Orange Heads To No. 5 Mercyhurst Friday
FRIDAY:
SATURDAY:
Game Notes
With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Syracuse ice hockey team hits the road for a weekend series at No. 5/4 Mercyhurst, beginning Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Syracuse is 0-1-1 this season against the Lakers, which own a 15-0-1 all-time series advantage.
Playoff Picture
The Orange is currently in fourth place in the College Hockey America standings with a 0-5-3 mark in conference play. Mercyhurst sits atop the CHA standings heading into the weekend with 12 points, while Robert Morris is nipping at their heels with 11 points.
The Purple Eagles are sitting in third place with six league points, and can come within one point of second place with a weekend sweep of Robert Morris this weekend. The first place and fourth place teams at the conclusion of the regular season will faceoff in the CHA semifinals on March 2 along with the second and third place teams squaring off. The winners of the games will battle for the league title on March 3 in Moon Township, Pa.
Storylines Vs. The Lakers
Mercyhurst comes into this weekend’s games with a 19-6-1 overall record, including a 5-1-2 mark in conference play. The Lakers currently sit in first place in the CHA standings, one point ahead of Robert Morris.
Mercyhurst possesses two of the top-ten scorers in the nation, led by senior Bailey Bram’s 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists), which is second in the nation. Bram missed the first two games against the Orange after competing in the World Juniors in January. Sophomore Christine Bestland is seventh in the country in points per game with 50 (19 goals, 31 assists) in 27 games. Also having a big season for the Lakers is senior Kelley Steadman, who is second in the nation with 1.04 goals per game. The Lakers own the nation’s second best scoring offense (4.74 goals/game) and the country’s top power play unit, which is clicking at nearly 30% this season with 41 goals on the man advantage.
Up Next: Niagara
Syracuse will close the regular season with two games at Niagara on Feb. 24-25. The Orange is 0-1-1 against Niagara this season in two games played at Tennity Ice Pavilion in late January. SU tied the Purple Eagles 3-3 on Jan. 20 before NU responded with a 2-1 overtime victory on Jan. 21. The Orange is 8-6-3 all-time against Niagara.
Last Time Out: Robert Morris Sweeps Orange At Tennity
SU concluded the home portion of its schedule last weekend against Robert Morris at Tennity Ice Pavilion. The Colonials defeated Syracuse 4-3 on Friday before completing the sweep with a 5-2 victory on Saturday. Despite an early third period goal from Margot Scharfe, Syracuse could not overcome a four-goal second period by Robert Morris as the Colonials escaped with a 4-3 win on Friday night. SU received goals from three different scorers, while Kallie Billadeau made 22 saves in goal.
On Saturday, Robert Morris scored twice in the final minute of the first period and again in the opening minute of the second period to skate to a 5-2 win against Syracuse. Holly Carrie-Mattimoe and Nicole Ferrara scored for the Orange, while Billadeau made 27 saves in goal.
Carrie-Mattimoe Ties Rising’s Power Play Goal Record
Junior forward Holly Carrie-Mattimoe scored her team-leading 12th goal of the season last weekend against Robert Morris. Carrie-Mattimoe now has 15 career power play goals in her two-plus seasons with the Orange, which tie Julie Rising’s school record. Carrie-Mattimoe is tied for 19th in the nation, and tied for fifth in the conference.
Freshmen Setting The Pace
Syracuse has seven freshmen on its roster for the 2011-12 season, and the new members of the Orange are already making an impact on the scoresheet. Nicole Ferrara (five goals, 10 assists) leads the freshman attack for SU, and is tied for 35th in the nation among rookie scorers. Shiann Darkangelo (three goals, 11 assists) and Allie LaCombe (seven goals, four assists) trail close behind. The Orange freshmen have accounted for 28 goals and 51 assists this season, which is 42.9% of Syracuse’s total scoring.
Article source: http://suathletics.syr.edu/news/2012/2/9/WICE_0209125116.aspx