The crowd collectively gasped, partially out of surprise and partially out of concern for Allie Munroe. The junior defender had dived across the ice, her body parallel to the ground in an effort to block an incoming Providence shot.

The attempt sailed innocently over her, hitting Abbey Miller’s chest pad for one of the goalie’s 31 saves in the game. Munroe’s display of determination did little to physically stop the attack, but it served as a microcosm for Syracuse’s collective defensive effort against the Friars.

While Miller played a key role in the Orange’s effort defensively on Friday, it was the play of the teammates in front of her that paced Syracuse (1-3-1) in its 2-1 win over Providence (3-2-0) in Tennity Ice Pavilion. When a Friar player wasn’t getting one of her shots deflected or poked away by an Orange skater, she was losing the puck before she could even wind up her stick. Providence looked to retrieve the loose pucks, yet found itself greeted by two things: a Syracuse defender and the boards.

“We’re a pretty big team,” said Miller. “Physically, just being able to keep them on the outside and not giving them good opportunities and just pressuring them hard is good.”

Lindsay Eastwood, a 6-foot-1 redshirt sophomore, led the defense that pestered the Friar forwards up and down the ice through a handful of defensive tactics. Eastwood, along teammates Brooke Avery and Kristen Siermachesky, stood noticeably taller than their Providence counterparts, a size advantage that the Orange looked to exploit.

Syracuse blocked seven shots during the contest and also totaled 10 penalty minutes thanks to its willingness to stay physical with the Friars throughout the game. Siermachesky was one of the Orange’s main perpetrators to beleaguer Providence, and she received penalties twice for her physicality. At one point, she checked a Friar skater so hard into the boards that Siermachesky, herself, had to be helped off the ice.

But size advantages don’t always have to be utilized through force. Often, it’s just the opposite, said head coach Paul Flanagan.

“I think at times, we see somebody like Lindsay use her size, just effectively, not having to hit anybody, but just protecting the puck,” Flanagan said. “She could use her size to get herself out of a situation, and she carried the puck pretty well.”

Syracuse made a point of both carrying pucks out of scuffles as well as clearing pucks out of its zone, two things that Flanagan said the team executed well on. Providence rarely got second-chance opportunities, instead having to fight for even one clear shot on goal during a possession.

When the Friars finally did get a clear line to the net, their attempts were often deep slap shots, forced to be taken from nearly the blue line – shots, thanks to Miller’s play in net, that won’t net teams many goals against the Orange.

“The defense did really well,” said Miller. “They did a good job of keeping shots outside for the most part, and also just winning battles down low and stuff like that.”

All the small battles Syracuse won ultimately translated into a complete game victory. After allowing 11 goals in its first four games, Syracuse let Providence push across just one score, a goal that came in the midst of a power play. The Orange might’ve physically faltered, but its mindset showed what Syracuse needs to do to be successful.

“We heard it on the bench,” Avery said. “All of our teammates were yelling, ‘Defense first, defense first.’”

Published on October 13, 2017 at 8:34 pm

Contact Eric: erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34