NEVILLE TWP., PA — Robert Morris couldn’t capitalize on multiple power-play opportunities created, dropping the opening game of the series 4-1 at the Island Sports Center Friday night. Mya Neugent scored the only goal for the Colonials.
The Colonials came out flying- outshooting and out chancing the Orange in the first frame in dramatic fashion, but the work did not translate to the scoreboard and Robert Morris found themselves in a 2-1 hole after one. Each team was awarded a 5-minute major, with Syracuse finding their third goal on the extended advantage.
“0-for-6 on the power-play,” Logan Bittle explained. “Syracuse was 2-for-6, that’s the difference. We gotta get the job done in those areas.”
The Colonials spent the final four-plus minutes of the contest with the advantage as the Orange seemed to begin to come unglued in the waning minutes, taking consecutive minors while the Colonials pulled Maggie Hatch for a 6-on-4 chance. In the end it was the first time in a long time the Colonials outshot their opponents: 29-26 overall, but ultimately falling on the scoresheet.
THE GAME
Syracuse capitalized on an early power play as Bryn Saarela’s tip in of a Tatum White shot beat Hatch to make it 1-0 at 6:48 of the first frame with the Colonials tying the contest four minutes later as Neugent finished a 2-on-1 by tipping in a Morgan Giannone pass. White and Saarela flipped the script at 18:54 when the captain found the back of the cage for the Orange. Starting netminder Allie Kelley found herself in hot water at 19:37 as a review found a high slash enough to be ejected from the contest.
Sophomore Bella Gould jumped in during the second frame and led the Orange to a perfect penalty kill before a collision between two players and the next led Laura Eustace to suffer the same fate as Kelley, with the sophomore exiting the game at the 8:01 mark, and Nea Tervonen extending the Syracuse lead to 3-1 at 10:37.
The two teams continued elevated physical play the remainder of the second frame and into the third, with the Orange getting an empty net goal from Charli Kettyle at 19:54.
Hatch finished with 22 saves while Gould had 17 saves in relief for the Orange. Kelley was 11-for-12 in her first period outing.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris closes the season series with Syracuse with a 3:00pm face-off at the Island Sports Center on Saturday. The Colonials close their regular season slate February 14-15 against the Lindenwood Lions at the Island Sports Center. Face-off will be scheduled for 7:00 pm Friday and noon on Saturday.
