DETROIT - The Wayne State University women’s hockey team (8-13-3, 4-6-0 CHA) saw a 2-0 lead slip away in the third period as Syracuse University (15-12-1, 6-4-0 CHA) scored three unanswered goals in the final 15 minutes to secure a
3-2 win, sweeping the Warriors in the weekend series at the City Sports Center.
The Orange, playing with a short bench due to a team illness, dressed only 14 skaters on Saturday afternoon. However, fatigue did not appear to be a factor working against the visitors, as Syracuse out-shot Wayne State, 17-4, in the third period.
Julie Rising scored twice, including the game-winner, on a three-point afternoon. Stefanie Marty also had three points including two assists, and Megan Skelly contributed a pair of helpers.
While the third period belonged to the Orange, it was the Warriors who dominant through the first 40 minutes. Wayne State totaled 28 shots over the first two periods to Syracuse’s eight.
The teams nearly skated to a scoreless tie after the first period for the second straight day, but
Jenaya Townsend (Sherwood Park, Alta./Sherwood Park Kings) snapped the deadlock with her first collegiate goal on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line with 15 seconds left in the period.
Adrianna Pfeffer (Farmington Hills, Mich./Belle Tire) earned her fourth assist of the year on the play.
Wayne State, which was 5-1-1 when scoring first coming into this game, doubled its lead on
Alyssa Baldin’s (Mississauga, Ont./Mississauga Jr. Chiefs) sixth of the season at 9:24 of the second.
Lauren Ragen’s (Grosse Ile, Mich./Connecticut Polar Bears) pass from the right win caught Baldin’s stick, and her shot from the slot sailed in past SU goalie Lucy Schoedel.
Syracuse’s top forward line of Rising, Marty and Skelly accounted for all eight Orange points in the game, beginning with Rising’s tally at 4:29 of the third. Marty won a key faceoff to the right of
Delayne Brian (Winnipeg, Man./Notre Dame Hounds), and Skelly’s subsequent wrist shot glanced in off of Brian’s pads.
With five minutes left in regulation, Marty and Skelly skated in against three WSU defensemen. Skelly found an opening, however, and her pass to Marty set up a hard wrist shot in the top corner over the glove of Brian.
The Orange capped off the heartbreaker with the game-winning goal at 19:17, as Rising made a move on Brian to the backhand and popped in her 14th goal of the season.
Wayne State could not net the equalizer despite pulling Brian for an extra skater in the final 31 seconds, as the Warriors suffered their first loss of the season when leading after two periods (4-1-1).
The final shot tally favored Wayne State, 32-25, in a game with very few penalties. Wayne State and Syracuse were 0-for-3 and 0-for-1, respectively, on power-plays.
The Warriors are idle next weekend and will host the Niagara Purple Eagles in two weeks, Feb. 12-13, in WSU’s final home series of the 2009-10 regular season.