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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – When Syracuse loses, it does so in bunches.

Across its last three campaigns, SU has dealt with a five-plus game skid on six different occasions. Last season, the habit finally came to an end as the Orange missed out on playoff hockey for the first time as a program.

It’s a historical trend that’s hard to ignore, but SU head coach Britni Smith doesn’t allow her team to be bothered by its record, no matter how ugly it looks. Whether facing three consecutive losses or 10, Smith and her players have always been confident they can turn things around.

“There’s definitely no panic in our game,” Smith said after Syracuse’s 4-2 win over RIT on Nov. 15, 2024, which snapped a nine-game spiral. “Whether we’re streaking wins together or not, it’s all about the process, and that’s something that we’ve continued to focus on, and I think you’re starting to see it.”

After narrowly escaping with a 1-0 victory at the Gene Polisseni Center on Nov. 16, 2024, the Orange returned to Rochester in hopes of ending their lengthy seven-game slide against RIT Friday. But instead, they did the opposite.

In its penultimate regular season matchup against the Rochester Institute of Technology (13-11-3, 6-6-1 Atlantic Hockey America), Syracuse (7-20-0, 5-8-0 AHA) notched its eighth straight loss with a 2-1 defeat. Celia Wiegand’s first career goal put the Orange in front in the first period, but SU allowed the Tigers to punch back with consecutive goals just 2:28 apart in the second, which proved to be the difference.

After being held scoreless in its last two outings against No. 9 Penn State, Syracuse opened the contest with one of its best starts all season. From puck drop, the Orange found their legs and outskated the Tigers for the majority of the first period, rifling shots at RIT goalie Sarah Coe.

Normally, this would mean big guns like Bryn Saarela or Charli Kettyle were firing on all cylinders, but the start of Friday’s game was controlled mainly by Syracuse’s depth pieces.

Less than two minutes into play, Peyton Armstrong worked her way around the crease and nearly snuck a goal past Coe’s blocker side, but was to no avail. Moments later, Rylee McLeod used her edge to sneak past a defender on the right-wing side and fire a shot off, but Coe was there to rob the chance.

Entering the contest, Addie Alvarez showed potential to be a real problem for the Orange in this matchup. The Rochester native is having a career season with 26 points (second in AHA), but she was held quiet in her two games against the Orange, logging only an assist.

She made an impact early in the contest, but not in the way she had hoped. Her tripping penalty gave the Orange the game’s first power play. While the Tigers penalty kill has been gangbusters this season — they entered the matchup with an AHA-best 82.9% conversion percentage — the group wasn’t strong enough on their first appearance against the Orange.

On the opportunity, Nea Tervonen and Armstrong combined to deliver a pretty feed to Wiegand at the left point. Her ensuing shot deflected off an RIT stick and in for her first career tally.

“(Wiegand) works so hard, and she’s been on our power play for a good portion of the season, so nice to see her get one there. Good job by her to get open and create that space and time for herself,” Smith said of Wiegand’s goal postgame.

The Orange made Allie Kelley’s life easy for the remainder of the first period, which ended with an 11-5 Syracuse advantage in shots on goal as its offense continued to hum. But Smith wasn’t fully satisfied with her team’s performance.

“(I) loved our first 17 minutes of the period. I thought our last three, we definitely gave up some momentum, but it would have been nice to be able to finish the period out (strong) and go into the intermission with 20 minutes we felt we dominated,” Smith said.

Despite their statement in the first period, the Orange put themselves in a tough spot going into the second. SU’s Heidi Knoll was assessed a slashing penalty with just 11 seconds left on the clock, giving the nation’s sixth-best power play – holding a 26.9% conversion rate — a golden opportunity to even the score.

Whatever message was sent during intermission in RIT’s locker room made an impact across its lineup in the middle frame. The Tigers controlled possession right off the hop and delivered a flurry of shots at Kelley on grade-A chances from inside the slot area.

Before long, the Tigers broke through on the player advantage. With Syracuse’s defenders stranded on the ice and showing fatigue, RIT forward Brac Kelley buried the puck past SU’s netminder for the equalizer.

When looking for potential scapegoats to blame for Syracuse’s string of recent losses, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to point a finger at Tatum White. Through her last six outings dating back to Jan. 3, White has been held pointless while accumulating 11 combined penalty minutes. Looking to be part of the solution instead of the problem, she nearly reclaimed the lead for SU early in the second period.

Driving from the left to the right side of the net, White nearly tucked the puck past the outstretched pad of Coe but was stuffed on the goal line. A four-on-four ensued following a post-whistle altercation, and RIT again used the extra room on the ice to its advantage.

Just 11 seconds into four-on-four action, Mia Tsilemos streaked down the right-wing side and beat her defender to the net. All in one motion, she froze Kelley in place and tucked the puck around her outstretched glove into the back of the net, giving the Tigers their first lead of the night.

After allowing two goals on the first seven shots she faced, Kelley was sensational throughout the remainder of the contest and kept SU within shouting distance. Following RIT’s second tally, she stonewalled the Tigers by denying all 22 shots the rest of the game. She capped the afternoon with a diving glove save in the dying minutes of the second period.

“We get great goaltending from (Kelley) game in and game out. It would be nice, though, if our lows weren’t so low for us tonight, so we don’t have to rely on her as much to make those three, four, five saves,” Smith said.

Syracuse earned a second power play chance at the 9:28 mark of the second, but RIT’s killers silenced the unit with shot blocks to nullify its opportunities. At the end of the two-minute window, Coe had only been tested once.

The Orange’s attack remained a shell of themselves for the rest of the frame, as RIT’s aggressive forecheck and physicality along the boards made it difficult for SU to find a way to respond. Halfway through the second period, SU mustered just three shots on net and was ultimately beaten 14-7 in the category through the middle 20 minutes.

Despite being touted as the top offensive weapons on each of their respective rosters entering Friday, Syracuse’s Saarela and RIT’s Alvarez were held in check through the first two periods of play. The duo has combined for 47 points so far this season, but they remained unnoticeable in the game’s final frame.

After a back-and-forth physical third period where both sides exchanged glorious looks from short and long-range, Syracuse caught one last break as it was handed its third power play of the game with just 1:22 left in regulation.

The Orange called a timeout to organize a plan, but RIT’s highly-ranked penalty kill came in clutch. SU’s reeling player advantage unit was once again held to one shot on net as the Tigers escaped with a slim home victory.

“We’ve still got a chance to win the series against RIT, and that’s important to us. We have a good opportunity tomorrow to take the third (win) against them,” Smith said. “Every point’s hard in this league; we knew that since day one.”

Published on January 24, 2025 at 7:46 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu