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NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara women's hockey team (10-15-8; 3-6-3 CHA) dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Syracuse Orange (10-21-3; 1-8-3 CHA) Saturday afternoon at Dwyer Arena during Senior Day.
For the third straight game, the Purple Eagles battled their opponent into extra time. With just over two minutes left in overtime, sophomore
Jessica Hitchcock was called for a hooking penalty and sophomore forward Margot Scharfe took advantage a minute later scoring the game winning tally for her 14th goal of the year.
"It was a physical game back and forth each shift today," head coach
Josh Sciba said. "We definitely had our chances to score and couldn't finish. I like the fact that we're creating the opportunities though. I'm proud of our senior class and how they've managed our young team this season."
The Orange were first to get on the board as freshman forward Shiann Darkangelo gave Syracuse a 1-0 lead heading into the second frame. With 3:33 left on the clock in the first period, freshman Kaillie Goodnough fed Darkangelo who slid the puck past Niagara netminder
Abby Ryplanski for her fourth goal of the year.
Freshman forward
Kayla Raniwsky tied the game at the 11:42 mark of the second stanza on the man-disadvantage, grabbing her sixth goal of the season off a feed from senior defender
Jocey Kleiber. Kleiber connected with Raniwsky on a long pass down the middle before the freshman raced in on a breakaway. Raniwsky faked a shot stick side before sneaking the puck underneath the pads of goalie Jenesica Drinkwater.
Ryplanski pushed aside 18 Syracuse shots to finish the game.
Sciba completes his first regular season stint with the women's hockey team with 10 wins, three wins shy of becoming Niagara's winningest coach in the first year behind the bench.
The Purple Eagles will take to the ice on Friday, Mar. 2 for the semifinals of the 2012 CHA Tournament against host Robert Morris in Moon Township, Pa. at Clearview Arena. Click
here for ticket information.
