Power play struggles hinder SU in 4-0 loss vs. Minnesota Duluth
In large part due to its 0-for-6 conversion rate on power plays, Syracuse fell 4-0 to No. 6 Minnesota Duluth in its season opener Thursday. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse’s power play was phenomenal early last season. Through their first seven games, the Orange’s 30.8% conversion rate was the best in Atlantic Hockey America and sixth-best in the country. Bryn Saarela and Charli Kettyle spearheaded a unit that was on pace to be the best in program history.
Inevitable regression hit SU after its scorching hot start, but the team still finished with a respectable 20.4% conversion rate on its power plays. The Orange’s 22 power play goals were their most in a season under then-third-year head coach Britni Smith.
But Syracuse didn’t build off that strength in its 2025 season opener. Syracuse (0-1-0, 0-0-0 AHA) fell 4-0 to No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (3-0-0, 0-0-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) Thursday night. While the Bulldogs scored on two of their four power plays, the Orange couldn’t convert on any of their six.
“We are adding new additions; everyone is learning their role,” Syracuse forward Jackson Kinsler said. “I think there are some things we need to touch up.”
With 13:41 to go in the first period, Minnesota Duluth’s Grace Sadura was called for a tripping penalty, giving SU its first power play of the young season. It gave the Orange a prime opportunity to even things up after the Bulldogs struck first just 27 seconds into the game.
After Nea Tervonen won the face-off, Syracuse had its first sustained possession of the night. Crisp, methodical passing led to its major chance to tie the game, but Jessica Cheung and Sami Gendron’s shots were saved by Ève Gascon.
The possession was just a microcosm of what was to come.
SU’s early missed opportunity allowed the Bulldogs to play with fast tempo and zoom down the ice at will. As a result, UMD had 20 first-quarter shots to just Syracuse’s 12.
With the Bulldogs clinging to a 1-0 lead after the first 20 minutes, Syracuse couldn’t afford to squander its opportunities in the second period.
But on its first power play of the second period, SU didn’t score, and also nearly allowed Minnesota Duluth to double its lead. If it weren’t for a heads-up save by Ava Drabyk, UMD’s Thea Johansson may have tacked another goal onto the board.
On the same power play, a face-off interference by Syracuse’s Charlotte Hallett allowed the Bulldogs to even things up. They couldn’t cash in, but were on the verge of extending their lead after quality shots from Rae Mayer and Johansson.
Following a rather dormant first period, the Orange’s offense showed signs of life midway through the second. SU began to attack Gascon, and its breakaways produced a few chances for the Orange.
But even up a player on its power play with 12:15 remaining in the second period, SU’s attack was stymied.
After Ida Karlsson blocked Hallett’s shot, Heidi Knoll had a good look to tie the game. Her low-arcing shot looked on-point from a tight angle, but it ricocheted off the net and into the pads of Gascon.
Unlike Syracuse, the Bulldogs took advantage of their power plays. It prevented the Orange from gaining momentum and staging a late comeback.
With 8:24 to go in the second period and with UMD on a power play, Johansson netted one right through Drabyk’s outstretched arms for a goal to make it 2-0. Drabyk showed a valiant effort with three saves on the possession, but the Bulldogs swarming attack was too much.
Down 2-0, it was desperation time for the Orange. Facing the sixth-best team in the country leaves little room for error.
Gascon had her hands full on Syracuse’s final power play of the second period. After slowly spreading the puck around a crease, Tervonen generated a solid look but misfired. She got her own rebound off the deflection, but missed again.
It was rinse and repeat with SU’s shots. Cheung. Rachel Walsh. Hallett. No matter who had the puck for the Orange, nothing could faze Gascon. The clock was ticking and SU’s opportunities were fading.
Three minutes into the third period, Syracuse was gifted a power play after tripping on Jose St. Martin.
A sea of Syracuse players crowded behind the back of the net before methodically spreading the puck around. The Orange took a more passive approach contrary to earlier power plays, but the result was consistent: no goals.
Mayer put the finishing touches on the game in fitting fashion: power play dominance. On the Bulldogs final power play of the night, she knocked the puck through the legs of Drabyk for the 4-0 lead.
If Syracuse even capitalized on two of its six power goals, it could’ve hung around with the Bulldogs. Instead, missed opportunities and sloppy play hindered it in a shutout.
“It’s early in the year, so there’s obviously a lot of things we aren’t quite humming with yet,” Smith said of the team’s powerplay struggles. “But there’s a big opportunity for us to clean a couple things up tomorrow.”
