Spring Break
The Daily OrangeWHOC | SU not fazed by pair of shutout losses to No. 2 Wisconsin
By John Sutton
Posted: 10/8/08, 12:24 AM EST Section: Sports
On the road, against the No. 2 team in the country, Syracuse probably should have been intimidated. In only its second and third games ever as a program, the Orange was playing Wisconsin, one of the best programs in the country.
"We weren't very intimidated," said SU junior goalie Lucy Schoedel. "It was just awesome to see the history up there. They have really amazing players. Some of the best players in the world play there."
But the loose attitude couldn't carry the Syracuse women's ice hockey team to an upset. Considering Wisconsin has two of the last three national championships, last weekend was practically a foregone conclusion.
The Orange was shut out twice this past weekend at the hands of No. 2 Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc. Friday night's game remained close throughout with a respectable 3-0 final, but Saturday's game ended in an 8-0 blowout.
Schoedel said that although her team may have suffered two shutouts over the weekend, they can only take positives away from these two games. Remaining competitive with top flight teams is more important to her than wins and losses.
"We walked away Friday night with a respectable score," Schoedel said. "We're not that fond of losing, but I think if we compete we have something to build on from there."
While Schoedel kept SU competitive in the first game with 41 saves, the floodgates opened in the two teams' second bout.
Only 1:20 into the second game, the Badgers (4-0) had already taken a 2-0 lead. It was 6-0 at the end of the second frame. Schoedel was pulled at the end of the second period with a six-goal deficit, and SU eventually lost 8-0.
The two defeats this weekend put the Orange at 0-3 after the first three games in the program's history. This might spell panic for most teams, but for Syracuse, the slow start was almost expected.
Head coach Paul Flanagan went into this weekend's games knowing the struggles that his team would face. The opportunity to play Wisconsin actually caused Flanagan to change the schedule he had set for the beginning of the season. SU's opening game was originally scheduled for last Friday against Colgate, but changes in the schedule were made to accommodate Wisconsin.
"We weren't very intimidated," said SU junior goalie Lucy Schoedel. "It was just awesome to see the history up there. They have really amazing players. Some of the best players in the world play there."
But the loose attitude couldn't carry the Syracuse women's ice hockey team to an upset. Considering Wisconsin has two of the last three national championships, last weekend was practically a foregone conclusion.
The Orange was shut out twice this past weekend at the hands of No. 2 Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc. Friday night's game remained close throughout with a respectable 3-0 final, but Saturday's game ended in an 8-0 blowout.
Schoedel said that although her team may have suffered two shutouts over the weekend, they can only take positives away from these two games. Remaining competitive with top flight teams is more important to her than wins and losses.
"We walked away Friday night with a respectable score," Schoedel said. "We're not that fond of losing, but I think if we compete we have something to build on from there."
While Schoedel kept SU competitive in the first game with 41 saves, the floodgates opened in the two teams' second bout.
Only 1:20 into the second game, the Badgers (4-0) had already taken a 2-0 lead. It was 6-0 at the end of the second frame. Schoedel was pulled at the end of the second period with a six-goal deficit, and SU eventually lost 8-0.
The two defeats this weekend put the Orange at 0-3 after the first three games in the program's history. This might spell panic for most teams, but for Syracuse, the slow start was almost expected.
Head coach Paul Flanagan went into this weekend's games knowing the struggles that his team would face. The opportunity to play Wisconsin actually caused Flanagan to change the schedule he had set for the beginning of the season. SU's opening game was originally scheduled for last Friday against Colgate, but changes in the schedule were made to accommodate Wisconsin.
Be the first to comment on this story