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Following its 4-0 loss in Game 2 of the AHA Semifinals against Mercyhurst on Saturday, Syracuse found itself in a win-or-go-home situation Sunday.

After containing Mercyhurst’s Vanessa Upson in the series opener, the Orange allowed the forward to have her way Saturday. The senior totaled three points for the fifth time this season en route to the Lakers’ one-sided victory, extending the series to a third game.

Despite both teams being on the brink of elimination, neither head coach seemed worried heading into Game 3.

“I think they’ll handle it well,” Mercyhurst head coach Michael Sisti told CitrusTV. “Nothing’s come easy for them (this season), and they seem to thrive when their backs are against the wall.”

SU head coach Britni Smith shared a similar sentiment.

“We’ve been the team with our backs against the wall a lot this season, so this is not new for us,” Smith told CitrusTV. “This is a space that we’re really comfortable in, and we’re excited for the challenge tomorrow.”

But No. 3-seed Syracuse’s (15-23-0, 11-9-0 Atlantic Hockey America) season ended following its 5-2 loss to No. 2-seed Mercyhurst (20-15-2, 13-6-1 AHA) in Game 3 of the AHA Semifinals. After both teams exchanged shutout performances, Sunday’s pivotal contest was highlighted by offensive success at both ends of the ice. Though against one of the highest-scoring teams in the AHA, two goals weren’t enough for SU to keep its season alive.

After suffering an injury midway through Game 2, Mercyhurst third-liner Regina Metzler didn’t play Sunday. Her absence slightly limited the Lakers’ attack early on, and the Orange took advantage less than five minutes in.

On the heels of a botched two-on-one chance, Peyton Armstrong kept SU’s possession alive. As the Lakers attempted to break out of their zone, she caused a turnover at the blue line and dished the puck to Heidi Knoll in the right-wing circle. With plenty of time to shoot, Knoll lit the lamp to end SU’s six-period goalless drought.

While Syracuse’s forecheck continued to give the Lakers fits on the other end of the ice, SU goalie Allie Kelley had an uneventful first period. Still recovering from back-to-back games where she faced 39-plus shots on goal, Kelley only saw five shots on net during the opening 15 minutes.

Still, one of them fooled her.

Syracuse had a chance to double its lead via its first power play chance midway through the period. Instead, the Lakers were the beneficiary. Off an ugly turnover, Thea Johansson escaped on a breakaway and scored her third shorthanded goal of the campaign, a gut punch to Syracuse’s special teams unit.

Quickly shaking off the defensive breakdown, Kelley redeemed herself.

At the 4:48 mark, Upson put the puck on a string and dangled her way through the middle past two SU defenders, but Kelley denied the highlight-reel bid. Following an Armstrong hooking penalty, Kelley made four stops in the final 1:25 to keep the score knotted 1-1.

“The people that we’ve had join our program for a year or two, they’ve been able to find a family with the block-S and battle as if they’ve been here their entire careers,” Smith told CitrusTV regarding the impact of graduate students like Kelley. “It meant as much to them tonight as it did (White), who’s been here for five (years).”

Despite Kelley’s heroics, Mercyhurst carried over some power play time into the second period, and its efforts paid off. Johansson tortured SU’s special teams unit again with her second goal of the afternoon, pushing the Lakers to their first lead of the game.

Just under two minutes after the tally, an unlikely goal scorer emerged for the Orange. Abandoning her usual place along the blue line, Jessica Cheung worked the puck around the back of the net and into the slot area.

Without hesitation, she roofed a wrist shot past Mercyhurst goalie Magdalena Luggin to respond quickly and tie the game 2-2. The tally marked just her second of the season.

Even with momentum back on its bench, Syracuse’s attack shriveled for the remainder of the period. For the next 18 minutes, the Orange were outshot 15-4 and relied heavily on their defense, which included killing off the Lakers’ second 5-on-3 attempt of the contest.

Faced with a barrage of shots by Upson, Johansson and Sofia Nuutinen, Kelley continued to be at her best in what was likely her final game with SU.

At the other end, Luggin looked equally as strong in net for the Lakers. Coming off a 16-save shutout in Game 2, the freshman earned the call to the crease again in Game 3 and made the most of it.

“(Luggin) was awesome,” Sisti told Mercyhurst Athletics postgame. “It’s a nice luxury for our coaching staff that we feel any of our goalies give us a chance to win.”

In the dying seconds of the middle frame, Syracuse was dealt a tough blow when Cheung was helped off the ice after sustaining an injury. The loss ended up proving costly for SU.

Looking to make up for Cheung, Nea Tervonen, Charli Kettyle and Sami Gendron stepped up for SU to block numerous Laker shots. But it wasn’t enough.

With 11:14 remaining in regulation, Julia Schalin collected her own rebound and flipped the puck over Kelley’s shoulder into the back of the net. The back-breaking goal proved to be the game-winner.

As the Orange scrambled for an equalizer in the final 10 minutes, their offense was constantly stalled by Mercyhurst’s relentless pressure. Trapped in its own zone for much of the period, SU only managed three shots in the third as the Lakers chewed the clock.

Syracuse pulled Kelley in a final act of desperation to save its season. But doing so merely sealed its fate. Johansson effortlessly dumped the puck into the gaping net to complete her hat trick. Schalin added salt to the wound with an empty netter of her own, pushing the final score to 5-2.

Despite coming up short of their ultimate goal, the Orange had little reason to hang their heads. Earning 15 wins, the 2024-25 season set a new standard of success in the Smith era for SU.

“I think that every year, we’ve taken a jump in the last three, and we’ll continue to look for that next group that can come in and continue to push,” Smith told CitrusTV. “But for right now I think it’s (about) living in the moment and the people who have done so much for us this season. When it’s time to look forward to next season, we will.”

Published on March 2, 2025 at 7:38 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray