In the first six games of the season, Syracuse only scored seven goals. On Friday, SU scored four goals in one game.

Its fourth goal came as forward Alysha Burriss blew a shot by Lindenwood goalkeeper Jolene deBruyn midway through the third period. Facing its worst start in program history, SU exploded offensively and assured that it would not go winless in its first seven games.

“Offense is the toughest part of the game sometimes; it should be easier but sometimes it’s almost counterintuitive. Just put pucks on net,” Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan said. “As opposed to opening night, we didn’t have a lot of jump, and tonight we had a lot.”

Joining Burriss on the scoresheet were forwards Savannah Rennie, Brooke Avery and Heather Schwarz as Syracuse (1-4-2, 1-0-0 College Hockey America) defeated Lindenwood (0-5-0, 0-1-0) in its first conference game of the season.

An SU offense searching for goals found success by increasing its shot total. The Orange had 37 shots, topping its previous season-high of 28. SU’s unwavering commitment to shoot pressured the Lady Lions throughout the game.

“It wasn’t us just throwing it at the net, we were aiming. We really dominated around their (Lindenwood) net.” said SU forward Alysha Burriss.

Flanagan noticed how his team was forcing deBryun to slow down the pace of the game, its high volume of shots clearly affecting her.

As the game began, the Orange found itself finding open space at the point in its offensive zone. This allowed the SU defenders to rifle shots at the net, and send passes along the walls, creating multiple chances. Of SU’s 14 first-period shots, only three were in front of the net.

Lindenwood adjusted and pressured the SU defenders in the second period. Instead of wilting away like it had done in previous games, the Orange altered its attacking strategy. The Orange took nine of its 11 shots in the third period right in front of deBryun’s net.

On the defensive end, a strong SU forecheck allowed Syracuse to control the pace of the game. The Orange played with a physicality not seen early on in the season.

“This week in practice I feel like a lot of the drills were faced towards battles.” said Schwarz.

Goalie Abbey Miller tallied 22 saves, en route to the first shutout of her career. The Orange also only committed three penalties, its lowest single-game total since it conceded six against Colgate last weekend.

For the first time all season, SU was able to put it all together.

Throughout the week, Flanagan told his team to look at this game as a fresh start. His message got through to his players.

“Later on the season we are going to look back and this win is important,” Schwarz said. “There’s nothing like winning a game, it’s just fun after.”

Published on October 28, 2016 at 10:06 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez