Syracuse ice hockey suffers from poor special teams play in 6-7 start
Syracuse's special teams unit has struggled on both offense and defense, posting a 76% kill rate and 11.8% power play percentage, both down from last year. Eli Schwartz | Staff Photographer
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Last season, Syracuse tried to maximize its power plays. While they found themselves on the advantage 108 times — the second-lowest mark in Atlantic Hockey America — the Orange made the most of their chances.
Their 22 power-play goals ranked third in the conference. Even Robert Morris, which SU beat in a double-overtime thriller in the AHA Quarterfinals, collected 15 more tries on the advantage but found the back iron eight fewer times. Syracuse’s 20.4% conversion rate ranked second in the AHA.
Converting on the woman-up advantage is only half the story. Special teams also involves committing fewer penalties and defending the crease when down a skater.
Syracuse thrived in that area in the 2024-25 campaign. Its 121 infractions were the second fewest in the AHA. Conference rival Lindenwood, which played five fewer games than SU, committed 12 more. The Orange were respectable on the kill, placing fourth in the AHA with a 78.3% clip.
But SU’s special teams hasn’t had the same success this season. Syracuse (6-7, 4-2 AHA) is struggling mightily on both the power play and penalty kill, posting a 76% penalty kill rate, the second-worst mark in the AHA, and a miniscule 11.8% power play percentage. As a result, SU is losing its grasp on games.
Orange head coach Britni Smith was previously a defender for the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Her hard-nosed defensive mindset brought the best out of her squad’s penalty-kill unit last year. Although SU’s penalty kill conceded twice in its season-opening loss to then-No. 6 Minnesota Duluth on Sept. 25, Smith thought things could improve.
“Special teams may not be the percentages we want, but (it’s) a good starting point, a place to build and an area for us to find opportunity tomorrow,” Smith said.
SU did take a step forward, stopping all three of the Bulldogs’ advantages the following day. But that early-season success hasn’t translated recently.
In its 4-1 loss at Lindenwood on Saturday, Syracuse played undisciplined hockey. The Orange registered seven penalties, tied for their second most in a game this season. In fact, last year, SU never eclipsed that threshold.
Even though Syracuse’s skaters spent nearly a quarter of the contest in the penalty box, SU still had every opportunity to fend off the Lions’ feeble power-play unit on Saturday. Before the weekend series, they scored on fewer than one in every 10 woman-up advantages.
Yet, the Orange’s penalty kill was even more underwhelming. Lindenwood forward Hannah Dods scored just 19 seconds into her squad’s advantage late in Saturday’s first period. Freshman Tatiana Blichova nearly matched Dods’ speed in the second period, lighting the lamp 26 seconds into a four-on-three situation, which was prompted by a Jessica Cheung boarding call.
Saturday’s performance was uncharacteristic for Syracuse. It hadn’t committed over four infractions nor registered double-digit minutes in the box in its previous five games. But with half of the Lions’ goals coming on the power play in their 4-1 victory, the Orange had resorted to their early-season ways.
Ilyan Sarech | Design Editor
In SU’s overtime win at Delaware on Oct. 17, it committed a season-high nine penalties. It was lucky that the Blue Hens, a team with 17 freshmen, couldn’t score any of their 12 shots on the advantage.
Six days earlier, in a 5-1 loss to then-No. 7 Quinnipiac, the Orange surrendered two tallies on seven Bobcat power plays.
Now, Syracuse’s 76% penalty kill rate only leads RMU in the AHA. It’s also in the country’s bottom five. Committing four penalties per contest, tied for the second-most in the conference, isn’t going to cut it.
On the other hand, SU’s power play hasn’t been any better. Its opponents have played with discipline, limiting Syracuse’s chances while up a skater. Still, the Orange falter in the opportunities they get. They’ve only scored once on their last 14 tries.
That goal came in Friday’s clash at Lindenwood, when Jordan Blouin earned the game-winner in overtime after Lions forward Michaela Paulinyova was assessed a tripping call. The tally showed how one conversion or failure can change a game.
“It’s just about finding those opportunities, finding those lanes and getting pucks on net in a little more traffic,” Smith said.
It seemed Syracuse’s power-play unit was rolling not too long ago. In a 5-2 win at RIT on Oct. 24, it converted three of its five advantages, two of which came on back-to-back tries late in the second period.
“It’s about finding that sort of connection between players. We have a lot of players that can play (on the) power play, and so you have to kind of figure out what is a good group that works together and give them some time to fine-tune it,” associate head coach Heather Farrell said.
SU determined Peyton Armstrong was part of the solution, especially against the Tigers. She’s constantly played on the first-team power-play unit and assisted on all three goals that day.
But that’s all evaporated.
The Orange’s 11.8% conversion rate only sits ahead of Delaware in the AHA. They’ve had 51 chances, second-most in the conference, but have only six goals.
“We have two units right now that we’re happy with, but we might have to start changing some things soon if we can’t figure it out, but you have to be patient this time of the year,” Farrell said on Oct. 10 after a 3-0 loss to Quinnipiac.
A month later, SU might have to switch things up. There’s no more time to be patient with subpar special teams. Syracuse’s next four contests are against the top two teams in the conference — undefeated No. 6 Penn State and Mercyhurst, which received 17 votes in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online poll. The Lakers were SU’s kryptonite last year, eliminating it in the best-of-three AHA Semifinals.
Whether that means new combinations or tactics on the power play and penalty kill, Syracuse could use a spark on its special teams if it wants to dethrone top AHA competition.
