Kaillie Goodnough celebrated after burying the puck into the back of the net against Rensselaer in the third period to give the Orange a commanding three-goal lead over RPI last Friday.

But a lackadaisical effort by Syracuse the rest of the way allowed RPI to climb right back into the game with two consecutive goals just a few minutes apart later in the final period. Although SU secured the narrow 4-3 victory, head coach Paul Flanagan still isn’t sold on the consistency of his team so far this season.

‘We played well and then went up 4-1,’ Flanagan said. ‘But in the last 10 minutes, we took some undisciplined penalties, started running around and the next thing you know we’re scrambling just to survive that barrage at the end.’

The youthful Orange (6-10-0, 0-0 College Hockey America) is struggling to find an identity nearing the halfway point in the season. Syracuse’s lack of experience has contributed to its inconsistent and sloppy play both offensively and defensively. It will be key for SU to find its focus before conference play begins next weekend.

Friday’s close win over RPI simply proved that the Syracuse players have not yet mastered the ability to play consistently well for an entire game, something Flanagan has preached all season to help build motivation.

‘Objectively, we’re probably a bit below my expectations at this point,’ Flanagan said. ‘We’re just not there yet, and I think that this past weekend was just another classic example of us not playing 60 minutes for both games.’

Flanagan said the Orange’s struggles this season have been the result of poor mental preparation, which leads to players playing tentatively during games. When Syracuse started playing soft down the stretch last Friday, it let RPI dictate the tempo of the game and the Engineers nearly came back to beat the Orange.

If Syracuse wants to turn its season around and compete in conference play, its preparation will need to improve. For Flanagan, that starts with the seasoned veterans.

The upperclassmen need to guide the younger players through the tricky nuances of college hockey. But with only seven upperclassmen on the current roster, the few experienced Orange players are having difficulty establishing a presence in the locker room and on the ice.

That’s why Flanagan said it is crucial for the freshmen and sophomores to step up and be aggressive during games. As a coach, Flanagan nurtures leadership, but he said the desire to lead starts with the determination of his players.

Senior captain Megan Skelly agrees.

‘Even though I have a ‘C’ on my jersey, I feel like every player on this team has some special part in providing leadership,’ Skelly said. ‘I try to be very vocal on the ice and be a leader in that way, but I can always pick it up.’

SU’s passive play has also put a damper on its offensive attack, especially early in games. The Orange offense has logged just nine goals in the first period this season — versus 20 goals in the third period — and cannot find ways to cash in on shorthanded opportunities because of an inept power-play attack.

Although the Orange practices its power-play unit each and every week with a full-ice power-play drill, freshman forward Julie Knerr said nothing seems to be working.

‘The coaches are doing a great job pinpointing specific players and trying different things (on the power play),’ Knerr said. ‘But we just haven’t found what works exactly together, what the right pairs are. We’ve been trying everything.’

Friday was no different.

The Orange went 0-of-4 on the power play against RPI, including two third-period chances in which it recorded only one shot. SU is having little trouble controlling the puck on the power play but can’t generate enough shots to wear out opposing goaltenders.

Flanagan said that SU’s inconsistencies have been particularly detrimental on the road. The Orange is 2-5 away compared to a 4-2 record at this time last season. The team has been unable to steal any close games on the road, the difference between last year and a direct result of the team’s underperformance.

‘We should definitely be above .500,’ Skelly said. ‘There have been a lot of correctable mistakes that have cost us games, a lot of goals scored that could have been stopped. It’s a matter of moving forward from this point and getting it done.’

awmirmin@syr.edu 

Published on November 29, 2011 at 12:00 pm