Tied at one apiece, Shelby Calof worked the puck across the ice. The clock dipped under one minute, and the seconds ticked as Syracuse was up one player. Senior Brooke Avery received Calof’s pass and swiftly lifted it over the shoulder of RIT’s goaltender Terra Lanteigne.

The potential game-winning shot clunked off the crossbar and ricocheted to the right of the net. Its last opportunity to break the deadlock tie ended Syracuse’s final power play for the night and its 10th straight scoreless player-advantage.

“It’s disappointing,” senior Allie Munroe said about SU’s struggles in player-up opportunities. “We had some power plays at key times, and we couldn’t convert.”

Syracuse (8-19-3, 8-6-2 College Hockey America) failed to convert all five of its power plays in a 1-1 tie with RIT (11-14-5, 7-8-1) on Saturday. SU’s lone goal came on a Kelli Rowswell shot that was initially gloved by Lanteigne but fell behind her and over the goal line. While the Tigers tied the score, their players stayed in the penalty box, handing the Orange favorable scoring opportunities. And while power plays have been a strong suit for SU this season, head coach Paul Flanagan said, it let the Orange down on Saturday night.

RIT’s first quality shot came courtesy of careless puck handling by the Orange. Calof, a freshman, lost the puck at the blue line and RIT exploded on the counterattack. But sophomore Jessica Digirolamo came back to disrupt a 2-on-1 scoring chance,

A minute later Kelli Rowswell gathered a rebound from a powerful shot off the stick of Anonda Hoppner and snuck it by Lanteigne. Her goal opened the scoring —  just over six minutes into the game.

Another Calof miscue in the attacking zone didn’t go unpunished, though, and the game quickly was squared 1-1 on a breakaway goal for RIT. From there, it was a defensive stalemate. Both Lanteigne and Ady Cohen stood tall in net, even during power plays.

“Credit to their goalie, honestly,” freshman Lauren Bellefontaine said. “She was stopping almost everything.”

On power plays, SU was able to switch players in-and-out and still maintain possession of the puck in the attacking zone, which was a sign that their play on player-up opportunities was active, Flanagan said. But active didn’t translate to effectiveness, and that was the case tonight.

The Orange’s first power play came with under five minutes remaining in the first period. Bellefontaine had the best chance at a score, but her shot caromed off the post and into the left corner. Just seconds into the second period, the Orange were back on the power play, this time for a tripping penalty. But once again, multiple shots were deflected were by Lanteigne, who swatted any SU opportunity near the net.

Under five minutes into the second period, a collision in SU’s attacking zone gave the Orange another power play. RIT’s Brittney Gout was hit the hardest but was charged with interference. This time though, the advantage was spoiled by a penalty on Avery for a high body check. Once again, the Orange couldn’t capitalize.

Later in the second period, Gout took another brutal hit, but no interference was called. She proceeded to argue with officials, resulting in a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. But for the fourth time on Saturday and third time in the period, SU could not capitalize.

In the third period, the Orange were the ones heading to the box. Three minutes in, Logan Hicks failed to get off the ice in time for a line change, putting SU on the penalty kill — which proved equally as effective as RIT’s.

Another collision between SU and Gout favored the Tigers with 13:44 left in the period. Lindsay Eastwood served the penalty, but Cohen and the SU defense stayed put.

SU’s final power play chance was highlighted by Avery’s drive — just off the metal and out. Neither team went on the power play in an uneventful five minutes of overtime as the early first period 1-1 score held the final.

Syracuse was given a multitude of breaks against RIT. Calls favored the Orange, and gave them an advantage to capitalize. But SU couldn’t muster quality shots, and when it did, Lanteigne was on the receiving end. Unlike its recent success on the power play in its conference slate, SU was dormant on the power play. And it proved to be the demise of its 1-1 tie.

“It’s frustrating on our side but it’s good for her (Lanteigne),” Avery said. “We didn’t get the bounces, but it’s something we could work on.”

Published on February 17, 2019 at 12:42 am

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu