As the clock ticked down under five seconds in the third period Saturday, the Syracuse ice hockey team needed one last spectacular save from senior goaltender Lucy Schoedel to preserve the victory over Wayne State.

The Warriors gained control of the puck in the corner of the Syracuse zone and flung the puck towards the goal. Because Wayne State had pulled their goalie to get an extra skater, an unguarded Veronique Laramee-Paquette stood just to the left of the crease.

Laramee-Paquette redirected the puck toward the net as Schoedel attempted to slide over. The Orange goalie looked beaten, yet managed to fling her right leg for a toe save just before the buzzer.

Schoedel’s last save on the afternoon preserved the 3-2 win for Syracuse. Her play and the all-around team defensive performance helped SU earn the victory after losing 3-1 to Wayne State on Friday night. The Orange rebounded after taking 11 penalties in the first game of the weekend, and overcame the absence of sophomore defenseman Taylor Metcalfe, who was out with a back injury.

‘They played great. The defense, they’re hard workers game in, game out,’ Schoedel said following Saturday’s game. ‘I think we played better team defense today, too. That’s something that doesn’t always happen, but it’s something we’re really improving so I’m pleased with that.’

In Friday night’s game, the Orange had trouble hanging with Wayne State without taking penalties. The violations put even more pressure on the already-undermanned defense. The penalties ultimately led to the Warriors 3-1 victory.

But in the win Saturday, the Orange stepped up and made plays defensively without taking penalties. Senior co-captain Brittaney Maschmeyer made a number of one-on-one stops and always seemed to be the one that helped out her teammates if they made mistakes.

In the second period, with Syracuse up 1-0, Wayne State defender Jenaya Townsend intercepted a pass in the neutral zone. She appeared to have an unimpeded path to the Syracuse goal.

But Maschmeyer skated back, tracked down the Warrior and forced a weak shot that Schoedel had no trouble stopping.

‘(The defense) did a much better job,’ head coach Paul Flanagan said. ‘That one line for them is pretty dynamic…I thought we did a pretty good job shutting them down. When we weren’t successful at keeping them away from the net, I thought Lucy (Schoedel) did a great job.’

But it was more than just Schoedel and the defenders that helped shut down the Warriors offense.

Late in the first period, as the Warriors moved into the Syracuse zone, sophomore forward Kelly Dimmen found herself matched up with Wayne State forward Alyssa Baldin.

As Baldin skated toward the middle of the zone with the puck, Dimmen gave her a slight nudge. The bump was enough to knock the Warrior off balance as she tried to get a shot off. Baldin whiffed and crashed to the ice as the Orange gained possession and skated the other way.

‘I think everyone really (stepped up),’ Maschmeyer said. ‘Even some of the forwards tried to step up and get back there and backcheck harder.’

The all-around defensive effort combined with Schoedel’s performance to give the Orange the victory. Even before the last-second stop, which the goalie described as a ‘desperation save,’ Schoedel shut down the Wayne State attack when the defense broke down.

With 2:21 left in the third, a holding penalty on Orange freshman forward Jessica Sorensen gave the Warriors an opportunity to tie the score late.

About 20 seconds into the power play, Wayne State moved the puck around and found an open Baldin just above the left faceoff circle. She ripped a one-time shot towards the Syracuse net, but Schoedel slid across the crease and blocked the puck out of play.

The Orange then did not allow another shot until the last opportunity in the closing seconds.

Schoedel said that when the skaters in front of her play with energy and emotion, like they did Saturday, it rubs off on her and improves her play.

‘I thought I had a good game today. I felt good,’ said Schoedel, who finished Saturday’s game with 27 saves. ‘The team’s energy was really good, and it’s really nice that I can feed off them so when they come ready, it’s a lot easier for me.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

Published on December 6, 2009 at 12:00 pm