Screaming, headbutting and pounding gloves together, the Syracuse ice hockey team emerged from the locker room for the third period of its contest Saturday afternoon.
A desperate Princeton squad had outshot SU, 18-8, over the first two periods. Yet the game was still scoreless as the Orange came out for the final frame with a flurry of energy.
"We just kind of reminded ourselves what we were capable of and tried to get the energy up," Syracuse goaltender Lucy Schoedel said of her team's talk during the second intermission.
SU's reinvigorated effort finally paid off when sophomore forward Lisa Mullan netted the game's only goal 3:51 into overtime to propel the Orange to its third straight win, 1-0. It was the second time in as many days that Syracuse had a late rally lead to a victory. The pair of wild wins sends the team into a three-week break on an emotional high.
SU fell behind Princeton, 3-1, Friday night and trailed, 3-2, after two periods. But the Orange overcame a two-goal deficit for only the second time this season to win the battle, 4-3.
Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan said the turning point in Friday's affair came in the closing seconds of the second session. SU was on the power play, and though it didn't score, had a bevy of opportunities and crashed the net hard. The momentum, from nearly tying the game, carried into the third¬ - a period that the Orange dominated - guided Syracuse to victory.
"Something we need to do is just get a quick start," Mullan said after her game-winner Saturday. "But definitely it's been good that we can play third period hockey and just keep going until the end."
There wasn't any one play Saturday that ignited the momentum for SU. Instead, it was a case of the Orange weathering the storm of a hungry Tiger team playing to prevent its fifth straight loss. Princeton had been ranked No. 10 in the country two weeks ago.
In the third period and overtime Saturday, Syracuse held an 11-9 edge in shots. One constant for SU throughout the game was Schoedel, who recorded her second shutout of the season with 27 saves.
Friday was only the second time on the year that the Orange won after trailing to start the third, and Saturday was the team's second overtime triumph this season.
Though it realizes the need to play stronger during the first two periods, Syracuse takes a great deal of confidence away from its pair of wins over Princeton. SU had strong third period comebacks against Boston College and Connecticut in October. But those efforts produced just a tie and a loss, respectively.
"The hoopla will wear down," said Flanagan, as his team celebrated in its locker room. "But I think they'll bring back that confidence with them second semester. They know how to win against good teams in those types of games. That's the big thing."
Schoedel said that the weekend shows the resiliency of this year's team. She said the squad would not have been able to earn such wins a year ago.
Now winners of 11 of its last 14 games, the Orange can savor its late-game successes until its next matchup against Colgate on Jan. 2.
"I'm pretty sure it changes everyone's break," Mullan said of the timing of the victories. "The whole couple of weeks that we have off are different than if we had lost."
jgnolan@syr.edu
Be the first to comment on this article!