Syracuse University
Niagara (No. 2 seed)
Orange Travels to CHA Tournament
3/4/2010 5:43:25 PM | Ice Hockey
View Game Notes
DETROIT, Mich. – The Syracuse University women's ice hockey team (17-16-1, 8-8-0 CHA) heads to the College Hockey America (CHA) Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 4. The third-seeded Orange will face off against second-seeded Niagara on Friday, March 5 at 7 p.m., with the winner playing in the championship game on Saturday, March 6 at 5 p.m. The Orange will go for its first playoff win in program history when it meets the Purple Eagles for the second consecutive year in its opening round matchup.
The game can be heard live on WSUAthletics.com via Teamline, while live statistics will also be available throughout the tournament.
Season in Review
In just its second season, head coach Paul Flanagan continued to build a foundation for a successful program. Syracuse finished with a 17-16-1 overall record and improved on last year's fourth-place tie in the final CHA standings, as it finished third with an 8-8-0 league record. The Orange showed national prominence, debuting at No. 10 in the USCHO.com poll for the first time in program history on Jan. 11 after a 2-1 overtime victory at No. 8 Cornell and a 7-2 road win against St. Anselm.
In 2009-10, Syracuse saw its first Winter Olympian in junior forward #Stefanie Marty, who competed with her Swiss National Team in the 2010 Winter Games. The junior became just the third woman to score eight or more goals in one Olympics and led Switzerland to a fifth-place finish in just its second Olympics. Freshman forward Isabel Menard achieved individual accolades by becoming SU's leading scorer with 34 points on a team-leading 20 assists, which led her to five CHA Rookie of the Week honors – more than any other freshman in the league. Senior goaltender Lucy Schoedel continued to stand strong in the net and became a Patty Kazmaier nominee for her second consecutive year after posting a 2.40 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and three shutouts this season.
Last Time Out
Senior goaltender Lucy Schoedel recorded a season-high 45 saves, while junior forward Stefanie Marty scored her first goal since returning from the 2010 Winter Games, but it was not enough as the SU ice hockey team was defeated by top-ranked Mercyhurst, 3-1, in its regular-season finale on Feb. 27. Senior blueliner Gabrielle Beaudry was awarded an assist for her third consecutive game, while freshman Holly Carrie-Mattimoe extended her point-scoring streak to three games with an assist. On Friday night, Marty rejoined her teammates for her first time since the Olympics, but Syracuse was defeated, 4-1, by the Lakers.
Syracuse-Niagara Series
The tournament semifinals will make the 10th meeting between the two schools. Syracuse faced off against Niagara in the first round of the CHA Tournament last season, which was the SU's first playoff game in team history. NU bested the Orange, 3-2, but SU owns the 4-3-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Purple Eagles, who handed Syracuse its first conference win in its inaugural season on Jan. 30, 2009. Gabrielle Beaudry notched her first Syracuse goal as she fired the game-winner to give the Orange its first CHA victory, 2-1.
Scouting the Purple Eagles
Niagara finished the season in second place in the CHA standings with 17 points, which ties its highest position since joining the league and its 17 points are the most it has earned since joining the conference. The Purple Eagles finished with 12 regular-season wins, which is its most since the 2004-05 season. NU played its regular-season finale on Feb. 20, when it was unable to hold onto a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 loss against the Robert Morris Colonials. Jenna Hendrikx leads the offense with 13 goals and nine assists, while Jennifer MacLean has a team-leading 11 assists. Goaltender Jenni Bauer has posted a 2.16 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in 28 games this season.
Syracuse-Mercyhurst Series
The Orange has never beaten the Lakers, as it owns the 8-0 advantage in the series, including a 3-1 victory in SU's regular-season finale when senior goaltedner Lucy Schoedel set a season-high with 45 saves. In a series hosted earlier this season, the Orange rallied from a 4-1 deficit at the start of the third period by scoring three unanswered goals to bring it within one in the final minutes, but it was not to overcome top-ranked Mercyhurst on Jan. 23. The one-point win was MC's closest margin of victory since Oct. 16, 2009 when it shutout Rensselaer, 1-0.
Scouting the Lakers
No. 1 Mercyhurst has won all seven previous CHA tournaments. The Lakers are 25-2-3, with its only losses coming from Minnesota-Duluth and Niagara. It has skated to draws against Minnesota-Duluth, Niagara and Clarkson. Three Lakers top the NCAA list for points per game, including Scanzano (2.0), Vicki Bendus (1.88) and Bailey Bram (1.77). Mercyhurst's offense has dominated with an average of 4.82 goals per game, while topping the NCAA list in scoring margin (3.18). Despite recording the most penalty minutes in the nation (16.0), it ranks fourth in penalty kill percentage with 90.6. Mercyhurst's current eight game winning streak is the second-longest in the nation.
