4 takeaways from Syracuse’s season so far: Home struggles, Drabyk’s ascension
Through 20 games, Syracuse has received stability in net via goalie Ava Drabyk but has struggled on special teams. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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Through 20 games, Syracuse’s season has been a roller coaster. It’s featured the lowest of lows, like being outscored 18-2 by then-No. 6 Penn State across two games, but also several highs, including snapping a 17-game losing streak against then-No. 5 Cornell on Nov. 25.
After starting the year 2-4, with losses to then-No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and then-No. 7 Quinnipiac, SU’s season was quickly spiraling. But a sweep in its first trip to Delaware and a road win at RIT on Oct. 24 boosted the Orange to 5-4.
What looked to be newfound momentum turned into a ruthless stretch. A 5-0 loss to then-No. 4 Cornell. A 4-1 loss to 2-11 Lindenwood. A historically poor showing at Penn State. SU’s season seemed dead in the water.
Yet, with a 2-1-2 record over their last five games and a sweep over RPI last weekend, the Orange are still floating.
Here are four takeaways from the first half of Syracuse’s (8-10-2, 4-5-1 Atlantic Hockey America) 2025-26 campaign:
Not so friendly confines
It’s safe to say SU hasn’t taken advantage of its home ice this season.
After the Orange finished a respectable 9-9 at the Tennity Ice Pavilion last season, they’ve dropped to a woeful 1-6-2 this year, with five of its losses coming by three-plus goals.
While goalie Ava Drabyk has held her ground in nearly all home contests, Syracuse’s offense hasn’t stepped up. It didn’t score in its opening series against Minnesota Duluth, even recording a season-low 13 shots in a 4-0 defeat on Sept. 26. It tallied just one goal on 48 shots in defeats against Quinnipiac and struggled mightily in a 4-1 loss to RIT on Oct. 25. Granted, five of its nine home contests have been against top-seven opponents.
Some of SU’s most prolific scorers have found most of their success away from Syracuse. Freshman Emma Gnade leads the Orange with seven goals, but only one has come at home. Jordan Blouin has shown flashes of stardom with four tallies, but they all came on the road.
Whether it’s been stagnant offense or power-play shortcomings, a variety of factors have contributed to SU’s subpar home performances. Syracuse didn’t win its first home game in regulation until Friday against RPI, its longest drought to start a season since 2018-19, when it didn’t capture a home victory until Jan. 18, 2019.
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Drabyk’s ascension
Despite a 22-47-3 record from 2023-25, SU rarely had to worry about its goalies with Allie Kelley. In her two years with the Orange, Kelley recorded a 91.8% save rate, notched six shutouts and broke the NCAA’s all-time saves record (4,167) in January 2025.
But with her departure over the offseason, the spot was up for grabs. Syracuse retained goalies Bella Gould and Maïka Paquin from last season but also added Drabyk in the spring.
After deploying a three-goalie rotation to start, Drabyk has blossomed into SU’s go-to. The freshman has started 17 of the Orange’s 20 games, saving 92.1% of shots on goal while filling Kelley’s void.
“(Drabyk) has been really strong, and she has been doing a great job as a freshman, and (she’s) really confident,” Syracuse forward Nea Tervonen said after SU’s Oct. 10 clash with Quinnipiac. “Everyone can trust her between the pipes, so we’re really excited to see how she grows throughout the season.”
Besides allowing 10 goals in two games against the Nittany Lions, Drabyk’s been on an upward trajectory. On Nov. 21 against Mercyhurst, she saved 31 of 33 shots in regulation and overtime before securing three crucial stops in a shootout victory. Just four days later against Cornell, her career-high 48 saves guided SU to its first non-loss against the Big Red in over 15 years.
On Saturday against RPI, she recorded the second shutout of her young career in a 3-0 win, knocking away 17 Engineer shots that afternoon.
Drabyk’s not going to be Kelley. Bumps in the road, as evident in the PSU sweep, are evident. But through 20 games, the Saskatchewan native has been a clear bright spot on an otherwise inconsistent squad.
Special teams struggles
Although a strength last season, Syracuse’s special teams has been its Achilles’ heel this year.
While SU’s 20.4% power-play conversion rate ranked second in the AHA in 2024-25, that mark plummeted to 9.7% and next-to-last in the conference this season.
Syracuse’s power-play struggles date back to the start. Against Minnesota Duluth in its season opener, SU was 0-for-6 on the player-up advantage, contributing to a shutout loss. In their blowout loss to Cornell on Oct. 28, the Orange went 0-for-4. If Syracuse wants to compete with the cream of the crop in Division I, it must capitalize on its opportunities.
“We’re adding new additions, everyone’s learning their role,” SU forward Jackson Kinsler said of the power play unit on Sept. 25. “(UMD’s) got a great goaltender. I think there are just some things we need to touch up.”
The Orange’s penalty kill has also been feeble. While the Bulldogs scoring on two of their four power plays in the opener may have been a learning curve, it’s proved to be a season-long nightmare for SU. Its 74.7% kill rate ranks last in the AHA.
Against AHA bottomfeeder Lindenwood on Nov. 8, the Lions scored less than 20 seconds into their first power play. The following period, Syracuse surrendered another player-up goal en route to a disastrous 4-1 defeat.
The most alarming part of that game? SU committed eight penalties, microscopic of its poor discipline all season.
Success in 1-goal games
Many adjectives can describe Syracuse’s season so far: Inconsistent. Resilient. Undisciplined. But no word highlights it as well as clutch.
SU was a mediocre 5-8 in one-goal contests last year. It took then-No. 9 Penn State to overtime on Jan. 17 but fell 1-0. Two weeks earlier, despite allowing 56 shots, it hung around early with then-No. 4 Minnesota Duluth before losing 2-1. The bottom line, however, was Syracuse just couldn’t score.
It’s been the polar opposite this season, as the Orange are 4-1-2 in one-score contests. After eking by Stonehill on Oct. 3, SU won consecutive one-goal games in its first-ever meetings with Delaware on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18.
With strong outings from Drabyk and a suffocating defense, Syracuse also upset two of its kryptonites, Mercyhurst, in a shootout, and Cornell, over the last two weeks — both in one-score games.
Winning by just a thread isn’t always sustainable. But if the first half of its season is any indication, Syracuse’s ability to win close games is keeping it competitive.
