SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Jessie Eldridge’s power-play goal just 4½ minutes from the finish completed No. 5 Colgate’s 3-2 come-from-behind win over Syracuse.
The Friday night victory lifted the Raiders to 5-0 on the season and their best start in program history.
Colgate trailed 2-0 inside of the first four minutes and change. But Lauren Wildfang pulled one back for the Raiders with a power-play marker late in the first period, and then Bailey Larson tied it 2-2 on a short-handed goal of her own toward the end of the second stanza.
Eldridge, who had assisted on Wildfang’s goal, slotted home the winner with 4:28 left on the Tennity Ice Pavilion clock. The Raiders were able to hold on from there as Julia Vandyk finished with 19 saves.
Eldridge’s goal was her third of the season, tying her with Larson and Shelby Perry for the early team lead. Larson scored her third and Wildfang’s was her first.
Colgate and Syracuse wrap their two-game set Saturday afternoon at the Class of 1965 Arena. Puck drop is 3 p.m. The first 50 fans in attendance receive a free Colgate scarf.
Bottom Line
• Colgate 3, Syracuse 2
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 5-0.
• Syracuse is now 0-4-1.
Scoring Recap
• Stephanie Gross and Kelli Rowswell got the Orange on the board with their first goals of the season, the opening goal catching Colgate on the counterattack. The Raiders were working on a power play after Syracuse was whistled for too many players on the ice just 1:57 into the contest.
• Wildfang scored with 4:19 left before intermission to make it 2-1. Eldridge and Shae Labbe had the assists.
• The Raiders tied it in the second on another late-period goal. This time, Larson found the net short-handed and unassisted with 2:23 remaining in the session.
• Overtime loomed but Eldridge scored unassisted on a power play with just less than 4½ minutes to play.
Facts & Figures
• Colgate’s 5-0 start to the season tops the four straight wins to begin the 2003-04 campaign as well as last year’s 4-0-1 opening.
• It’s the third time in five games the Raiders have trailed, and the second time they’ve been down 2-0 (also New Hampshire).
• Four of the five goals Friday were scored on power-play opportunities, with two short-handed and two of the conventional power-play variety.
• Eldridge’s multipoint game was her third of the season. She leads the team with eight points on three goals and five assists.
• Larson’s goal was Colgate’s first short-handed tally this season. She’s second on the team with seven points on three goals and four assists.
Turning Point
• Wildfang’s late-first-period goal kept the Raiders within shouting distance at the first intermission, trailing just 2-1.
Series Info
• Colgate enters Saturday’s game now 3-0-1 against Syracuse in the last four meetings.
• The Raiders evened their record against the Orange in Syracuse at 3-3-2, and Colgate improved its overall series mark to 8-5-2.
• Colgate is 5-2 all-time against the Orange in Hamilton.
From the Source
• Head coach Greg Fargo (On the game): “Tonight was a really hard-fought game. Syracuse is a tough and physical team, and they outplayed us early in that game tonight.
“We need to be ready to compete from the start tomorrow. We did a lot of good things as the game wore on and made a couple of plays that were the difference.”
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at the Tennity Ice Pavilion was 156.
Up Next
• Colgate and Syracuse conclude a two-game series Saturday in the Class of 1965 Arena.
• Start time is 3 p.m., and the first 50 fans in attendance receive a free Colgate scarf.
