SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse women’s ice hockey team (5-7-2, 4-0-1) continues to dominate in conference play, defeating Lindenwood (2-10-1, 2-5-0), 4-1, Friday night at Tennity Ice Pavilion. The Orange used three first period goals to record their third straight win and first victory in December.
“We wanted to be really aggressive,” said head coach Paul Flanagan. “I thought we did a really good job of breaking the puck out and moving it. Our offense was starting in the defensive zone and moving the puck quickly.”
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
Freshman Victoria Klimek put the Orange on the board just over a minute into the game, throwing a backhanded shot just over the glove of Lindenwood’s netminder. At the 15:30 mark in the first, redshirt junior Brooke Avery blasted a one-timer top shelf to give Syracuse the 2-0 lead. Just a minute later, Sarah Stuehr tallied her first goal of the season after picking up a redirect by Lindsay Eastwood and burying the puck high glove side.
The Orange were relentless in front of the net as sophomore Kelli Rowswell tapped in Syracuse’s fourth goal of the game off a pass through the crease by Savannah Rennie. With two periods in the books, Syracuse held a 4-0 lead over the Lions.
Taylor Girard looked to spark the Lindenwood offense on a breakaway chance but senior goalie Abbey Miller came up with a huge save for the Orange halfway through the third period. Girard ultimately found the back of the net late in the third period for the lone Lions’ goal in the game.
OF NOTE
The Orange have won seven straight contests against the Lions, outscoring Lindenwood 28-2 in those seven outings. Including tonight’s 4-1 victory, Syracuse has tallied at least four goals in four of the seven games.
Syracuse has seen a vast increase in offensive production since entering conference play, scoring 18 goals in just five College Hockey America games. This is almost double the number of goals scored (11) in the nine non-conference games the Orange played prior to the Penn State series.
Avery has now scored five goals in four games, in addition to an assist in game one against RIT. She and Rowswell each tallied their team-leading sixth goals of the season against Lindenwood.
UP NEXT
The Orange square-off with the Lions in the series finale on Saturday at Tennity Ice Pavilion. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed on Cuse.TV. Admission to all home games at Tennity is free.
