period, Small stopped all 13 of St. Lawrence’s shots. After the Saints made a scheduled goaltending change halfway through the contest, an uncommon move at the collegiate level, the Orange tied things up.

With 6:17 remaining in the middle period, a blocked Syracuse shot from the point redirected to the stick of Anna Leschyshyn who wound up for a slap shot. The freshman fired a shot on goal, and, as Klimek attempted to step in front to screen the goalie, the puck deflected off her shin pad and into the net. 

Though St. Lawrence once again took the lead early in the third, Syracuse’s improved play continued. Late in the frame, and down one, Rennie took a stretch-pass from defender Jessica DiGirolamo and started in on net with only the goalie to beat. After a few dekes, she lined up a wrist shot and deposited the puck just above the goalie’s pad and just below her blocker to tie the game.

“DiGi made a very nice pass right on my tape,” Rennie said. “I just shot it where I saw some open net and luckily it went in.”

As the seconds ticked off the clock in regulation, the Orange dominated the play. At points it seemed like the home team was on the power play despite playing at even strength. Syracuse players yelled motivation at each other on the ice and from the bench, while the Orange hemmed the Saints in their own zone. With 1:13 left in the game, forward Kelli Rowswell tried to corral a tipped breakaway pass while staying onside, but her skates barely drifted over the blue line as she picked up the loose puck.

After 60 minutes, and the score still tied, the Orange took a deep breath and prepared for an overtime period of five minutes. But the extra frame didn’t even last one minute.

“You’ve got to love to win in overtime,” Flanagan said. “You know, that would’ve been a huge energy boost, obviously, not only to win the game but moving forward, you get to take that onto the bus.”

But it didn’t happen for Syracuse on Saturday.

Published on November 16, 2019 at 7:14 pm

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