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Three Penn State shots in a matter of seconds left Syracuse goaltender Allison Small scrambling to get back on her feet as the Orange defense attempted to clear the puck midway through the first period. Victoria Klimek intercepted a Nittany Lions pass at center ice and took off on a breakaway. 

Klimek calmly slotted the puck into the back of the Penn State net with a backhanded finish. In a game in which the Orange were outshot 41 to 22, Klimek’s goal — her second of the season — was one of the few positive plays the Syracuse offense generated. Her goal gave Syracuse a 1-0 lead 8:22 into the first period. The Orange were outshot 41 to 22 with Small recording 39 saves, tying a career-high set a season ago.

Syracuse (1-3, 1-1 College Hockey America) fell 2-1 to Penn State (3-0, 3-0 CHA) in the first of a two game away series. The Nittany Lions were in control for most of the game, successfully winning the puck in the neutral zone and dominating possession in Syracuse’s zone. Saturday’s loss was Syracuse’s third against Penn State.

In the dying moments of the second period, PSU’s Lyndie Lobdell dove along the ice to get her stick on a loose puck in the Penn State zone. Her clearance found Kiara Zanon at center ice, who finished the deciding goal with a blocker-side shot on Small thanks to a 2-on-1 sequence in the final eight seconds. 

Small easily handled most of the shots that came her way, with the defense adding 21 blocked shots. She denied point-blank one-timers and deflected shots from the point, a performance the Syracuse offense didn’t match. Freshman forward Rayla Clemons, who scored two goals in Syracuse’s season-opener against Colgate, left the game 11 minutes in with an apparent lower-body injury. 

Despite firing 15 shots in the first period, the Orange combined for only seven shots in the second and third periods, while Penn State had 28 over the final two frames.

Perhaps the least threatening of Penn State’s shots was its equalizer, which came with 2:16 left the first period. Olivia Wallin found herself alone in front of Small after beating Syracuse defender Hannah Johnson to the puck. Small anticipated Wallin’s shot to be elevated, but Wallin fanned on the puck. It remained on the ice and crossed the line through Small’s legs.

The fast pace from the first period dwindled as the game progressed, with Penn State creating most of the game’s chances. Syracuse was constantly getting players to the net and appeared more physical than the Nittany Lions. But the Orange struggled to clear the puck out of their own zone in the second and third periods, and a Syracuse side that had some momentum early on was under constant pressure for the remainder of the game.

Head coach Paul Flanagan pulled Small out with under two minutes left to utilize a player-advantage, but a costly offsides call on Syracuse in the game’s final moments ended all hopes of securing the equalizer. The Orange play the Nittany Lions again on Sunday in the second of a four-game series that spans two weekends. 

Published on December 5, 2020 at 6:42 pm

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu