Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's hockey team returned from a month off for exams and the holidays with a 2-1 loss in overtime to Syracuse on Tuesday night at Lynah Rink. The Big Red fell to 8-5-2 on the year, while Syracuse improved to 12-8-1 in the first all-time meeting between the two programs.

Karlee Overguard had the lone goal for the Big Red on the night, while Holly Carrie-Mattimo had a pair of goals for Syracuse. Cornell goaltender Amanda Mazzotta made 16 saves, with Syracuse netminder and Ithaca-native Lucy Schoedel stopping 26 shots for the victory. Both teams were scoreless in three power-play opportunities on the night.

Cornell, playing without three of its top four scorers, looked nothing like a team that hadn't played in a month, as it outshot the Orange 17-2 in the first period. Cornell got on the scoreboard midway through the first period when Overguard stripped a Syracuse defender of the puck, skated to the faceoff dot to Schoedel's right and ripped a shot that beat the senior netminder high to the right side.

The 1-0 lead held up until the third period when Syracuse scored a short-handed goal five minutes into the period. With the puck heading out of the Syracuse zone, a pair of Cornell players converged on the puck and collided, momentarily losing possession. That was all the time Carrie-Mattimo needed, as the freshman swooped in, picked up the puck and skated in on Mazzotta. Mazzotta stopped the initial shot with her left leg, sending the puck to the end boards. There, Carrie-Mattimo flung the puck at the back of Mazzotta, and it bounced off the sophomore netminder's back and caromed into the goal.

As the game went in to overtime, Lisa Mullan started the play that would ultimately win the contest for the Orange, sending a puck in front to Isabel Menard. Menard sent the puck on net, where Mazzotta stopped the initial shot, with the rebound popping up in the air toward the far post. Carrie-Mattimo was there, batting the puck out of mid-air and into the goal for the game-winner 1:49 into the overtime session.

Cornell returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Providence for a 2 p.m. contest against the Friars, opening up a two-game set against Providence.