Right wing Allie LaCombe embraces the opportunity where she can make a key play in the final moments for Syracuse. She proved that again Tuesday night, scoring a goal with less than a minute remaining in the game to propel the Orange (7-6-2) to a 2-1 victory over Colgate (3-13-0) at the Oncenter Complex.

While the scoring was limited Tuesday, that didn’t prevent Syracuse from being aggressive on the attack. The Orange outshot Colgate 58-17 with senior backup goaltender Jenesica Drinkwater in net.

That didn’t lead to the best start for Syracuse, though. The Raiders struck first when center Rachel Walsh capitalized on a second-chance opportunity after a save by Drinkwater. Her second effort proved to be successful, as Colgate took a 1-0 lead with four minutes left in the second period.

Unfortunately for Colgate, the lead did not last the rest of the period. While both teams were fighting for the puck, SU freshman forward Heather Schwarz seized the scoring opportunity. Her first career goal came at an opportune time, with 13 seconds left in the period, and tied the game at 1.

The third period was an offensive struggle, with both teams unable to capitalize on chances following the second intermission.

That all changed with less than a minute to go in the final period, as LaCombe found herself in a familiar spot.

After forward Jessica Sibley fired a shot at goalie Brittney Brooks, LaCombe took control of the puck after the deflection. She launched what turned out to be the game-winning goal with 35 seconds left, propelling Syracuse to its seventh victory of the season.

It was the third game-winning goal that LaCombe has scored this year.

Syracuse returns to the Oncenter on Tuesday when it faces in-state rival Cornell at 7 p.m.

Published on November 27, 2013 at 11:27 am