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http://dailyorange.com/2015/03/syra...mpionship-game-following-win-over-penn-state/
Syracuse looks to win 1st CHA championship game on Saturday following win over Penn State
Syracuse was pounding shot after shot on Penn State goalie Celine Whitlinger, but only had one goal to show for it. A game that the Orange was dominating on paper seemed as if it could change in an instant.
Though SU was on the power play, it couldn’t get the puck into the offensive zone. Finally it did and SU defender Kaillie Goodnough thwarted a PSU forward’s attempt to advance up the ice.
Goodnough took a few strides toward the goal and fired a slap shot from the center of the offensive zone that connected with the top left corner of the net.
The goal put Syracuse ahead, 2-0, and gave the Orange some much-needed breathing room.
“That was a huge goal because as much as I thought we were taking it to them … they were one shot away from tying it up,” SU head coach Paul Flanagan said.
No. 2-seeded Syracuse (11-14-10, 8-6-6 College Hockey America) scored twice on special teams and outshot third-seeded Penn State (17-16-4, 9-9-2), 34-11 to win, 2-0,
and advance to the CHA championship game on Saturday against Rochester Institute of Technology at 3 p.m. The Orange dominated Penn State, but five penalties in the first two periods kept the Nittany Lions in the game early on.
“We struggled to find the back of the net for quite a while there … but our kids hung in there and stuck with the game plan and really played determined,” Flanagan said.
Penn State had a chance to take control of the game right away. SU forwards Emily Costales and Julie Knerr went to the penalty box within the first six minutes, giving PSU an extended five-on-three chance.
The Orange scrambled to clear every puck, eventually killing it off, and when it went back on the kill later in the period, forward Allie LaCombe wristed a shot from the blue line into the back of the cage.
“They didn’t score so they didn’t gain any momentum,” Flanagan said. “… I think it got us going. It gave us a good boost of confidence.”
PSU defender Paige Jahnke was mirroring LaCombe’s every move, but also blocking Whitlinger’s view of the puck, allowing LaCombe to sneak it by her for the Orange’s first short-handed goal of the season and LaCombe’s first of her career.
With a one-goal lead, Syracuse’s defense was holding strong. It limited Penn State’s
shots and when SU goalie Jenn Gilligan needed to make a big save, she did.
Penn State’s best chance of the night came when forward Shannon Yoxheimer caught Gilligan sliding to the right of the crease. Yoxheimer shot to the opposite side of the net, but Gilligan stuck out her glove and grabbed it while falling into a split.
“Gilli played really well,” Flanagan said. “They didn’t have a ton of shots, but they had some grade-A chances so she made some huge saves.”
The Orange fought off another penalty kill following Goodnough’s third-period goal and a Penn State empty net to hold on for the win.
On Saturday, Syracuse will have a shot at its first-ever CHA championship. The Orange is 0-3 all-time in the title game.
RIT won last year’s CHA tournament. The winner will get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
“They’re playing really well right now,” Flanagan said of RIT. “We’re going to have our hands full tomorrow with a real good, tough, physical team.”
Syracuse looks to win 1st CHA championship game on Saturday following win over Penn State
Syracuse was pounding shot after shot on Penn State goalie Celine Whitlinger, but only had one goal to show for it. A game that the Orange was dominating on paper seemed as if it could change in an instant.
Though SU was on the power play, it couldn’t get the puck into the offensive zone. Finally it did and SU defender Kaillie Goodnough thwarted a PSU forward’s attempt to advance up the ice.
Goodnough took a few strides toward the goal and fired a slap shot from the center of the offensive zone that connected with the top left corner of the net.
The goal put Syracuse ahead, 2-0, and gave the Orange some much-needed breathing room.
“That was a huge goal because as much as I thought we were taking it to them … they were one shot away from tying it up,” SU head coach Paul Flanagan said.
No. 2-seeded Syracuse (11-14-10, 8-6-6 College Hockey America) scored twice on special teams and outshot third-seeded Penn State (17-16-4, 9-9-2), 34-11 to win, 2-0,
and advance to the CHA championship game on Saturday against Rochester Institute of Technology at 3 p.m. The Orange dominated Penn State, but five penalties in the first two periods kept the Nittany Lions in the game early on.
“We struggled to find the back of the net for quite a while there … but our kids hung in there and stuck with the game plan and really played determined,” Flanagan said.
Penn State had a chance to take control of the game right away. SU forwards Emily Costales and Julie Knerr went to the penalty box within the first six minutes, giving PSU an extended five-on-three chance.
The Orange scrambled to clear every puck, eventually killing it off, and when it went back on the kill later in the period, forward Allie LaCombe wristed a shot from the blue line into the back of the cage.
“They didn’t score so they didn’t gain any momentum,” Flanagan said. “… I think it got us going. It gave us a good boost of confidence.”
PSU defender Paige Jahnke was mirroring LaCombe’s every move, but also blocking Whitlinger’s view of the puck, allowing LaCombe to sneak it by her for the Orange’s first short-handed goal of the season and LaCombe’s first of her career.
With a one-goal lead, Syracuse’s defense was holding strong. It limited Penn State’s
shots and when SU goalie Jenn Gilligan needed to make a big save, she did.
Penn State’s best chance of the night came when forward Shannon Yoxheimer caught Gilligan sliding to the right of the crease. Yoxheimer shot to the opposite side of the net, but Gilligan stuck out her glove and grabbed it while falling into a split.
“Gilli played really well,” Flanagan said. “They didn’t have a ton of shots, but they had some grade-A chances so she made some huge saves.”
The Orange fought off another penalty kill following Goodnough’s third-period goal and a Penn State empty net to hold on for the win.
On Saturday, Syracuse will have a shot at its first-ever CHA championship. The Orange is 0-3 all-time in the title game.
RIT won last year’s CHA tournament. The winner will get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
“They’re playing really well right now,” Flanagan said of RIT. “We’re going to have our hands full tomorrow with a real good, tough, physical team.”
SU Ice Hockey @CuseIce 
