Syracuse struggles to keep up with No. 4 Colgate’s skating in 9-0 loss

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As Avery Pickering entered Colgate’s offensive zone on the left side, she was faced with five Syracuse skaters and no teammates. Most of the time, this would be a problem.

But, with Pickering’s speed, she quickly beat the defense and skated around the back of the net. As Syracuse collapsed defensively, she lost the puck. Teammate Neena Brick quickly came to help her near the left faceoff dot to get the puck back.

Brick quickly passed the puck to Madeline Palumbo, who gave it right back a few feet from the left post for Brick to hammer in. A one-on-five defensive opportunity for Syracuse had turned into a 2-0 Colgate lead.

In the first 11 minutes, Colgate put on a skating display that led to four goals, a deficit the Orange could not overcome. No. 4 Colgate’s (14-2-1, 8-0 ECAC Hockey) slick skating helped them cruise to a 9-0 victory over Syracuse (4-13-2, 1-6-1 College Hockey America). The Raiders’ speed helped them attempt 95 shots, 65 of which were on goal. After breaking a 12-game winless streak over the weekend, Syracuse enters winter break with another loss, its 11th in the last 14 contests.

The Orange attempted to get the momentum on their side early with the first shot of the game, but the attempt was shut down. Following their defensive stop, the Raiders took the puck up the ice. After skating past the Syracuse defenders, Kaitly O’Donohoe fired the first shot of the game for the Raiders.

While Allie Kelley made the save, the first of 43 she had in two periods before being pulled, the Raiders set the momentum. After the game, Associate Head Coach Heather Farrell said Syracuse knew about Colgate’s speed before the game, but once the puck dropped, she said they could not defend against it.

The defensive troubles from Colgate’s skating were apparent from the get-go. The Raiders got on the board just two minutes and 42 seconds into the first period on a shot from Madeline Palumbo that came as a result of a Brick’s movement up the ice.

“We talked about keeping them to the outside and we had a few breakdowns,” senior forward Rayla Clemons said after the game.

Colgate controlled possession for most of the contest, but when Syracuse did have possession, it had trouble sustaining it. Colgate’s defense quickly contained Syracuse when it tried to push down the ice.

In the first period, Syracuse’s Maya D’Arcy fired a mid-range shot up the middle. After the shot was blocked, Palumbo took the rebound and went coast-to-coast to get a shot of her own.

Near the end of the first period, Syracuse started to crowd the net, slowing down Colgate’s offense. SU didn’t allow a goal in the last nine minutes of the first after allowing four in the first eleven.

With Syracuse’s inability to create pressure throughout much of the period and Colgate’s dismantling of the Orange defense, the Raiders put up video-game-like shot numbers. In the first period, Colgate outshot Syracuse 23-1.

“I think we can possess pucks better when we do get our chances if we really bear down in the D zone,” captain Tatum White said after the loss. “And then we work so hard to get pucks out. Just keeping them on our sticks when we have the chance I think would help us generate some more offense.”

Colgate started the second period with a four-goal lead and a more relaxed stance, but its skating continued to make a difference in the final two frames.

With five minutes left in the second, and Syracuse down five goals and desperate for offense, SU forward Haley Trudeau rushed forward and received the puck in the offensive zone.

But just like it had all day, Colgate’s speed was unmatched. Two defenders quickly caught up to Trudeau to contain her. Another Syracuse chance had fizzled away to the quickness of Colgate.

Colgate kept its shutout intact throughout the third period and added two goals, tying its largest margin of victory this season when it beat Harvard 10-1 on Nov. 11.

“We just tried to keep them the outside,” Farrell said. “We really wanted to protect the middle of the ice, defend through the dots… Next time we play Colgate we have to be better in the house.”