When Penn State and Syracuse last faced off in the fall, the blue and white took the series sweep against the Orange, winning Game 1 in overtime, 3-2, and Game 2, 5-2. The Nittany Lions will look to replicate last week’s success following a two-game sweep of RIT.
Penn State will head on the road for Game 1, which is set for 6 p.m. Friday, followed by Game 2 at 3 p.m. Saturday.
In Game 1 against RIT, Katie DeSa tallied her seventh career shutout victory. Posting 35 saves over the weekend, DeSa raised her season save percentage to .928 and improved her record to 16-4-0.
Syracuse netminder Allie Kelley doesn’t trail far behind with a save percentage of .922, posing as a possible hurdle for Penn State’s offense.
Forward Tessa Janecke tied the all-time career points record in Penn State history last weekend, matching Natalie Heising’s total of 137 points.
The Orange are led by leading scorer Bryn Saarela. The graduate student from Denver will open the series split against the blue and white with a total of 21 points and 13 goals.
Syracuse enters the matchup against Penn State with a 7-17-0 record following a 6-3 loss to No. 6 Cornell on Tuesday.
Despite falling to Cornell, the Orange were successful in capitalizing on the power play in the first period. Saarela and Jackson Kinsler posted two early power-play goals, prioritizing the use of special teams.
In Game 2 against RIT, the Nittany Lions allowed the Tigers to capitalize on two power plays, narrowing Penn State’s lead in the third period.
The Orange enter the series with a .209 power-play percentage, while the blue and white enter with a less-stellar rate of .189.
Throughout the season, the blue and white has worked aggressively to fire as many shots toward the net as possible. Averaging 36.13 shots per game with a shooting percentage of .103, the Nittany Lions don’t take it easy on their opponent’s defense.
Kelley may need to brace for a barrage of shots as players such as Janecke make their way down the wing.
While Syracuse has had success on the power play, it lacks opportunities at the net in comparison to the blue and white. Tallying 22.5 shots per game with a shooting percentage of .087, Syracuse’s offense will be put to the test in the weekend’s matchup.
Maddy Christian played a vital role in Game 2 against Syracuse in the fall. After scoring two power-play goals in the win, Christian became the fourth player in program history to score twice on the advantage in the same game.
As a result, it’s possible to witness Syracuse’s defense become increasingly protective at the net, denying players such as Christian from finding daylight on the power play.
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