Syracuse lost a hard-fought battle to Robert Morris in the 2021 College Hockey America Tournament Championship game at Erie Ice Arena. The Colonials scored the only goal of the game in the first period to earn the victory. After neither team scored in the second period, Syracuse mounted a strong attack in the third period in an effort to tie the game, outshooting RMU 21-11 in the final period.
“Obviously we are disappointed, but at the same time I give Robert Morris a tremendous amount of credit,” said head coach Paul Flanagan. “They were well prepared. Anything we tried to get started offensively in the first two periods they seemed to have somebody there, whether it was blocking shots or deflecting pucks. We just did not get enough pucks on net to generate rebounds. We really got things going in the third period, we put the pressure on them, but just came up short.”
Syracuse’s Allison Small and Jessica DiGirolamo earned CHA All-Tournament Team honors for their performances. Small turned away 79 shots in three games, including 34 in a hard-fought 1-0 loss to RMU in the championship game. DiGirolamo had four points in the quarterfinal win against Lindenwood.
Syracuse closes the season with a 12-9-1 record and was 8-6-1 in the CHA.
“Our team is not the champion here tonight, but in my mind they are champions for how we got through this season with COVID,” Flanagan said. “We never had a single positive test this whole year. We were the only team in the league to do that. There are life lessons in everything. What we have gone through in the last six months, and how these kids have handled themselves, is unbelievable. Sometimes things are bigger than hockey, and what we have gone through is way bigger than hockey. I hope we are better for it – all of us.”
(Syracuse U. Women’s Hockey Photo)
