'Cuse Faces Colgate in Tuesday Matinee

Syracuse at No. 4 Colgate
Game Details	Tuesday, Jan. 16 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 12:00 p.m.
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch Twitter: @CuseIce
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Colgate Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orange travel to Hamilton to take on in-state rival No. 4 Colgate in an afternoon contest on Jan. 16 with puck drop slated for 12 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Orange took a break from CHA action to host No. 6 Cornell in a midweek match-up on Jan. 9. The game was a back-and-forth affair for the first 10 minutes as the Orange hung with the Big Red thanks to a pair of goals by Kelli Rowswell and Brooke Avery. The goal by Avery was her team-leading eighth score of the season.

Senior Alysha Burriss pulled the Orange to within one just four minutes into the second period. Syracuse outshot Cornell 17-8 in the second and third periods but could not complete the comeback, falling 6-3 after two empty netters. Goalie Abbey Miller entered in relief for the Orange, posting two shutout periods between the pipes.

Series History
The Orange and the Raiders' in-state rivalry dates back to the Orange's first season in action (2008) as the teams have met 16 times before in program history. Colgate has come out on top in eight of the 16 outings and holds a 5-2-1 record when in Hamilton, N.Y. The last Syracuse victory came in 2014 when the Orange defeated the Raiders 2-1 at Tennity. There have been seven one-goal games when the teams have met with four games going into overtime. The Orange hold a 0-1-2 record when taking Colgate to free hockey.

The two teams met for a home-and-home series last season with Syracuse dropping game one 3-2 before rallying to take the Raiders to a 2-2 tie in Hamilton. Two current Orange, Kelli Rowswell and Stephanie Grossi, tallied short-handed goals against Colgate. The Orange have only faced a shutout twice when going up against the Raiders. This year's team has pinned five goals and seven assists on the Raiders led by senior Megan Quinn who has found marked success against Colgate (two goals, three assists).

Scouting the Raiders
Colgate sits at 19-3-1 this season with a 9-1-1 record in non-conference action. The Raiders come in at No. 4 in the USCHO.com poll and have been ranked in 13 straight polls and have placed in the top 5 in 11 consecutive weeks. Two of Colgate's three losses this season have come at the hands of ranked opponents (No. 7/8 St. Lawrence and No. 7/7 Cornell) with the only other defeat coming against Minnesota Duluth.

The Raiders have faced five ranked opponents this season, posting a 4-2-1 record against those teams. Three of the five opponents play in Cornell's conference, the ECAC. As a team, Cornell is averaging 33.0 shots per game and 3.60 goals scored per game. The Raiders are converting on just over 20 percent of their power play opportunities while boasting a .900 penalty kill percentage. Three Raiders have accumulated 20+ points so far this season, led by senior Shelby Perry (23) who paces the team in assists with 17.

Last Line of Defense
The Orange defense has tallied five of Syracuse's 40 goals (12.5 percent) this season with contributions by Lindsay Eastwood, Jessica DiGirolamo, Allie Munroe and Megan Quinn. The defenders have accumulated 27 assists among the group, good for 41.5 percent of the Orange's assists this year.

Eastwood ranks 11th in the nation in points per game by a defenseman, averaging 0.71 points per outing. She paces the Orange in points with 15 and sits in first for assists at 13. When they're not scoring goals, the Syracuse defense has no problem throwing themselves in front of pucks, blocking 220 shots this season. That is 30 more shots than Orange opponents have blocked on the year.

Up Next
The Orange return to conference play to take Penn State in their final two games with the Nittany Lions in the regular season. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Jan. 19 and 20, respectively.

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Players Mentioned

Brooke Avery

Alysha Burriss

Jessica DiGirolamo

Lindsay Eastwood

Stephanie Grossi

Abbey Miller

Allie Munroe

Megan Quinn

Kelli Rowswell

Syracuse University Athletics