With this win, SU has matched the program’s record of 20 wins in a season and has the opportunity to beat the record next weekend. Regardless of the outcome against Mercyhurst, Syracuse will have the best winning percentage in program history this season.
“Once we got up 3-0, we came out in the second period and started to play a bit more individually. We needed to keep our head in the game because, although we took that lead after the first period and set the table nicely for ourselves, it wasn’t over yet. After the fourth goal, though, it seemed like Lindenwood started to sag a bit.”
Five different Orange scored goals in the contest and Melissa Piacentini and Margot Scharfe each had a three-point game with Piacentini notching two goals and an assists and Scharfe recording two assists and a goal. SU’s six goals is the most scored by one team in any of Syracuse’s contests this season.
Julie Knerr scored the third game-winning goal of her career just 1:01 into the game. Freshman Heather Schwarz picked up her second career postseason goal and has three total points in the CHA Tournament so far.
Jenesica Drinkwater recorded her fourth shutout of the season and eighth of her career, making 22 saves along the way including 12 in the final period. Alexis Molotky stopped 34 of SU’s 41 attempts on net.
Syracuse opened the game with a well-orchestrated team goal. Each skater touched the puck en route to Knerr’s stick, which was waiting on the back doorstep to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead one minute into the game that would never be answered by the Lions.
The Orange continued its offensive pressure throughout the first period, scoring two more goals to take a 3-0 lead that would set the tone for the remainder of the game. Scharfe scored her goal with 13:16 to go in the period when she snuck one past Molotky in net that was given to her by Piacentini from behind the net.
Schwarz scored next to deflate Lindenwood’s hopes of a comeback, giving the Orange a 3-0 lead with more than two periods left to play.
The next two goals were scored in similar fashion, both by Piacentini in front of the net off a pass by Scharfe from the left corner. After Piacentini’s second goal, the Orange commanded a 5-0 lead with 7:28 to go in the game.
Cara Johnson scored the cherry on top with 2:08 remaining in the game when she scored on a fast break. She gathered the puck at center ice, carried it into the Lindenwood zone and wristed it top-shelf to end scoring with a 6-0 SU advantage.
