With 5:31 left in regulation time and the game tied at one goal apiece, Princeton was gifted the best chance of the afternoon to pull ahead. Two hooking penalties on the same play by Emma Polaski and Victoria Klimek meant Syracuse would have to kill a full two-minute 5-on-3 power play to keep the score even.

Orange head coach Paul Flanagan turned to his veterans to start the penalty kill – captains Allie Munroe, Brooke Avery and Lindsay Eastwood. Although Avery lost two faceoffs in the ensuing 30 seconds, the trio gave up only one shot that got through to goaltender Maddi Welch, and they blocked two others.

Flanagan showed his trust in his younger players by putting out freshmen Lauren Bellefontaine and Shelby Calof alongside sophomore Jessica DiGirolamo to give his opening three a rest. Again, Princeton was able to work the puck around the outside, but it couldn’t find any clean looks at the net.

For the final 40 seconds of the power play, following a Syracuse timeout, Flanagan went back to his trusted veterans, and they were able to see out the rest of the man advantage.

“At this point, it’s not opening night, so we don’t look at them as freshmen or seniors or whatever,” Flanagan said. “The kids that can make the plays will be out there.”

That successful penalty kill was crucial for Syracuse (4-6-1, 4-2-0 Conference Hockey America) as they tied Princeton (3-2-2, 3-0-1 Eastern College Athletics Conference), 1-1, Saturday afternoon at the Tennity Ice Pavilion. The Tigers’ power play, tied for No. 3 in the nation at 25 percent, struggled all night, going 0-for-3 with just one shot on net.

Although the penalty kill stifled Princeton, the Orange power play was unable to generate any offense to complement them. Coming into the game with the fifth-most power play goals in the nation, Syracuse went 0-for-5 against the Tigers with six shots. The Orange had two chances with the man advantage in the third period to take the lead but came up short both times. That meant the final penalty kill was crucial.

Before the start of the final Princeton power play, there was a lengthy pause in action as the referees sorted out the penalty calls with the scorekeepers. The pause allowed the Princeton players to gather and discuss what they would do on the ensuing power play, and Flanagan said it was detrimental for the Orange. Had the break come part way through the power play, Flanagan said, it may have been beneficial for Syracuse.

“Typically, when you’re killing, you’re ready to kill,” he said. “There’s not a lot to talk about.”

The Orange did get a much-needed break with about 40 seconds left to kill when Flanagan called a timeout. He felt his team had done a good job whittling down the man advantage but could see they were gassed.

Coming out of the timeout, Eastwood was able to snag the puck even after a lost faceoff and dump it down to the Princeton end, which gave Syracuse another short break to rest.

“They had that familiarity, especially in lines with what Princeton was trying to do,” Flanagan said. “I thought they reacted pretty well.”

Published on November 10, 2018 at 6:10 pm

Contact Arabdho: armajumd@syr.edu | @aromajumder