Four Goal Third Period Helps Penn State Crush Syracuse

The Orange hockey team fell at home.

At a point in the season where any result counts, The Orange are in the hunt for a positive result after suffering a loss and a tie to CHA opponent Mercyhurst. Syracuse was in action tonight against another conference foe in Penn State, who currently sit a top of the conference and are ranked 10th in the country.

In their last time out against one another The Orange lost both matchups against Penn State on December 3 and 4. Penn State outscored Syracuse 14-3 that weekend, so it seemed that Coach Britni Smith and her squad were due for a positive outcome in the weekend opener at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

However, it was all Penn State from the start as their defensive core shut down the Syracuse forwards for the first half of the first period. Syracuse did not find their first shot on net until past the midway point of the opening frame. The Nittany Lions got their offense rolling in the first with a Powerplay goal from Olivia Wallin and an even strength tally from Maeve Connolly, taking a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

The jump from The Orange was night and day, as they began to find a better shot selection by testing Penn State netminder Josie Bothun. Yet again, it would be Penn State who would find the back of the net once in the 2nd thanks to the former Boston University Terrier Courtney Correia. Syracuse looked to cut their lead down to the most dangerous lead in hockey, but it was Bothun who kept standing tall in her crease.

The Orange would remain off of the scoresheet for the rest of the contest, as Penn State found four more goals of their own. Mya Vaslet, Olivia Wallin (her second of the game), Kiara Zanon and Alyssa Machado each notched a goal of their own to help Penn State earn a “touchdown” with a 7-0 win over Syracuse.

The Orange and The Nittany Lions will meet again tomorrow at 3 p.m. EST from Tennity Ice Pavilion. The game will be aired on Cuse.com.