Series Notes
- Lindenwood travels to Syracuse for a best two-of-three series in the first-round of the CHA Tournament Playoffs.
- Lindenwood looks to continue its momentum from a 2-2 tie against eighth-ranked Mercyhurst into the first-round of the CHA playoffs.
- The Lady Lions enter play this weekend as the fifth seed in the CHA following a loss and tie in a series on the road against Mercyhurst.
- Lindenwood and Syracuse got together just two weeks ago at the Lindenwood Ice Arena. The Lady Lions were swept in the home series against the Syracuse Orange dropping the first game 5-2 and the second game 2-1.
- In the first game of the series Syracuse jumped out to a big lead and held on to eventually win.
- In the second game Lindenwood got on the board first with a rebound goal from
Caitlyn Post, before the Orange came back with two third-period goals.
- Earlier this season, the two teams split a series in Syracuse, N.Y. Lindenwood won the first game by a 2-1 score, and Syracuse won game two by a 4-1 margin.
- In the first game, Lindenwood scored the first goal before Syracuse tied it up.
Katie Erickson then scored the game-winner with a power-play goal with less that seven seconds left in the game.
- Syracuse took the second game as it jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a shorthanded goal, even-strength goal, and a power-play goal before winning 4-1.
- Lindenwood is 2-8-0 all-time against Syracuse, including a 2-4-0 mark in games played at the Tennity Ice Pavilion. Both Lindenwood wins came by an identical 2-1 score.
A Look Back At Mercyhurst
- The Lady Lions lost one and tied one game in the series against eighth-ranked Mercyhurst on the road.
- The Lakers took the first game by a score of 4-1 after jumping out to a three-goal advantage early on.
- Current CHA Player of the Week Christine Bestland had a hat trick in the first game of the series including a shorthanded goal.
- Lindenwood earned a tie in the second game of the series behind goals from
Lyndsay Kirkham and
Alyssa West.
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Lyndsay Kirkham's goal gave her a point in the last five series the team has played including against two ranked opponents.
- A late power-play goal from Jenna Dingeldein tied the game up to the eventual final score of 2-2.
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Alyssa West was +1 in the 2-2 game, scoring her seventh goal of the season.
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Nicole Hensley made 85 saves in the Mercyhurst series allowing just one power-play goal from the Lakers.
Lindenwood Notes
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Nicole Hensley continues to be solid between the pipes for Lindenwood. She's now fourth all-time in NCAA history for saves in a season with 1,162, just 170 from the record.
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Lyndsay Kirkham continues to be red hot for the team with her series scoring streak now reaching five straight series.
- Assistant captain
Chelsea Witwicke continues her standout blue-line play. She blocked seven shots against Merychurst to add to her team-high 49.
- Lindenwood was swept in last year's CHA Playoffs in the first-round against Robert Morris.
Nicole Hensley made history in that series by stopping 90 shots in game one of the playoffs.
- The tie against Merychurst in the team's last game put an end to an eleven-game losing skid to the Lakers.
- The team's penalty kill continued to step it up holding Mercyhurst to just one power-play goal on eight attempts.
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Kendra Broad's eight goals, nine assists, and 17 points this season all rank in the top-20 for CHA players.
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Alyssa West scored in the series finale to get her seventh goal of the year, earning a point in both Mercyhurst series.
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Katie Erickson has scored against Syracuse in both series this season, including the game-winner on the road on Dec. 6.
- The top line of
Jocelyn Slattery,
Lyndsay Kirkham, and
Kendra Broad has combined for 50 points.
- Lindenwood is now 10-4-3 all-time in games played in February.
CHA Notes
- Two CHA teams are nationally-ranked. Mercyhurst is eighth in both polls; with Robert Morris ranked tenth in the USCHO.com poll and ninth in the USA Today Poll.
- The CHA First-Round matchups are Penn State at RIT and Lindenwood at Syracuse, with Robert Morris and Mercyhurst off.
- The CHA Players of the Week are Mercyhurst's Christine Bestland (Player of the Week), RIT's Ali Binnington (Goalie of the Week), and RMU's Maeve Garvey (Rookie of the Week).
About Syracuse
- Syracuse comes into the series coming off being swept by RIT after being unbeaten in five straight previous to that series.
- The Orange are led by Melissa Piacentini, Jessica Sibley, and Nicole Renault all with at least 24 points this season.
- Piacentini is sixth in the CHA with 15 goals and tenth in the conference in points with 26.
- In the last eight games, Nicole Renault has had at least one point in five of those contests.
- Syracuse has one of the best goaltending tandems in the CHA. Jenesica Drinkwater and Kallie Billadeu are both in the top-five in GAA and save percentage in the CHA.
- Paul Flanagan is in his fifth season as the Syracuse head coach. He has a record of 73-86-14 at Syracuse, and 303-171-38 overall.
Up Next
- The winner of the Syracuse/Lindenwood series advances to the CHA Semifinals on March 7. That game will be hosted by Mercyhurst in Erie, Pa.
