Shorthanded Big Red Fall to Syracuse in OT
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's hockey team returned from a
month off for exams and the holidays with a 2-1 loss in overtime to
Syracuse on Tuesday night at Lynah Rink. The Big Red fell to 8-5-2
on the year, while Syracuse improved to 12-8-1 in the first
all-time meeting between the two programs.
Karlee Overguard had the lone goal for the Big Red on the night,
while Holly Carrie-Mattimo had a pair of goals for Syracuse.
Cornell goaltender Amanda Mazzotta made 16 saves, with Syracuse
netminder and Ithaca-native Lucy Schoedel stopping 26 shots for the
victory. Both teams were scoreless in three power-play
opportunities on the night.
Cornell, playing without three of its top four scorers, looked
nothing like a team that hadn't played in a month, as it outshot
the Orange 17-2 in the first period. Cornell got on the scoreboard
midway through the first period when Overguard stripped a Syracuse
defender of the puck, skated to the faceoff dot to Schoedel's right
and ripped a shot that beat the senior netminder high to the right
side.
The 1-0 lead held up until the third period when Syracuse scored a
short-handed goal five minutes into the period. With the puck
heading out of the Syracuse zone, a pair of Cornell players
converged on the puck and collided, momentarily losing possession.
That was all the time Carrie-Mattimo needed, as the freshman
swooped in, picked up the puck and skated in on Mazzotta. Mazzotta
stopped the initial shot with her left leg, sending the puck to the
end boards. There, Carrie-Mattimo flung the puck at the back of
Mazzotta, and it bounced off the sophomore netminder's back and
caromed into the goal.
As the game went in to overtime, Lisa Mullan started the play that
would ultimately win the contest for the Orange, sending a puck in
front to Isabel Menard. Menard sent the puck on net, where Mazzotta
stopped the initial shot, with the rebound popping up in the air
toward the far post. Carrie-Mattimo was there, batting the puck out
of mid-air and into the goal for the game-winner 1:49 into the
overtime session.
Cornell returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Providence for
a 2 p.m. contest against the Friars, opening up a two-game set
against Providence.












