Women’s hockey opens Idalski era with 3-0 win over Stonehill

Syracuse opened the Brian Idalski era with a 3-0 victory over Stonehill on Friday night at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

The Orange controlled possession and generated chances throughout the contest, outshooting nonconference opponent Stonehill 60-17. Stonehill goaltender Alexsa Caron turned away numerous Syracuse shots, finishing with 57 saves.

Syracuse spent much of the opening period testing Caron from the perimeter. Stonehill also had an early power play after Syracuse sophomore forward Kerttu Lehmus was called for cross-checking, but sophomore goaltender Ava Drabyk and the Orange defense kept the Skyhawks off the scoreboard.

As the opening period progressed, Syracuse continued applying pressure. The Orange earned its first power play with 5:13 remaining after Stonehill was called for tripping, but could not convert.

After nearly 19 minutes of pressure, Syracuse finally broke through.

Sophomore center Emma Gnade collected a rebound in the slot and quickly fired it past Caron with 1:11 remaining in the period, giving Syracuse a 1-0 lead. Senior defender Jocelyn Fiala assisted on the goal.

Gnade, who led Syracuse in goals, assists and points last season, finished with nine shots and won 13 of 17 faceoffs. She said the team emphasized getting shots toward Caron early.

“I think just getting the shots off at the start really helped us out,” Gnade said.

The Orange carried the momentum into the second period, although penalties continued to interrupt the game’s flow. Syracuse killed all five of Stonehill’s power play opportunities throughout the night, while the Orange converted once on seven of its own chances.

Junior defender Jessica Cheung doubled Syracuse’s lead at 7:03 of the second period, firing a shot through traffic for her first goal of the season. The goal came on Syracuse’s fourth power play of the night and gave the Orange a 2-0 advantage.

The second period ended with Syracuse holding a 37-12 edge in shots and a two-goal lead.

For Idalski, the special teams’ performance provided both encouragement and a reminder of what the Orange can clean up.

“I thought we took way too many penalties,” Idalski said after the game. “But I thought [on the] power play, three different units, lots of looks from different people. Work in progress.”

Syracuse continued controlling play in the third period, repeatedly circling and forcing Stonehill to defend in its own zone. Drabyk made the saves when needed, recording 17 saves for her sixth career shutout.

With 5:43 remaining, sophomore forward Jordan Blouin added an insurance goal, skating into the zone and firing a wrist shot past Caron to make it 3-0. Lehmus recorded the assist.

The shutout gave Syracuse its first win of the season and Idalski his first victory with the Orange. For the new coach, the result represented only the beginning.

“It’s a good start,” Idalski said. “It’s only a start.”

Gnade echoed that mindset when discussing the team’s new-look lineup and coaching staff.

“I think our intensity is up,” she said. “We want to earn our spots.”

The Orange will look to complete the weekend sweep against Stonehill at home on Saturday at 3 p.m.