Skating behind the play on Saturday against Rochester Institute Technology, Syracuse freshman forward Taylor Curtis called for the puck, coming closer to the unguarded net.

Still without a defender near her, Curtis gathered a feed from across the ice and easily placed away the first goal of her career.

A day after tallying her first point with an assist, Curtis became one of three new goal scorers for Syracuse (11-17-2, 10-5-1 College Hockey Association) last weekend. Curtis joined sophomore defender Allie Olnowich and freshman forward Ronnie Callahan, who both scored the day before.

With the additional three scorers from the wins over RIT, Syracuse now has 16 different goal scorers on the season, with Avery as the only player in double-digits. All but two of SU players that have played in every game this season have scored a goal. After scoring one goal over the three-game stretch leading up to SU’s matchups with RIT, the Orange scored 13 in two games.

“As an opposing coach, that’s the kiss of death when you hear ‘and their first career goal,’ especially this late in the year,” head coach Paul Flanagan said. “For us, that was a good omen when you have three people get their first career goal.”

Curtis’ assist to Callahan on Friday was more meaningful than just a first for both players. The two played together on a Massachusetts-based club team, the East Coast Wizards, prior to coming to Syracuse.

“It’s helped us that we’ve played together before,” Curtis said. “I know we were both thrilled to get our first goals this weekend. It was huge.”

In the first game of the two-game series against RIT, six minutes into the third period, Olnowich skated into the offensive zone. With three Tiger defenders standing in front of net, Olnowich decided to try her luck at goal. Firing the puck in the gap between two of the RIT skaters, Olnowich sniped her first career goal into the back of the net.

To have young players succeed early in their careers and on the same night was great, junior defender Allie Munroe said.

Entering last weekend’s series, the Orange had scored one goal in its past three games. While RIT is much weaker than No. 2 Clarkson, No. 5 Cornell or Mercyhurst, who is currently second in the CHA, the offense’s 13-goal outburst against RIT and the celebration of three new goal-scorers is nothing but a positive sign.

“I think it was really important to get the monkey off our back from the last three games,” Flanagan said. “That’s just sports … things are cyclical sometimes within a season.”

Published on February 15, 2018 at 12:22 am

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman