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Following Syracuse’s 4-1 win over Robert Morris Friday night, head coach Britni Smith and SU’s locker room joked Bryn Saarela “had a hot stick.” The graduate student scored her first career hat trick as the Orange handed the Colonials their sixth straight loss.

In the first period in the series finale Saturday, Saarela’s stick was still scorching. The graduate student assisted Jackson Kinsler’s opening score and buried another goal of her own on a power play.

Yet, in the second period, disaster struck. Saarela’s prized twig was snapped amidst a physical contest with RMU. While she had lost the lucky charm that helped her tally six points in her last four periods of play, the forward wasn’t feeling superstitious.

“Stuff happens,” Saarela said. “I was just trying to get going with another stick.”

She did just that. Saarela added another goal in the second period, cementing Syracuse’s (7-12, 5-3 Atlantic Hockey America) 4-1 win and series sweep over Robert Morris (5-12-1, 0-6-1 AHA). Saarela proved her stick wasn’t SU’s talisman, rather who was holding it. Her two goals and assist Saturday made her weekend total a whopping seven points, as she was involved in all but one of the Orange’s eight goals between the two games.

“She just plays the right way,” Smith said of Saarela. “She’s someone that continues to battle on the defensive side of the puck and gets rewarded on the offensive side.”

Despite tallying two goals at the end of the first period, Saarela and the Orange weathered an early storm from the Colonials. An early penalty on Heidi Knoll put SU on the kill. While it succeeded in keeping the puck out of the net, it didn’t come easily.

RMU fired 10 shots on goal in the opening 10 minutes. It was a familiar feeling for goalkeeper Allie Kelley, who entered the game ranked second in the AHA with 31.67 saves per game. Nonetheless, Kelley stood strong between the sticks and got some help from a crucial block by Sami Gendron in a two-vs-two chance. It was a stressful first 10 minutes for a Syracuse squad that outshot the Colonials handily the night before.

“We were not happy with our first 10,” Smith said. “At the 10-minute mark, we talked about how that’s not our game. Let’s leave that in the past, and we’ve got an opportunity right now to flip the switch.”

SU took Smith’s words to heart. With five and a half minutes remaining in the period, Saarela skated down the right side and played a pass to Kinsler in the slot. Kinsler fired a wrister from distance and it found the inside of the left post to open the scoring for the Orange.

Less than three minutes later, Syracuse began to break the game open. After RMU’s Mya Kearns was sent to the box for hooking, SU took advantage on the power play. Kinsler teed up Saarela with a short pass, and she ripped a shot from the center of the left circle into the net before goalkeeper Maggie Hatch could react. At the end of the first, the Orange led 2-0.

“I thought our response was very good in the first period,” Smith said.

Syracuse carried its momentum to the second, but it first dealt with a few hiccups. RMU got on the board early in the period on a power play. A shot from Morgan Giannone hit the right post and trickled in front of the goal. Mya Neugent was the beneficiary, tucking the puck into the net to cut the Colonials’ deficit to one.

However, SU answered. While shorthanded, Tatum White launched a pass from the boards forward to Saarela. With a new stick in hand, Saarela skated past two defenders and deked Hatch in a one-on-one, bagging her second goal and third point of the night. The Orange led 3-1 after 40 minutes.

“Not always does (special teams) result in a goal for us, so great to get that short-handed goal tonight,” Smith said. “That was the one that solidified the win for us.”

While the win seemed finalized entering a physical third period, Syracuse didn’t leave anything to chance. A strong defensive showcase kept all 10 of RMU’s third-period shots out of the net and several turned into chances the other way for SU.

Peyton Armstrong hammered the final nail in the coffin with the Colonials’ net unattended. With just under two minutes left, a strong forecheck allowed her to win the puck in the offensive zone and flick it into the empty goal. The Orange skated off the ice with a second consecutive 4-1 win.

Now, Syracuse looks to a month-long winter break, one that Smith says it has earned. Despite the 26-day stoppage before they take on Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 2, Smith hopes Saarela and her squad’s sticks stay hot.

“This semester, we had a very tough out-of-conference season,” Smith said. “I felt like (the team) did a really good job of just continuing to learn and get better. They definitely earned the sweep this weekend. It’s a good way to break.”

Published on December 7, 2024 at 7:47 pm

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