When the Syracuse ice hockey team’s season started in October, Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan didn’t have high expectations. With a young roster that included two freshman goaltenders, the team had just one realistic goal: to get back to the College Hockey America championship game.

Syracuse did that when it faced No. 3 Mercyhurst for the second straight year Saturday at Tennity Ice Pavilion. The Orange gave the Lakers another fight before falling 5-4.

‘We didn’t really set lofty goals,’ Flanagan said. ‘It was trying to get back to this game.’

The path back to the championship game wasn’t easy, though. With 17 freshmen and sophomores on the team, SU lacked focus and consistency throughout the year. The Orange never won or lost more than three games in a row.

The inconsistency resulted in a 14-16-6 record in the program’s third season after going 18-17-1 a year ago.

‘We had some ups and downs,’ sophomore Isabel Menard said. ‘We didn’t play as we wanted to play in some of the games.’

SU battled through winless streaks and frustrating ties. Highs like when it won three straight games leading up to the CHA title game. And lows like the three straight losses back in late October and early November. But Flanagan said his team learned from its struggles. The young players gained valuable experience during the five-month season.

‘When you get knocked down when you’re a younger team, you just have to learn from it,’ Flanagan said. ‘Sometimes you learn lessons the hard way. That’s how kids learn, in the heat of the battle.’

At the start of the season, Flanagan just wanted his team to compete. But after finishing the season with those three straight wins over Niagara and scaring Mercyhurst in the title game, the head coach expects more next season.

‘Our goal should be to win this league,’ Flanagan said. ‘And then get back to this game and win this championship.’

Syracuse may enter next season with its best chance to accomplish that goal. Mercyhurst graduates its top three scorers, including the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer Meghan Agosta. The Lakers have won all nine conference titles and remain the favorite.

But Flanagan thinks the gap between Mercyhurst and his team will narrow. He is confident the experience his team gained will make a difference next season.

That experience was most important for the freshmen goaltenders Kallie Billadeau and Jenesica Drinkwater. The key position was the biggest question mark surrounding the team in October.

After rotating most of the season, Billadeau emerged as the clear-cut starter in February. She started seven of the last eight games, including both playoff games. Billadeau said she struggled with the transition to college hockey, but she was comfortable in net by the season’s final stretch.

‘It was tough at first,’ Billadeau said. ‘I struggled a bit during the middle of the season, but I think I definitely grew as a goaltender.’

Billadeau said the team finally put it together in the last few weeks of the season. SU played better defensively in support of her, and it showed. Billadeau earned wins in three of the last four games in net and recorded her first career shutout in the conference semifinals.

Flanagan said Billadeau’s steady play was key for the team’s late-season turnaround. The team will depend on her again heading into the next season. Though she will be only a sophomore, she has to become a leader.

‘It starts there in net,’ Flanagan said. ‘Now have a veteran going into next year.’

Syracuse will be a veteran team surrounding her, too. Freshmen defenders Brittney Krebs and Akane Hosoyamada earned key minutes late in the season. And sophomore Holly Carrie-Mattimoe and freshman Margot Scharfe made plays offensively.

Menard, the team’s leading scorer, will also be back. She said the championship loss was painful, but it gives the team motivation for the next season.

‘Keep our momentum and make sure that we remember today and get it next year,’ Menard said. ‘We’re going to be so hungry for it.’

Flanagan also set his sights on the conference championship trophy after the loss Saturday. And with all but the three seniors returning, his players understand the increased expectations. Flanagan and his team are on the same page.

‘If we don’t, it will be the biggest disappointment,’ Billadeau said of winning the conference. ‘We know we can win it.’

rjgery@syr.edu

Published on March 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu