Allie LaCombe scored Syracuse’s only goal to tie the game late in the second period while Kaleigh Chippy scored both of Mercyhurst’s goals. This is the first time this season the Orange has lost a game that LaCombe, who scored 11 goals this year, has scored in.
All three goals were scored on the power play, with Syracuse going 1-of-4 and the Lakers going 2-of-4 on man-up chances.
“It was a back and forth, high tempo game,” head coach Paul Flanagan said. “My kids have a lot to be proud of. We played tough against a tough team but I give them a ton of credit, they pulled it out. They converted on some power plays and that was the difference.”
Jenesica Drinkwater had two 10-save periods for Syracuse in the second and third stanzas. In total she stopped 26 shots and was named the game’s third star for her performance.
Neither team held much of an advantage throughout the first 20 minutes and each team was stifled offensively with Mercyhurst edging the Orange 6-3 in shots on net. Syracuse had a good look early in the contest when Akane Hosoyamada found positioning in front of the net but Amanda Makela made the save and play continued.
SU went 1-for-2 on special teams in the first period, killing their penalty but failing to convert while up a skater. While man-down, the Orange didn’t allow a single shot Drinkwater’s way despite the Lakers getting eight shots off. Two were blocked by Orange defenders and six went wide of the net.
A crosschecking call on Margot Scharfe gave Mercyhurst a man-advantage just 1:09 into the second stanza, which the Lakers converted on almost instantly. Kaleigh Chippy gathered the puck off the faceoff and shot it from the hash mark to give Mercyhurst a 1-0 lead with 18:46 remaining.
Melissa Piacentini nearly tied the game mid-way through the period when she caught a puck out of the air on a routine play by Makela, who was trying to clear the puck out of her zone. Piacentini would have beat the goalie back to the net but a Mercyhurst defender hustled back to prevent the score.
Piacentini would not leave the period empty handed, however, as she ultimately assisted on the game-tying goal when she passed the puck to Allie LaCombe, who shoveled it toward the net from the bottom of the circle and managed to net a top-shelf goal on Makela’s far side while on the power play.
Jessica Sibley had a chance to gain Syracuse’s first lead of the game early in the third period when she fired a laser from just inside the blue line that missed the crossbar by inches. The Lakers had their turn at a near-goal when Jaclyn Arbour batted one in that bounced off the glass but she was called for a high stick and the score remained at 1-1.
Mercyhurst regained its lead with 10:17 left in the game. J’Nai Mahadeo’s attempt from the blue line was blocked by Hosoyamada but Chippy collected it and shot it from the top of the circle, which slipped past Drinkwater and the left post before she was able to make the save.
Drinkwater came out of the net for the final 38 seconds to give the Orange an extra skater but it wasn’t enough and the Lakers came away with the victory.
Mercyhurst outshot Syracuse 28-17 and edged SU in faceoffs, 25-24 but won 21-16 over the final two periods to keep the puck off Orange sticks.
