Paul Flanagan pushed his defenders to join the offensive rush all last week in practice.

And with Syracuse trailing Clarkson 2-1 last Friday, the SU head coach’s strategy paid off. Freshman defender Kaillie Goodnough crept forward into the neutral zone, collected a loose puck at the point and blasted a shot through traffic that found its way past the Clarkson goaltender for her first career goal.

‘We’re trying to encourage that, defensively trying to rush up when we can,’ Flanagan said after the game Friday. ‘The exchange of puck between defense and offense is very important. We’re getting consistent now with sustaining some pressure on teams.’

SU’s defense is focused on bringing that same offensive aggression when the Orange (2-4, 0-0 College Hockey America) takes on Colgate (2-2, 0-0 ECAC Women’s Hockey League) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Flanagan and the newly improved defense will try to lead SU to a victory over its in-state rival in the first game of a five-game homestand at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

Until last season, Colgate was the more successful team in head-to-head matchups, holding a 3-0 edge in the all-time series. But the Orange notched its first win against the Raiders with a 4-3 victory on Nov. 23, 2010.

To start a streak of its own in the series, Syracuse will rely on its defense to keep the Colgate offense in check and to add some scoring punch.

It starts with stopping Colgate forward Brittany Phillips, who is tied for first in the nation with 2.5 points per game. SU will need to play with the same physicality it did against Clarkson. The Orange didn’t allow the Golden Knights’ forwards much space to skate around and make plays.

‘We tried to play them really physical on the body and weren’t allowing them any space,’ SU forward Margot Scharfe said Friday.

The Orange must also get its defense involved in the offense again.

In practice, Flanagan continued to stress commanding the neutral zone to his defenders. The coaching staff placed a large emphasis on having the defensive players push into offensive zone, leading to more shots and an increased time of attack.

That tactic will benefit the Syracuse power play, which struggled against Clarkson in game two of the series on Saturday. The Orange only managed six shots on five power-play opportunities.

When defenders creep closer into the neutral zone, the offense has a better chance of spreading the puck, which is a huge relief for forwards like senior captain Megan Skelly.

‘The defense jumping in the play helps a lot because it gives us more possession and better shots,’ Skelly said. ‘If the puck comes squirting out and the defense is there, we can keep possession for three minutes compared to 30 seconds.’

On power-play opportunities, it isn’t easy to attack the net. With defenders rushing the offensive zone, they create more outside shots and more chances to put back rebounds, junior Jacquie Greco said.

And Flanagan is confident in the ability of his defenders to be cognizant at all times on the ice. Flanagan wants most Orange defenders to consider themselves forwards on the attack. The players must pick and choose when to be aggressive and when to stay back on defense.

Goodnough and senior defender Taylor Metcalfe found that balance last Friday against Clarkson.

Metcalfe was all over the ice, tallying three shots in the third period while limiting the Clarkson forwards to just four shots. And Goodnough scored her first career goal to even the score 2-2.

Right now, the Orange just needs a win after getting swept by Clarkson last weekend. And that starts with the play of the defense.

‘If the opposition has to worry about the defender jumping into the play, that’s going to free up one of our forwards,’ Flanagan said. ‘Hopefully that will give them a little more time and space to make plays.’

awmirmin@syr.edu

 

Published on October 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm