Midway through the second period, as Syracuse clung to a one-goal lead, Mercyhurst pushed down on the Orange defense on the power play. Holding the puck to the left of the net, Mercyhurst sophomore forward Celine Frappier launched a pass towards the net.

With a clear target in front of goal, the Lakers had a strong possibility of an equalizer. But Orange junior defender Allie Munroe leaped onto the ice, stopping the impending attack, eventually leading to a puck clear down the ice.

Syracuse (9-14-2, 8-4-1 CHA) applied intense defensive pressure on Mercyhurst (12-13-2, 9-3-1 CHA) throughout the game, leading to a 4-1 win. The Orange were able to block both passing and shooting lanes, stopping 15 shots from ever reaching the net. With aid from goaltender Abbey Miller, SU was able to hold the Lakers to zero goals on six power-play opportunities.

“We tried to force them to make a pass or take a shot when they really don’t want to,” SU head coach Paul Flanagan said. “When they took shots, we did our best to in the way of them.”

Facing the top-ranked team in the CHA, the Orange were notably physical. Recording a total of six penalties, Syracuse spent 12 of the final 40 minutes a player down. While Mercyhurst was able to accrue 10 more shots on goal, SU stopped each of the Lakers’ power-play opportunities. With an aggressive mindset entering the game, SU simply attacked its opponents even when on the penalty kill, redshirt-junior Brooke Avery said.

The Orange thrived off blocked shots. Tallying 15, tied for its third-highest total this season, SU was able to read out the Mercyhurst forwards’ attack.

Whether it was senior forward Alysha Burriss using her body to stop a play on the penalty kill and eventually clear the puck, or 5-foot-4 junior forward Sarah Stuehr ending a breakaway by standing her ground against a much larger player, SU players were not afraid to sacrifice their bodies. Syracuse coaches consistently remind the players to use physicality to their advantage, Burriss said.

Miller, one of Syracuse’s senior leaders, looked around the ice hurriedly while holding the one-goal lead. Mercyhurst was on the attack, determined to find an answer. The puck shot over from one side of the ice to another and Miller with it. Mercyhurst freshman Summer-Rae Dobson fired the puck to the left of Miller. The puck rapidly approaching, Miller reached out with only a pad and pushed the attempt away.

Syracuse’s netminder was almost perfect, stopping 26 of 27 Mercyhurst attempts, with the only goal coming off a converted breakaway. After being benched three weeks ago against Robert Morris, Miller has recovered and become a force for the Orange defense, Flanagan said.

“Abbey made some really good saves; she was solid,” he said. “She was there to cover up loose pucks and make plays.”

Defeating the top team in the CHA by three goals, Syracuse has an opportunity to tie for the conference lead tomorrow with a win and a Robert Morris loss or tie.

With upward conference movement possible, Avery wants to continue to focus on playing hard and beating teams through aggression.

“We really want to be one of the hardest working teams in the conference and America,” she said. “We do everything we can, whether it is blocking shots, blocking passes, winning face-offs, whatever. We know if we work hard we can be really good.”

Published on January 26, 2018 at 10:37 pm

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman