Stuck in the middle of the College Hockey America (CHA) standings, the Syracuse Orange are hoping their second series with the Penn State Nittany Lions sparks a turnaround from their current rough patch. This time they travel to University Park, Pennsylvania.

In mid-November, Syracuse stood at 1-6-1 with a four-game losing streak when then-2-6-4 Penn State came to town. The Orange snapped their skid with a 3-0 shutout victory over the Nittany Lions in the first game, and a 2-2 tie in game two.

This weekend’s two-game series will be streamed live right here on FloHockey starting Friday at 6 PM EST. Game two is set for Saturday at 6 PM.

The first series sparked the Orange to three straight wins with a combined score of 13-3, although that flame faded quickly as the Orange offense dried up over the next several games.

They scored just two goals and went 0-4-0 in their final four games before the semester break, a break that is usually a positive for the Orange.

Most teams see the second half of the schedule packed with conference foes — which for the Orange is the CHA — against whom they are 21-7-0 over the past two seasons during the second semester.

“I think the long break rejuvenates [the players] both physiologically and mentally,” coach Paul Flanagan told Anthony Khelil of the Daily Orange before the break. “Giving them as much of a break as we can is very conducive to having a good second half.”

It’s been a different story this time with a continued to trend in the wrong direction. Flanagan’s squad has lost three of their four games to start the second semester and have dropped seven of their past eight.

The familiarity of Penn State could bode well for the 6-14-2 Orange, but the Nittany Lions will be much tougher opponents than the series they gave in November.

State sits just one point behind the Orange for third in the conference, behind Mercyhurst and Robert Morris, who are both within the respective teams’ sights.

After a sluggish first two months, the Nittany Lions have looked like a completely different team since the beginning of December. They ended their first half with points in six straight (2-0-4) and continued their progress with a series split against No. 7 Ohio State to open 2018.

"It is just a really good group of players that buy-in and want to do well." - @jkampy pic.twitter.com/tHTkHaxcQC

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) January 10, 2018

The Nittany Lions have won four of their past six games and have points in eight of their past 10, raising their overall record to 6-9-8.

“We’re happy to be home and be playing in front of the fans at Pegula,” coach Jeff Kampersal said during his weekly press conference.

It’s the Nittany Lions’ first home game since November 25 (and second since November 4), which should see the them jump out of the gate with excitement in a rematch versus Syracuse.

But the offense will need to show up and give the goaltending some goal support as tandem Hannah Ehresmann and Daniela Paniccia have been the backbone.

Ehresmann, a senior from Minnesota, has started 15 games this season and is in the middle of a career year with a 1.72 goals against average and .932 save percentage. She has five of the teams six wins.

Paniccia, a sophomore being eased into the starter’s role, has been equally impressive with a 1.75 GAA and .930 SV%.

Don’t miss the matchup this weekend right here on FloHockey, as four crucial points are up for grabs in the CHA.

By Jacob Messing

Have a question or a comment for Jacob? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.