The Syracuse women’s ice hockey team is starting to hang with the ‘big boys.’ The only question is: When will it come through in the victory column?

‘It’s definitely going to come, I just don’t know when,’ Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan said after his team’s two losses this weekend.

The Orange hasn’t come away with three points in an official game since defeating Sacred Heart twice in late October.

This weekend, Syracuse put up a valiant effort, but fell to the Wayne State Warriors, 3-2, on Friday and again, 3-1, on Saturday.

At week’s end, the team had frustration built up thanks to the close losses to the Warriors. Yet at the same time, Flanagan and several Orange skaters harped on the fact that the first-year team proved it could skate with one of the best teams in the country.

‘I think the most important aspect of these games is knowing that we can play with these top-flight teams,’ said junior goalie Lucy Schoedel. ‘We know that we played really well, and we can play with any team right now.’

The Warriors entered the weekend series at Tennity Ice Pavilion boasting a 17-3-2 record and came in unscathed in College Hockey America games (8-0-0). In the USA Today national poll, the Warriors ranked No. 10.

But these lofty accolades didn’t deter SU as the team came into the weekend series with perhaps as much emotion and energy as it has had all season.

‘We probably should have come out of last weekend with four points, but we didn’t,’ said Flanagan. ‘And this week, the girls worked hard and came into these games with a chip on their shoulder wanting that signature win’

On Friday, Syracuse knotted up the score twice in the third period after Wayne State had taken the lead, and over the course of the last two periods, the Orange played inspired hockey, narrowly missing time and time again on several chances.

‘It was close, we won it back, but it didn’t quite go in the right direction,’ said Syracuse captain Julie Rising. ‘But that is a bounce that we’ll eventually get by the end of this year.’

Syracuse sophomore Cheyenne Bojeski agreed with the captain.

‘We had just as many chances as they had, so we know we just have to bear down,’ Bojeski said.

In the end, after having opportunity after opportunity to win the game, Syracuse conceded a goal off a rebound with 4:18 remaining.

Things carried out in much the same fashion less than 24 hours later, as the Warriors had the lead for the entire night. Again, the feisty Syracuse squad proved its mettle against the conference’s top team.

Perhaps no goal better encapsulated the attitude and fight of the Orange this weekend than Skelly’s goal at the 1:36 mark of the second period.

The acclaimed freshman made the extra effort on the goal as she took the puck from behind the goalie, squared up beautifully, and found the back of the net.

Despite its misfortunes on the offensive side of the ice, Syracuse extended its tendency of playing premier defense, a trend that has been building recently. In its last five games, the squad hasn’t given up more than three goals, as opposed to earlier this year when SU gave up more than five goals to Mercyhurst, Sacred Heart Wisconsin and Wayne State.

‘I think we are doing a real good job on defense, and Lucy has a big part in that,’ said Flanagan. ‘I think the confidence is building in terms of how we play defensively.’

Looking down the line, the first-year Orange feel as if it is due for some wins, some bounces to come its way.

‘They had five seniors with 500 points total, and we have been able to only come together since the beginning of the season,’ said Rising. ‘We are all misfits in the hockey world, and it feels good to give a team like this, who has been killing a lot of other teams, a run for their money.’

Flanagan wouldn’t mind saving some of those lucky bounces for later this year.

‘I don’t know, maybe we are saving that full package of luck and great play for that last trip in the playoffs,’ Flanagan said.

aolivero@syr.edu

Published on January 25, 2009 at 12:00 pm