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On Jan. 14, Syracuse held a firm 2-0 lead to then-No. 6 Cornell. The Orange had previously struggled against the Big Red, yet goals by Bryn Saarela and Jackson Kinsler gave them a comfortable cushion to build on.

Yet, despite the early lead, Syracuse’s defense collapsed late in the third period. Cornell tied things up in the second period before scoring four goals in the final period to lift it to victory. Even with the loss, SU head coach Britni Smith was proud of her team’s fight, showing their grit throughout the full 60 minutes.

“I think (not quitting) is huge. That’s something that when you look at our record and box scores, you don’t see,” Smith said following the defeat to Cornell. “That’s a big part of our program and culture that we’re very happy with.”

On Saturday against the Rochester Institute of Technology, Smith’s statement was proven by the Orange, who nearly lost a three-goal lead in the third period. Still, Syracuse (8-20-0, 6-8-0 Atlantic Hockey America) defeated RIT (13-12-3, 6-7-1 AHA) 3-2 to notch its first win of 2025, ending its “very gritty” eight-game losing streak.

Right from the opening puck drop, the Orange and Tigers matched each other on offensive and defense. Each team notched two shots on goal seven minutes in but couldn’t cash in.

Heidi Knoll got the momentum going for the Orange with an early stinger, yet it was saved by RIT’s Sarah Coe. Then, Saarela found Kinsler inside the crease, but the puck slid by, landing at an RIT defender’s stick to prevent any attack.

Despite RIT’s potent offensive attack, when SU received the puck early, it took advantage. When Knoll got another shot, she handed Syracuse an early 1-0 lead.

Three RIT defenders and Coe crowded the middle of the crease. Trying to weave her way through them all, Knoll lost control of the puck. It slid out in front of her stick, and at a slow speed, Knoll intended to give it some velocity with a shot.

Instead, she loaded up and whiffed on the attempt. The maneuver may not have been purposeful, but it confused Coe and her defense, allowing the puck to trickle through her legs.

“Rylee (McLeod) gave me a nice pass right in the pocket, and then I went around the D, and there was kind of a scrum, and it trickled in,” Knoll said postgame. “But it got in so that’s all that matters.”

Following Knoll’s early tally — her first goal of the season — the goals continued for the Orange. Just 7:41 after Syracuse took the lead, it double its advantage. This time, by way of Sami Gendron, who had yet to score a goal in her collegiate career.

Saarela fired the puck up the ice for Gendron, who skated alone. With four defenders behind her and just Coe ahead, Gendron calmly composed the puck before faking a forehand shot into a backhander. The maneuver once again fooled Coe, who went swinging at the false attempt. Gendron put the puck in the net, notching Syracuse its fifth first period with multiple goals this season.

“I think it was good just to relax. I feel like we play really well when we don’t grip our sticks,” Gendron said. “Yesterday’s one-goal lead was a bit stressful, but today just having a cushion, you could just play loose and have fun.”

With Syracuse in complete control, it was RIT that had to climb back, a sight that’s been rare for the Orange all season. After 11 shots on goal for each team in the first period, SU still sat with a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

When the second period began, it seemed like a slight continuation of the first one. A whole-200 pass landed by Nea Tervonen’s stick. She attempted a shot, but Coe blocked it.

Syracuse’s attempts didn’t stop there, though. Jocelyn Fiala followed up Tervonen’s shot with one of her own. It was quickly swatted away, but Stella Costabile picked it back up and put another attempt on net.

“It’s easy to get up by two and think you’re in the drivers seat, but you can’t take your foot off the gas at all,” Smith said. “We just wanted to focus on following (the first period) up with another strong 20 (minutes).”

With Syracuse’s assertive defense continuing to hold strong, it was its offense that kept pushing. Despite going in with an approach that it wasn’t in the “driver’s seat,” it felt RIT had no answers for SU’s dynamic offense.

A few shots trickled off Allie Kelley’s pads before the puck returned to Syracuse’s hands. RIT’s Addie Alvarez — the Tigers’ assist (21) and points leader (27) — made her way to the penalty box for the game’s first called penalty.

SU went the full two minutes without scoring, even ahead a skater, yet right when Alvarez returned to the ice, the Orange added to the scoreboard. Tatum White sent a long shot Coe’s way. The goalie put her body out front, saving the shot, though it bounced right to Charli Kettyle, who was standing in the inside crease.

With the puck loose on the doorstep, Kettyle buried home the shot, extending Syracuse’s lead to three — its largest lead since its 4-1 victory over Robert Morris on Dec. 7, 2024.

Kettyle’s score ended either team’s heavy push in the second period.

But in the third period, RIT’s offense finally got going.

Five minutes into play, Jessica Cheung was called for tripping. The Tigers took advantage of the call, scoring their first goal just 51 seconds into the advantage. Emma Pickering rebounded a shot off Kelley before putting it past her.

Shortly after Pickering’s score, Kyla Bear did nearly the same thing. RIT’s entire offense crowded the crease, putting Kelley into a flurry. Bear found the puck and slipped it past her with ease, cutting Syracuse’s lead to just one.

“We had to get back to playing our game. We were squeezing our sticks a little bit at that point,” Smith said.

The remaining 10 minutes featured back-and-forth pressure from each squad. Finally, RIT removed its goaltender, leading Syracuse’s defense to hold back. With just over a minute to play, Cheung laid out for block, essentially sealing the victory for the Orange.

Despite allowing two goals in the final frame, Syracuse’s early offense lifted it, and its defense stayed composed late to earn its first victory of the calendar year.

“Our focus today was hard hockey. That’s blocking shots, winning your battles, making good decisions,” Smith said. “That was something that was a focus… and I thought they did a really good job with that.”

Published on January 25, 2025 at 7:20 pm

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