Three in the first period, two in the second, and another three again in the third. Syracuse players hopped in-and-out of the penalty box again-and-again. At first, it led to a high scoring, five-goal first period. But as the Orange tried to stay gridlocked to Northeastern, it became SU’s biggest pitfall.

At a point in their season where the Orange have already battled and even outplayed ranked opponents, SU was overmatched by a team keen to exploit their miscues on Saturday night. Syracuse (0-5) allowed four power play goals and committed eight penalties in their 6-3 loss to No. 3 ranked Northeastern (3-0) at the Tennity Ice Pavilion. Despite another close matchup, Syracuse’s aggressiveness on the ice caught up to its players in the third, where another potential win against the Huskies slipped away.

“We need to understand that penalties can happen as much as they have been happening and we take ownership of that,” said Kristen Siermachesky, who found herself in the penalty box twice.

An influx of penalties aren’t exactly a new problem for the Orange, either. In their 2-1 loss Friday night, Syracuse also accumulated eight penalties in a game that didn’t see scoring until third period. 

In the first five games of their season, the Orange have been sent to the box 31 times. Those penalties, while leaving the team shorthanded for two minutes, have also tired out the rest of the team due to the shifts needed to cover the player sitting, SU head coach Paul Flanagan said.

“When you have to turn around and do it again, your legs get heavy,” Flanagan said. “And I saw a lot of heavy legs.”

The exhausting nature of the penalty kill ultimately led to the Huskies scoring three unanswered goals to close out the game. Northeastern earned eight penalties, but its penalty kill was much more effective, allowing just one power play goal on the night. 

“We can make as many adjustments as we want but the reality is we’re a man down and we need to eliminate that because we’re a great five-on-five team,” Siermachesky said after the game.

Syracuse’s specials teams need to improve drastically, or the Orange won’t turn around their five game losing streak to start the season, said Flanagan. Player blame themselves for it, but the coaching staff also understands the importance of ironing out its pitfalls. “We need to figure out our penalty kill,” Flanagan said. “It’s been abysmal.”

Syracuse and Northeastern were locked at three apiece until the Huskies took a 4-3 lead into the third. When the final period started, Syracuse forced two penalties, giving Northeastern a five-on-three advantage. A 3-3 game quickly turned a 6-3 loss. 

Players and coaches want to have a short memory and take their next set of games with a clear mind. With more on-ice discipline, the Orange may be able to change their losing woes. 

“Once we settle down and get it going to get a groove on and get that first win, we’re going to be fine,” goaltender Allison Small said. 

Published on October 12, 2019 at 8:57 pm

Contact Will: wrhentsc@syr.edu