Just more than four minutes into its first game of 2013 the Syracuse bench screamed in a mixture of excitement and confusion. It was all that Emily Auerbacher needed to hear to know she had just scored her first career goal for the Orange.

Auerbacher had already turned away from the Colgate goal at which she’d just dumped a half-hearted shot for a line change when the puck trickled past the glove of Colgate goalie Ashlynne Rando, off the right post and in 4:16 into the game. Play was scattered up to that point, but after Auerbacher’s opener her teammates skated the next 10 minutes with a confidence lacking from both teams in the opening exchanges.

“For us to get that first one, as ugly as it was – I barely saw it, but it counted – I think that loosened us up,” head coach Paul Flanagan said.

A combination of chance, poor goalkeeping from Colgate and unforgiving finishing by the Orange led by Shiann Darkangelo’s hat trick spelled victory for SU (10-8-1, 4-1-1 CHA) at the Tennity Ice Pavilion. Syracuse goalie Kallie Billadeau would still be tested as the Orange couldn’t muster up much production in Colgate’s zone, but by the game’s midway point SU had a five-goal lead. Chippy, if not desperate, play from the Red Raiders followed, but nothing would deter Flanagan’s players Tuesday night as a blow-up second period spurred them on to a 6-0 win.

“We were on (penalty kill) so I just tried to get the puck in deep,” junior defenseman Brittney Krebs said with captain Jacquie Greco laughing behind her. “I honestly wasn’t even aiming on net, but it just kind of went that way.

“Somehow the goalie wasn’t paying attention and it just went straight through her legs,” Krebs said of just her second ever collegiate goal.

SU already led 2-0 off a forceful drive from Darkangelo before Krebs’ shorthanded lob soared past Colgate goalkeeper Ashlynne Rando. Darkangelo had picked the puck up in the right offensive corner, plowed straight to the crease and hammered a shot up, over and off of Rando and in, 1:05 into the second period.

But Krebs’ shorthanded dump goal flattened the visitors, allowing the Orange to run up two more goals in the span of 20 seconds of ice time. Red Raiders heads and sticks dropped. Rando skated off immediately after Darkangelo finished her hat trick 9:32 into the middle period to put the Orange up 5-0. The game was effectively over.

Colgate resorted to some chippy play, with Margot Scharfe and Brittney Krebs especially the target of some loose elbows.

“That’s part of the game. We knew that coming in, we knew they were going to be chippy,” senior captain Jacquie Greco said. “Our girls — there’s a time and a place for it, and we knew today wasn’t it.”

With the result put to bed, even Orange skaters hardly known for their on-the-puck skill began to twist and turn at the point. Kaillie Goodnough fired off a shot with the Orange leading 5-0 just past the 10-minute mark in the second period. And after Jacquie Greco cleaned up a goalmouth scramble for SU’s sixth, Orange fans celebrated yet another goal from an unusual source.

Greco’s tally brought her career goals total to seven.

Said the goal-scoring Greco: “These are the best games. Everyone’s amped up, everyone’s playing. These are why we love hockey.”

Published on January 8, 2013 at 10:58 pm

Contact Jacob: jmklinge@syr.edu | @Jacob_Klinger_