Syracuse secures second shootout victory over No. 5 Cornell

The 6-10-1 Syracuse women’s ice hockey team hosted No. 5 Cornell Big Red in a non-conference bout.  

The Orange and Big Red met late in October, with Cornell defeating Syracuse 5-0 in the first meeting of the season.   

The first half of period number one saw Cornell dominate most of the possession. It took Syracuse until 12:32 left in the first to record its first shot on goal.   

With 9:31 left in the period, Rachel Walsh was called for tripping, resulting in a Cornell power play.  

This was one of two times the Orange saw the penalty kill stopping both Big Reds’ power play chances.   

The Orange saw a power play chance in the period on the Beatrice Perron-Roy penalty, but Cornell would hold on, tied 0-0, heading into the second.   

The second period featured electrifying play from both sides, starting with Karel Prefontaine scoring the game’s first goal for Cornell at 6:39.   

The Big Red continued to pressure the Orange, but late in the second, Mik Todd found a way to get it past the excellent netminder for Cornell in Annelies Bergmann to get her first of the season, tying it up at one piece with 5:11 to go.   

At the end of the second, Cornell led in shots 31-20, but Syracuse held its own, tied heading into the period.   

The final period of play in regulation saw the absolute best of both teams, as Rachel Walsh would commit her second penalty of the game, allowing Cornell to take advantage with a McKenna Van Gelder goal to take a 2-1 lead.  

The Orange continued to knock on the door, but nothing would fall until Stella Costabile would become the hero late, flipping one right off the padding of Bergmann to tie this contest up 2-2 with 4:48 left in regulation.  

Both teams played through the final five minutes of regulation, and they went to OT tied 2-2.  

This would mark Syracuse’s second time playing in OT over its last three games.  

In the OT period, Ava Drabyk broke her career high with 48 saves, which she recorded all the way back in her season debut against then-No. 6 Minnesota Duluth.  

“We never worry about Ava… she’s so calm, and she’s such a calming presence for the team,” associate head coach Heather Farrell said.  

Controversy late in OT with 21.5 seconds to go, when captain Nea Tervonen drove in on goal, sliding into the Cornell netminder Bergmann, but the puck crossed the goal line, and the play is under further review, and it stands as no goal.  

After the five-minute OT period, we went to the shootout. 

Heidi Knoll kicks things off, netting the first of the shootout, as Drabyk denied Prefontaine on Cornell’s first attempt. 

The captain denied in the OT period, but not in the shootout, as she netted it home. 

“We thought that she was someone who could also be big in stressful moments,” Farrell said.  

Drabyk would finish the game shutting down Piper Grober to secure the 2-0 shootout win. 

“You saw the celebration, it was like we won the Stanley Cup, but ya know we’re ready to keep upsetting teams,” Syracuse assistant captain Heidi Knoll said.  

The Orange move to 6-10-2 and will be back at Tennity to kick off a weekend series against RPI, with Friday’s game at home and Saturday’s on the road.