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After Syracuse’s worst season in program history — where it won just seven games — the Orange knew they needed to come out strong to open the 2024-25 campaign. And just over a minute in, SU got its hot start.

Maya D’Arcy scooped up the loose puck and found open space with the puck at the far end of the neutral zone. She worked her way around the right circle toward the goal and gave Heidi Knoll a quick drop pass that she quickly slapped toward the goal.

Stonehill goalie Alexsa Caron made a routine pad save on the shot, but the puck bounced over to the other side of the crease where Jackson Kinsler was waiting to put away the rebound. Kinsler’s tally just 68 seconds into the contest, was SU’s fastest goal to open a season since it scored nine seconds into its program-opener in 2008.

“I was so excited, and it was really nice to have my team support me right from the start,” Kinsler said postgame. “It helped us get our energy going right away.”

In its 2024-25 season opener, Syracuse (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated Stonehill (0-2-0, 0-0-0 New England Women’s Hockey Alliance) 4-0. Syracuse’s aggressive forecheck combined with key penalty kills and saves by Allie Kelley led the Orange to their first win in a home opener since the 2017-18 season.

In the first few minutes of the contest, the Orange established a strong forecheck, setting the tone for the rest of the game.They were rewarded with the opening goal, but did not take their foot of the gas and continued to make it difficult for the Hawks to escape their own zone.

Eventually, in an effort to keep up with SU’s fast paced offense, Stonehill was assessed the game’s first penalty on a hooking call. Despite finishing with only an 18% conversion rate on the player advantage last season, Syracuse capitalized on the opportunity.

After winning the faceoff at the right circle, the Orange set up shop in the Hawks’ zone. A faceoff win by Tatum White gave SU possession as it set up its offense. After Charli Kettyle’s shot missed, White again gained possession of the puck. Instead of looking for another pass, White decided to take matters into her own hands.

Working her way along the blue line, White found a shooting lane through the traffic in front of the net and fired an attempt into the top right corner of the net to put Syracuse up 2-0. Caron had not even seen the shot before it was already behind her and in the cage.

In the opening few minutes of the second period, Stonehill’s offense started to finally find its groove.

With quick passes around the outside of SU’s defensive zone, Kelley was forced to make a flurry of saves, keeping SU in front 2-0.

After a tough angle shot from the right corner, the puck bounced over to the opposite side of the crease where Lucie Turcotte was waiting to put home the loose puck. But she whiffed, giving Kelley enough time to cover up the puck.

But before long, the Orange returned to their offensive dominance. Given a second power play chance, Syracuse continued to spread out in the offensive zone.

Looking for her second tally of the night, Kinsler found open space at the point and took advantage. She wound up for a slap shot that was destined for the back of the net, but Caron punched the puck away. The special teams unit would come up empty for SU, but with just three minutes remaining in the second frame, Syracuse’s power play unit was given another chance to strike after Mia Kenmore was called for boarding.

Just as it had done in the opening period, SU’s power play continued to generate shots from the point and reap the rewards. Freshman Jessica Cheung extended the lead to 3-0 with a shot from distance that zipped past Caron. The tally marked her first collegiate goal in just her first collegiate game.

“We’ve worked a lot on our power play, and I think our group has gelled really quickly”, White said.

In the final period, Stonehill began to show a sense of urgency, sending more shots Kelley’s way. Five minutes into the frame, a hooking penalty by Cheung gave the Hawks’ power play an opportunity to cut into their deficit.

But Syracuse held strong defensively. Saves from Kelley combined with active sticks by SU’s defenders cut off Stonehill’s cross-crease pass attempts, effectively resetting any opportunity for Stonehill’s player-up unit to put shots on net.

Syracuse’s penalty killers finished the night a perfect two-for-two.

“When you talk about our team identity, it’s about being tough to play against,” SU head coach Britni Smith said. “The best way to display that is on the penalty kill.”

After successfully killing the power play, Syracuse put the game all but out of reach for the Hawks with one last goal.

Bursting down the far end of the neutral zone, D’Arcy crossed the blue line and cut to the inside of the Stonehill end. All in one movement, she cut around her defender and fired the puck top shelf past the blocker of Caron to cap off Syracuse’s victory.

“One of the things we focused a lot on is being consistent with our play and making sure we come out hard to start every game,” Smith said. “It was nice to see it in the first game of the season”.

Published on October 4, 2024 at 11:17 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu