Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

With 22 seconds remaining in the third period, Rachel Teslak put her seventh shot of the game on net. Penn State goalie Josie Bothun made the initial save but the rebound bounced out to Darci Johal, who promptly put the puck in the net.

The goal left Syracuse down just 3-2 late against the Nittany Lions.

In the end, though, the late SU push wasn’t enough as No. 15 Penn State (2-6-1, 1-0-0 College Hockey America) added an empty net goal five seconds later to secure the 4-2 victory over Syracuse (3-6-1, 0-1-0 CHA) in the first game of CHA play. Last season, SU faced Penn State four times. The Nittany Lions went 4-0, outscoring the Orange 26-4. This time around, Syracuse kept it close. Many of PSU’s shot attempts were taken high up, as SU’s defense often found its shape.

Syracuse head coach Britni Smith emphasized defensive positioning coming off the weekend sweep at Boston University and heading into Saturday’s game.

“We wanted to defend tough between the dots,” Smith said. “We’re okay with shots from outside and up high, but wanted to eliminate those in the house.”

Forcing PSU to take shots from near the blue line helped SU goalie Allie Kelley in the first period, who had a busy day in net. Kelley made 16 saves through the first 20 minutes and allowed zero goals.

After a relatively strong first period, the Syracuse defense had multiple breakdowns that allowed the Penn State offense to capitalize and pull away. Just over three minutes into the second period, the Nittany Lions quickly broke out past the neutral zone.

As the Orange were trailing behind, Tessa Janecke and captain Julie Gough set up a two-on-one opportunity in transition. Janecke sauced the puck from left to right where Gough lifted the puck off the crossbar and in to give Penn State the lead.

“Our second period was where we let down a little bit,” Smith said. “Take that period out and it’s a much more even game.”

In a difficult period for SU, Penn State would add another goal eight minutes later to take a commanding 2-0 lead. But in the third period, Syracuse made a late push.

Just two minutes into the final frame, SU gained momentum coming down the left wing. Alexandria Weiss slotted a puck on net toward the goalie’s glove side. Bothum made the initial stop, but the puck then went straight into the air and deflected off her skate into the net. All of a sudden, for a Syracuse team that had been blown out by Penn State in all four games in 2022-23, it was down just one goal.

Then, Maya D’Arcy committed a high-sticking penalty less than two minutes after the Orange’s opening goal. Luckily for SU, a minute into its penalty kill, the Nittany Lions also committed a penalty, resulting in a four-on-four for 60 seconds.

Syracuse killed off its penalty but just as it had gone on the powerplay, Penn State delivered a short-handed goal, putting the deficit at two goals. Once again, Syracuse did not go away.

Johal’s goal with 22 seconds left put the Orange in striking distance. Then, a questionable coaching decision put the game out of reach. Still trailing by one, Kelley was on the bench with an extra forward in. But, on the ensuing faceoff, Kelley did not go back in net to ensure possession before emptying the net once again.

Penn State won the faceoff from center ice and shot the puck into the empty net, giving it a 4-2 advantage. Despite the loss, the Orange played a strong third period, outscoring PSU 2-1 for much of it. Yet, it was too little, too late.

“I think we just have to take that intensity that we had at the end of the game and just bring it tomorrow,” Weiss said. “We all have that energy inside us. We’re gonna come out tomorrow off the bat ready to get shots right away and bring the same energy so we can actually come out on top this time.”

Published on October 28, 2023 at 6:11 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky