The Week of Sweeps for Syracuse Women’s Ice Hockey

By Andrew Della Piana | @dellie_5

Syracuse women’s ice hockey used the word “sweep” quite a bit this weekend after beating Post 2-0 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. For the first time in the 16-year history of the program, SU improved to 2-0 thanks to the Orange’s dominance in the offensive zone with 80 shots on goal and 4 different goal scorers. The winning was not only on the scoreboard but also on the College Hockey America players of the week list. 

Graduate student Allie Kelley was named CHA goalkeeper of the week, while freshman Nea Tervonen earned rookie of the week. Both awards were the first conference honors for Kelley and Tervonen.

In two games, Kelley made a total of 27 saves, including her first shutout for Syracuse and the 10th of her NCAA career. With her outstanding play, she became just the second ‘Cuse goaltender to begin the season with a clean sheet in program history and the first since 2017-18. Head coach Britni Smith says Kelley is exactly what she was looking for when she came through the transfer portal. 

“She’s someone who can make a difference for us. Great way to start the season with a common opponent for her, one that she has seen before, and now as we get into things we’re looking for her to be our backbone.” 

For Tervonen, the Finland native was involved in every facet of the game in her first collegiate series. Her 15 face-off wins in the season opener were the most for any SU skater in their Orange debut and tied for fourth-most in the school’s history. In addition, the freshman earned her first point in the United States on Saturday. Coach Smith emphasized the importance of the underclassmen, particularly Tervonen, getting out to a fast start.

“It was great seeing her [Tervonen] step up. Players coming in as freshmen, working hard and seeing that they can make an immediate impact. That’s what we want with this program and it’s nice to see it come to fruition.” 

Syracuse will look to keep the good times rolling when it hosts Merrimack in a weekend series at Tennity Ice Pavilion on Friday and Saturday. The career series is split 1-1 with the two schools only meeting in 2022 in North Andover, MA. Follow @Dellie_5 on X for live in-game updates and coverage for everything Syracuse women’s ice hockey all semester long.

aedellap@syr.edu | @dellie_5