Kallie Billadeau was 39-of-41 on save opportunities against an aggressive Clarkson offense.

Billadeau had the opportunity to showcase her skills when No. 3 Clarkson (5-0) visited Tennity Ice Pavilion on Friday night. While Syracuse (1-3) endured a 2-1 loss, Billadeau rose to the challenge against one of the premier women’s ice hockey programs in the country.

“She had a really good game,” forward Sadie St. Germain said. “It’s rare that she ever has an off game.”

Her only miscues were against senior Carly Mercer, who scored two goals for the Golden Knights.

Head coach Paul Flanagan praised his senior leader after the tough loss.

“I thought she played well. She looked really confident,” Flanagan said. “ I can’t blame her on the goals. She made four or five excellent saves. It was good to see.”

Following the loss, Billadeau openly praised her teammates for their support while the team was on its heels. The help from her defense allowed Billadeau to stay focused on the task at hand.

“I have a great team in front of me, first and foremost,” she said. “They sacrificed their body and I couldn’t ask for a lot more. I was able to stay focused and stay calm and try to control the game.”

Billadeau and her defense were up to the challenge, but that didn’t make it any easier for the Orange to handle the constant pressure from Clarkson.

As Syracuse struggled to keep up with Clarkson’s speed, Billadeau met her match against two of the nation’s top players.

Clarkson seniors Mercer and Jamie Lee Rattray used their size and speed to create favorable opportunities while in transition. Rattray assisted both of Mercer’s goals and caused plenty of disruption all game.

“They’re very strong girls and like to crash the net,” Billadeau said. “My focus was trying to control my rebounds as much as I could.”

Her biggest challenge of the game occurred in the second period when Clarkson had outshot Syracuse 29-12. Rattray began wearing down the defense eight minutes into the second period.

Throughout the next six minutes, Clarkson had five shots on goal. An onslaught of green jerseys faced Billadeau as Clarkson looked to put the game out of reach as the period winded down.

Billadeau wasn’t ready to let the game get out of hand. As the Golden Knights unloaded each shot, they came away frustrated. One of the top teams in the sport couldn’t figure out how to get the puck past Billadeau, who has been a rock for the Orange.

In the locker room after the second period, Flanagan told his team how they were still in the game due to another quality performance from Billadeau.

“After the second intermission, I said, ‘Hey it’s only 1-0,’” Flanagan said. “She’s had a great start to this season. I hope she can continue this hot start.”

 

Published on October 14, 2013 at 12:26 am