Madison Beishuizen chased the puck at center ice, but a Colgate player got to it first and skated toward the boards. Beishuizen charged at the Colgate skater and hit her from behind. The rink quietened as as the referees went to video review before ejecting the Syracuse forward from the game.

On the ensuing penalty kill, Colgate kept play in SU’s defensive zone, and as Lauren Bellefontaine fought for a puck, she too launched a Colgate player into the boards. Bellefontaine was assessed a penalty for cross checking and sent to the box as the referees checked for a possible game misconduct. They confirmed a five-minute major and kicked Bellefontaine out of the game as well.

Syracuse (0-7) was outclassed by Colgate (4-2-1) on Saturday, 5-1, at Tennity Ice Pavilion. The loss marked the worst start to a season in Syracuse program history, keeping it winless through seven games. The Orange had six total penalties as SU played down a player for long stretches of the game. It was a resounding win for Colgate that was overshadowed by two major penalties. In a span of 33 seconds, Syracuse was down two key forwards. Penalties have plagued SU all season, but it has never had two ejections in the same game this season.

Defender Lindsay Eastwood was forced to log long shifts on the penalty kill on Saturday night. Eastwood was on the bench during the review of Beishuizen’s penalty and was soon sent on the ice with the penalty kill unit.

“I mean obviously we’re hoping for the best and that they’re not getting the boot,” said Eastwood. “I think if that’s what they deserve, that’s what they deserve and we gotta be smarter than that.” 

The back-to-back major penalties highlighted Syracuse’s overall frustrations. Both plays endangered the opponents as they were sent headfirst into the board on blindside hits. Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan agreed with the referees on both calls. 

“It’s a dirty play,” said Flanagan. “Every kid knows it, in the hockey world you learn that when you’re five or six, the boards don’t give.”

Flanagan said he was left frustrated by his team’s lack of discipline. With four minor penalties and two major penalties, Syracuse had no chance of clawing their way back into the game. Colgate initially took the lead on the power play in the first period and then added another on the power play in the third. Flanagan admitted discipline has been a problem “for about a decade now.”

“I mean we’re going to have to start benching players and having players sit in the stands,” Flanagan said. “We gotta hit them where it hurts. There’s nothing worse than having to sit in the stands. It’s the surest way to get that done.”

Discipline is something the team has been working on ever since the program began playing 12 years ago. Too many penalties have left SU defending its goal down a player. Countless players have cycled through the program over the years, but one common denominator remains: Flanagan.

“It circles back to discipline,” said Flanagan. “That’s why I say it starts with me.”

Published on October 19, 2019 at 7:59 pm

Contact Gaurav: gshetty@syr.edu