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Syracuse women's ice hockey hosted ninth ranked North Dakota in a two-game series over the weekend. The two games between the teams were complete polar opposites. In the first game on Friday, UND shut out Syracuse 3-0. But the next day it was the Orange who won by three, upsetting the Fighting Hawks 5-2.
The first game was played at the War Memorial Arena in Syracuse.
North Dakota (9-5-2) put its first tally on the board midway through the first period. UND pushed the puck in transition and found themselves on an easy 2-on-1 opportunity. Senior Meghan Dufault drew the defender and dished it to Becca Kohlerfor the easy one-timer. Although that proved to be the game-winning goal, North Dakota tacked on two more, one in each period. It's the third time Syracuse (7-9-1) has been shut out this season.
The Orange fall to 0-2 this year at the War Memorial, losing both games by three goals.
The next day Syracuse returned to their stomping grounds, the much smaller yet more familiar Tennity Ice Pavilion, in hopes of revenge. And they got it, but not before some déjà vu occurred.
In the middle of the first period, again it was Kohler who scored to put UND up 1-0. Syracuse was held scoreless in the first, but went on a scoring surge in the second frame. Jessica Sibley, Emily Costales and Heather Schwarz all found the back of the net to give the Orange a 3-1 lead heading into the final period.
Sophomore Abbey Miller got her first start in between the pipes this season. She recorded 13 saves, while UND goalie Shelby Amsley-Benzie had 28 saves. Syracuse outshot the University of North Dakota 33-15.
It was Kohler who tried to ignite a comeback for the Fighting Hawks, scoring her second goal of the day on a powerplay to make it 3-2. But late in the third period, Syracuse buried any hopes of a close game. Captain Nicole Ferrara put the Orange back up two with slapshot that whizzed past Amsley-Benzie. Then with two minutes to play, Costales capitalized on an empty North Dakota net, sealing the upset by a final of 5-2.
The win marks Syracuse's first victory over a ranked team this season. They will look to carry their momentum heading into another weekend series, this time against CHA opponent Penn State on Friday.