achelney's Blog

Olympic medalist scores 4 times as Boston College routs Syracuse 7-2

By Andrew Chelney
December 14, 2015 - 2:08 pm
The Boston College women's ice hockey team shows the Orange why they are undefeated

No. 2 Boston College (20-0-0) was tied with Syracuse (8-10-2) for all of 2 minutes and 1 second before senior center Alex Carpenter, silver medalist in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics with the US, opened the scoring for the Eagles. Carpenter ended up putting the puck in the net 3 more times during the contest, netting 4 in total, in what was a dominant performance.

Prior to the match, Carpenter led the nation in points (23-22-45), now (27-22-49), and won the Hockey East Player of the Week award on December 7.

“She’s arguably one of the best female players in the world”, Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan raved about Carpenter following the defeat. “She’s an Olympian, but at the same time you got to play with some emotion. We didn’t get pucks on net and we weren’t doing what we wanted to do, and the next thing you know we’re down at our end and they can execute.”

The Orange went down 3-0 after the first period. Senior goaltender Jenn Gilligan made only 5 saves on 8 shots. After giving up 2 more goals and seeing the deficit grow to 5-0, Flanagan pulled Gilligan and sent out freshman goalie Maddie Welch. Her only collegiate appearance was a start against the UConn Huskies on October 17, a 4-3 loss.

“Coach came up to me and told me to be ready”, Welch commented after the match. “Anything could happen, the game could turn around. I definitely thought our team started playing better after I got in there. I think my game against UConn wasn’t my strongest, and to get back out there against BC and really show what I can do, it was huge.”

Welch made 23 saves on 25 shots in relief, including 17 in the second period, a strong outing by the rookie backup.

Flanagan, however, wasn’t satisfied in the team’s performance.

“To me, the only people from Syracuse that performed tonight were the band. We as coaches, it’s our responsibility to do a little soul searching and figure out things that are going to make us a more competitive team on a regular basis.”

The Orange doesn’t suit up again until January 4, when the Colgate Raiders come to town.

Syracuse women’s ice hockey deadlocks Penn State in second game of doubleheader

By Andrew Chelney
December 7, 2015 - 8:29 pm
SU takes 3 of the possible 4 points in the weekend matchup with Penn State

The Orange (8-9-2) put up 41 shots in the game, including four in overtime, but only one passed through Nittany Lions senior goaltender Celine Whitlanger as Syracuse tied Penn State (4-10-4) 1-1.

“Overall we were average,” head coach Paul Flanagan said following the tie. “Looking at the opportunities we’ve had both nights, we’ve got to bury the puck. I wouldn’t say it was a great weekend, or even a good weekend, but we still came out with three points. When this team cranks it up and we’re playing 60 minutes and we’re on our toes and our feet are moving, we’re a good team.”

Just like Friday’s game, Syracuse scored first in the opening period, with Penn State later responding in the second. The Nittany Lions couldn’t capitalize on a golden opportunity to take a 2-1 lead with 5:42 remaining in regulation. Strikingly similar to Friday’s contest, Penn State got the puck off of a misplay and left wing Amy Petersen was off to the races, going in on SU goalie Gilligan one-on-one. She scored the only goal for Penn State on Friday off the same situation, but this time Gilligan stood tall and made arguably her biggest stop of the afternoon.

“I think I just played it differently,” Gilligan said about the save. “I wasn’t waiting for her to make the first move, I forced her to make it instead. I came out of my crease more and was a little more aggressive and took away her opportunity.”

With less than two minutes to go in regulation, senior left wing Nicole Ferrara almost put the Orange ahead off a great shot, but it hit the pipe and went wide. She scored the opening goal for Syracuse on Friday.

“We’re not happy with a tie, but we’ll take it,” Gilligan added.

The Orange is back in action on Thursday at home against Boston College (18-0-0). SU will look to end the Eagles’ winning streak.

Piacentini scores 100th career point as Syracuse defeats Penn State

By Andrew Chelney
December 7, 2015 - 4:05 pm
SU women's ice hockey takes down Penn State 3-1 in the first game of the weekend doubleheader

Senior right wing Melissa Piacentini scored her 100th career point tonight in the 3-1 victory against Penn State. Jessica Sibley put Syracuse up 2-1 with 3:17 to go in regulation, and Piacentini reached the centennial milestone with an assist on the play. She is averaging one point per game so far this season.

“I can’t say enough about her,” head coach Paul Flanagan said following the victory. “She’s a fabulous kid, I’m very proud of her, and, if anything, that just shows consistency. When you’re 5’0” and you can play the way she plays, hopefully there’s a lot more where that came from.”

The Orange was undisciplined in the first period, taking three penalties. However, senior goaltender Jenn Gilligan stood tall, stopping all nine shots in the opening 20 minutes. Fellow senior Nicole Ferrara opened the scoring with 4:57 to go in the first frame, charging the net from the corner and beating Nittany Lions goaltender Celine Whitlanger stick side.

Syracuse held the lead until a misplay led to a Penn State breakaway. Gilligan sprawled in an attempt to cover the bottom of the net, but it wasn’t enough as Penn State junior Amy Petersen beat her five-hole to tie the game with 4:50 going into the second period.

“She came in with speed, you have to tip your hat to her,” Gilligan said about the goal after the game. "She made a nice move and put it in. Just got to stop the next one.”

With 35 seconds left and Penn State’s goaltender pulled, Sibley took a checking penalty and put the Orange down two players. But the penalty kill held strong and prevented any chances. With 10 seconds to go, sophomore left wing Emily Costales put the puck in the empty net, icing the game for the Orange.