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With 2:02 remaining in the first period, Lauren Bellefontaine was sent to the penalty box for tripping. After Rayla Clemons was shut down trying to score a shorthanded goal, the Tigers brought the puck into Syracuse’s defensive zone. Kyla Bear fired a shot on goal, but Arielle DeSmet blocked the shot with her left leg pad.

The puck kicked out to DeSmet’s left down the goal line, prompting Hannah Johnson and Kylie Aquaro to fight for possession. However, Emma Roland swooped in and grabbed the puck.

As Syracuse’s defense collapsed towards Roland, she passed to a wide-open Lexi Sung who was unmarked in the middle of the ice. Sung controlled the puck, then fired it right back to Roland. As the puck approached the crease, Roland got her stick on the puck in mid-air, guiding it into the back of the net. With 1:18 remaining in the first period, RIT already scored its fourth goal of the game.

After getting dismantled in the first period, Syracuse (8-17-1, 5-4 CHA) lost 5-3 to RIT (4-20-1, 1-7-1 CHA). SU swept RIT in its first series against the Tigers in October, but RIT’s dominating start was significantly better than its six periods against the Orange earlier in the season.

From the jump, RIT put pressure on Syracuse’s defense. After stealing the puck from Mik Todd in Syracuse’s defensive zone, Athena Vasdani passed the puck to Jessie Burks, who was positioned right in front of the blue line. Burks fired the puck toward the crease, and Lindsay Maloney got her stick on it. Her shot attempt swerved and changed direction to get by DeSmet, giving RIT an early lead 3:13 into the game.

Following Maloney’s goal, Megan McCormick won the faceoff and the Tigers continued applying pressure. After great puck movement, Aquaro spotted an open Roland and passed to her.

With Roland racing forward, DeSmet positioned herself near the right of her goalpost. Roland set her feet and fired a shot into the opposite side to score RIT’s second goal, 44 seconds after its first. A few minutes later, Maloney netted her second goal of the game on a power play to help RIT extend its lead to four by the end of the period.

Despite its horrible first period play, which included three penalties and two power play goals, Syracuse played clean hockey in the second period, surrendering no penalties. The Orange were also far more aggressive, firing off 13 shots on goal — five more than it did in the game’s first 20 minutes. Syracuse’s attacking mindset paid off as Sarah Thompson scored two goals in the period to cut RIT’s lead in half.

Early in the third period, Maddison Primeau scored to cut the deficit between the two teams to just one goal. However, even with two power play opportunities, committing only one penalty, peppering the net with 14 shots on goal and pulling DeSmet from the net in favor of another skater, Syracuse couldn’t find an equalizing goal.

Instead, faced with an empty net, RIT netted its fifth goal of the game with 50 seconds remaining. Despite Syracuse’s strong second and third periods, it wasn’t enough to overcome the first. This is the second consecutive game where a weaker conference opponent has beaten Syracuse.

Published on January 24, 2023 at 9:40 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon