Heading into Friday’s game, Syracuse had outshot their opponents in four straight games. But the goal totals have not always reflected the shot advantage. On Feb. 7 the Orange had 59 shots but scored only three goals against RIT. The next day, Syracuse outshot the Tigers 63-29 and tied the game 2-2.

On Friday night, the Orange (11-16-2, 9-4-2 College Hockey America) once again heavily outshot their opponent, outchancing Lindenwood (5-20-3, 3-12) 50-22. But in their 3-2 win, Syracuse finally made the most of their shots using net front traffic. All three of Syracuse’s goals were scored with a body in front, preventing Lindenwood’s goalie from seeing the oncoming shot. The first two came directly off tipped shots from the point, and the final goal came with Emma Polaski firmly planted in front of the Lindenwood net.

“It’s definitely important,” Mae Batherson said. “You know, different angles, getting people in front of the net so the goalie can’t see the puck, and it was a great tip. We moved the puck and the goalie had no chance early.”

Syracuse opened the scoring when Lauren Bellefontaine sent a shot towards the net from the high slot. The low shot was headed toward Lindenwood goaltender Annika Asplundh’s left side, but it careened off Polaski’s stick and bounced to the right. With the goalie sliding away Madison Beishuizen tapped a backhand in giving the Orange a 1-0 lead three minutes into the second period. Without Polaksi’s screen and tip, the puck would have sailed harmlessly into Asplundh’s pad.

Polaski screened every Syracuse goal Friday night. Sixteen minutes after the first goal, it was her positioning that blocked the view of Batherson’s low shot, and Bellefontaine’s subsequent tip that sent the puck through Asplundh’s five-hole, extending SU’s lead.

“One thing that we’ve implemented into our practice a lot is net-front presence,” Bellefontaine said. “So I think it was really good that a lot of people did that tonight, and Emma was three for three screening the goalie on every goal … it just proves that once the goalie is screened, we can score.”

Syracuse has tried to integrate net-front traffic into game situations, but Friday was when everything came together, Bellefontaine said, and boosted the Orange past the Lions.

After allowing Lindenwood to tie the game with two third-period goals in four minutes, Syracuse was given a late powerplay to try to retake the lead. With twenty seconds remaining on the man advantage, Batherson took the puck from the right side of the blue line and skated it into the wide-open high slot. With Polaski again blinding Asplundh, Batherson let the shot loose, sending it high and past the right ear of the Lions’ goalie. The shot gave the Orange a 3-2 lead that they would not give up.

Syracuse is riding a five game point streak after Friday’s win, largely based on their ability to dominate opponents in possession and shots on goal. If the Orange can replicate their success screening the goalie and getting traffic in front, as they did Friday, higher goal totals will follow.

“That’s huge and very important,” Lindsay Eastwood said. “I mean, if someone’s taking away the goalies eyes, it’s gonna go in all day.”

Published on February 15, 2020 at 12:51 am

Contact Will: wrhentsc@syr.edu