Chestnut Hill, Mass. – The Syracuse hockey team suffered its first loss of the 2014-15 season on Saturday, when the Orange lost to No. 3 Boston College (1-0-0) in the “ACC Championship.”
Freshman Stephanie Grossi netted her first-collegiate goal and junior Jenn Gilligan stopped 24 shots but it wasn’t enough to stop the Eagles. Boston College used a hat trick from Lexi Bender to win 10-2 and take back the ACC Championship (a tradition these two programs started last season as the only two women’s hockey programs from ACC member institutions) from ‘Cuse (1-1-0), who won the inaugural title last season.
Boston College struck first on a power play chance just four minutes into the contest, when Bender capitalized on the extra skater opportunity. It was the first power play goal Syracuse has allowed on the young season after going a perfect 8-for-8 on the penalty kill in Thursday’s opener.
The Orange answered right back less than a minute and a half later, when Melissa Piacentini (the leading scorer from last season) returned to her goal-scoring ways when she buried the first goal of the day for the Orange. Nicole Renault and Larissa Martyniuk recorded the helpers on the play.
Boston College then took control of the contest by scoring five-unanswered goals in just under 20 minutes, including another two goals from Bender, with Haley McLean capping the run with 7:36remaining in the second.
Syracuse’s second goal handed a pair of freshmen their first-collegiate points. Grossi jammed home a feed from Alysha Burriss with 5:07 to go in the period.
Skarupa netted one more in the period before the Orange went to the dressing room trailing 7-2.
Freshman Abbey Miller saw her first career action for the third period, stopping seven shots and surrendering three goals.
SU next returns home for the first game in its four-game home stand when the team hosts Northeastern on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
