Jan. 30, 2015
2 Syracuse (6-12-9, 4-4-5 CHA) |
Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) University Park, Pa. • Pegula Ice Arena • Attendance: 477 | 2 Penn State (13-10-4, 7-4-2 CHA) |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Jan. 30, 2015 - Emily Laurenzi's (Townsend, Del.) second goal in as many games and a 40-save performance by Celine Whitlinger (Garden Grove, Calif.) helped the Penn State women's hockey team battle to a 2-2 College Hockey America (CHA) tie with Syracuse on Friday.
Penn State's (13-10-4, 7-4-2 CHA) top-producing line from its series against New Hampshire last weekend picked up where it left off five-and-a-half minutes into the first. Sarah Nielsen (Edina, Minn.) picked up the rebound of a Syracuse shot on goal in the high slot and dished it to Caitlin Reilly (Chanhassen, Minn.) next to the Nittany Lions' bench. Reilly cut to the slot and outskated a pair of defenders, going in alone on Jenn Gilligan. She forced the goalie low and lifted it over her right pad for the 1-0 mark.
But with 3:21 left in the first period, the Orange (6-12-9, 4-4-5 CHA) responded. Alysha Burriss picked up the rebound of a Jessica Sibley attempt, skated behind the net and whipped it past Whitlinger to knot the score at 1-1.
Early in the third period, Syracuse struck on the power play to take hold of the lead. Sibley maneuvered the puck from deep in the corner to the side of Whitlinger's net and flipped it to Melissa Piacentini, who buried the 2-1 tally.
Just over a minute later, the Nittany Lions clawed their way back to tie the score. Jeanette Bateman (Greeley, Colo.) freed the puck from along the boards for Hannah Hoenshell (Plano, Texas) to collect. She streaked down the right wing and sent a back pass to Shannon Yoxheimer (Jackson, Mich.), racing through the slot. Yoxheimer threw it into Gilligan's pad and Laurenzi collected the juicy rebound, putting in the game-tying goal. The goal, Laurenzi's second of the season, was also her second in as many games.
Whitlinger (9-5-1) turned away 40 shots, her third game with 40-or-more saves this season.
The Nittany Lions and Orange rematch tomorrow for Penn State's Skate for the Cure at 2 p.m. The Blue and White will debut special edition Breast Cancer Awareness jerseys, and all fans wearing pink receive free admission.