Syracuse and Penn State were knotted up at two, and the Orange needed a spark.

At the perfect time, it got a boost from its most consistent scorer in the second half of the season.

Melissa Piacentini launched the game-winning goal off an assist from Nicole Renault halfway through overtime. The slap shot sealed a 3-2 win for SU (14-9-2, 6-4-2 College Hockey America) on Friday, the first of two weekend victories over Penn State (4-19-2, 1-11-0).

“The teammates have been great,” Piacentini said. “They’ve been making the opportunities happen, so it’s been real awesome.”

She added a goal earlier on Friday and one on Saturday, bringing her scoring total to seven goals in the last five games.

Piacentini was the catalyst for Syracuse’s victory on Friday night. She delivered a power-play goal 41 seconds into the second period to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead.

Less than five minutes later, Renault chipped in a goal of her own that propelled the Orange toward a 2-0 advantage. But just as Syracuse appeared to be in position to coast to a victory, Penn State’s Hannah Hoenshell delivered a goal three minutes later to cut the deficit to one.

Despite only having four wins on the season, Penn State showed its capability of competing with a conference opponent.

“They have two or three players that are very dangerous every time they have the puck in the offensive zone,” said SU head coach Paul Flanagan. “They get one break there, and it’s their game. I think we have to consider ourselves very fortunate in that respect.”

Careless puck-handling from Syracuse proved to be Penn State’s gain. After the Orange lost control of the puck near the net, Penn State’s Amy Petersen sent a pass up the center of the ice toward Laura Bowman.

Bowman proceeded to skate full speed to goalie Jenesica Drinkwater, launching the puck into the net to tie the game.

After the game, Flanagan displayed how he was impressed with Piacentini’s hot streak. But he also voiced his frustration about his team losing a two-goal lead for a second game.

“We just let it slip away,” Flanagan said. “We have to be better than that and we have to learn from that.”

Neither team scored during the remainder of regulation, sending Syracuse to its second consecutive overtime game.

Thirty seconds into overtime, forward Allie LaCombe provided the play of the game by showcasing her ability to be a defender. As Drinkwater allowed an open gap on the far side of the net, LaCombe saved the incoming puck at the goal line and prevented the game-winning goal.

Known typically for her offensive prowess, the junior focused her efforts on defense in overtime.

“It’s frustrating sometimes when you get down there and you’re cycling and shooting and it doesn’t go in,” LaCombe said. “But part of the game is to get back and play defense, as well.”

The defensive stand paved the way for Piacentini, who provided the spark again after Syracuse allowed another two-goal lead to vanish.

Halfway through the overtime, Piacentini got an outlet pass from Renault and delivered the dagger.

“I just came in over the blue line,” Piacentini said, “and I saw the D was backing up so I just wanted to get a shot on net.”

Syracuse returned on Saturday afternoon by showing aggression on offense and cruised to a 3-0 victory. Piacentini added her third goal of the weekend, and LaCombe and senior Margot Scharfe also scored.

The Orange shifts its focus to next weekend’s anticipated matchup against conference rival Mercyhurst. Flanagan said his team needs to limit the miscues in recent games to find success against a quality opponent.

“We need to be more consistent,” Flanagan said. “Your margin of error against a team like Mercyhurst is a lot slimmer. You have to be fundamentally sound and you got to make good decisions.”

Published on January 27, 2014 at 12:09 am