Margot Scharfe skated past two exhausted Lindenwood defenders to penetrate the Lions’ defensive zone in another bid for a game-winning goal.

The Syracuse forward spotted an open Nicole Ferrara near the net and fed her the puck. And the freshman forward slapped it past Lindenwood goaltender Taylor Fairchild for the overtime game-winner on Saturday.

‘I skated around right in front of the net in between the hash marks, and Margot made a nice pass to me,’ Ferrara said. ‘I tried to shoot it low on the ice, like coach taught us.’ 

Ferrara’s goal sealed back-to-back wins for SU, as they defeated Lindenwood 2-1 in front of 212 at Tennity Ice Pavilion to complete the sweep. Led by its freshmen, Syracuse (8-10-0) also dominated the Lions (1-16) 6-2 in front of 123 on Friday. Although SU head coach Paul Flanagan said earlier this week that his team was hovering a bit below his expectations, the Orange players proved their determination to reach the .500 percentage mark.

Facing a struggling Lindenwood team, Flanagan decided to switch up the lines to give some of the younger players more ice time. With 17 underclassmen on the current roster, SU needed to prepare its youth for the rigorous conference schedule that lay ahead.

And Flanagan picked the perfect time to start.

The Orange received strong efforts from Ferrara, Shiann Darkangelo and Jordyn Burns as SU easily cruised by, outshooting Lindenwood 45-15 on Friday.

After SU strung together three goals in a 2:10 span to break open a scoreless game in the second period, Darkangelo delivered another blow 10 minutes later. Off a pass from Burns across the net, the freshman buried the puck past Fairchild to give the Orange a lead it wouldn’t surrender.

Under the direction of experienced players like senior captain Megan Skelly and junior forward Jessica Sorensen, SU’s younger members are gaining confidence as they continue to contribute. The team’s chemistry is starting to improve, and that means a smarter, hungrier offensive attack. 

‘We switched up our lines recently, so it was good to get different combinations out there and get a lot of shots that we haven’t been taking the last couple of games,’ Skelly said. ‘Going into the dressing room, everyone feels like they are part of the team. It’s a collective group effort.’

Flanagan said he was particularly impressed with the adjustments the younger players made during the course of the weekend, especially their ability to understand how to effectively cycle and pass the puck. The Orange played solid fundamental hockey and generated plenty of scoring opportunities as a result.

But SU struggled to capitalize on its chances Saturday, and Fairchild made 44 saves in regulation for the Lions as she fended off an assault of shots by the Orange forwards. SU’s missed chances created frustration for its players and allowed Lindenwood to gain momentum down the stretch.

‘They did a really good job of negating anything we were trying to do,’ Flanagan said. ‘You get a little frustrated sometimes and make mental mistakes, and that’s exactly what we did.’

And Ferrara ended that frustration with her game-winning goal Saturday.

In the days leading up to SU’s matchup against Lindenwood, SU assistant coach Graham Thomas jokingly urged Ferrara to score her first goal of the season.

‘They just tease me, so it’s funny,’ Ferrara said. ‘It actually gets me pumped up to hear my name, so I go out there and try to score.’

Ferrara responded. After being promoted to the top line in practice this past week, Ferrara scored the winning goal in overtime fashion, giving the Orange consecutive victories for the first time in more than a month. 

Her late-game magic provided a breath of relief for SU, as Ferrara notched the game-winning score, her first goal of the season. Ferrara’s goal marked an impressive performance by the SU freshman and provided a boost of morale for the team heading into conference play.

‘It’s a huge shot of confidence for the (freshmen) to be able to bury a few goals and get that monkey off their back,’ Flanagan said. ‘It just makes you feel better about yourself as an athlete.’

awmirmin@syr.edu

Published on December 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm