Syracuse defender Emily Costales and Vermont defender Gina Repaci collided early in the second period, sending Repaci sliding into the boards, clutching her left shoulder. After Repaci was helped off the ice by two of her teammates, Vermont’s players started screaming from the bench before the ensuing faceoff. Their teammate wouldn’t return.

Minutes later, a Vermont player sent SU defender Kaillie Goodnough backward, headfirst, into the ice. Goodnough clutched her helmet, but got up to finish out the play before heading to the bench.

“It was kind of a dirty play, but I just smacked my head on the ice,” Goodnough said. “I think it’s nice that they’re letting us play but sometimes it gets a little dangerous.”

Syracuse was up 3-0 to start the second period, but an early injury to one of Vermont’s players ignited the Catamounts. Vermont (7-4-1, 1-2-0 Hockey East) scored three goals in the period, two while Goodnough was out of the game, and eventually beat the Orange (3-5-5, 2-2-1 College Hockey America), 6-5, in overtime Friday night at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

“Obviously we came out in the first period and dominated them,” SU goalie Jenn Gilligan said. “Got three goals in and everything was looking great and then something just happened during the break.”

Everything was going right for Syracuse in the first period. Alysha Burriss sent a pass to forward Stephanie Grossi who one-timed the puck into the net.

With 1:39 left, Vermont forward Amanda Pelkey, a member of the U.S. national team, and another Vermont player mishandled a puck in front of their own goal. It bounced off the post and into the net before goalie Molly Depew could dive over with her glove. SU forward Jessica Sibley got credit for the own-goal.

Pelkey clenched her stick, skated to center ice for the faceoff, hunched over with her head down.

A minute later, Syracuse forward Melissa Piacentini tapped in a shot from the doorstep on a pass by forward Julie Knerr. The players on the bench cheered and Piacentini was the first to skate through a line of high-fives along the boards.

But in the second period, Vermont came out more aggressive and replaced the freshman Depew with the usual starter in net, Madison Litchfield.

Soon after a UV power-play goal, Goodnough went down on the ice. As she skated to the bench, a Vermont player skated toward her and Goodnough knocked her down, causing screams from the Vermont fans in the stands.

Goodnough sat down on the bench and put her head in her hands while assistant coach Alison Domenico talked to her. Eventually, she shuffled down to the end of the bench next to backup goalie Abbey Miller.

“I think that’s up to the referees to control,” Flanagan said. “… They let things go. I mean kids, they want to win the game. They’ll take liberties if they’re going get away with it.

“They got to do a better,” Flanagan said before pausing, “We tell kids to manage the puck and I think the referees, they got to manage the game.”

With Goodnough out, Colang scored again when SU defender Larissa Martyniuk let Colang skate by her to the puck. After Goodnough headed into the SU locker room, Pelkey beat Martyniuk this time and scored.

Both goals that came while Goodnough was out with the injury came from the right side, near the net, where she would’ve been if she had been on the ice.

Vermont had a rejuvenated mentality after the first, Flanagan said. It underestimated SU, but then the Orange got sloppy, Gilligan added.

And even though Goodnough was able to return for the third, losing her much of the second had done its damage.

Said Gilligan: “It was hard, but I mean we should be able to bounce back from that.”

Published on November 15, 2014 at 12:36 am

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus