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The first half of Syracuse’s 2025-26 schedule was unforgiving. Starting with a season-opening series versus juggernaut then-No. 6 Minnesota Duluth, eight of the Orange’s first 22 games were against ranked opponents. Despite dropping each of those matchups — some in embarrassing fashion — and notching only one regulation home win, SU still reached the mid-season break in good shape.

Syracuse sat sixth in the Atlantic Hockey America with 13 points entering Friday, but its record wasn’t any cause for alarm. The Orange’s 8-11-3 start actually tied their best under head coach Britni Smith since she took over in 2022-23. They also sat just eight points back from a top-4 seed in the conference. Securing a home playoff game in February was by no means out of reach.

For one of the few times this year, Syracuse’s schedule gave it a gift to open 2026: a home series with Delaware, which sat dead last in the AHA. Riding a five-game losing streak amid their inaugural season, the Blue Hens offered the Orange a very favorable matchup and a prime chance to open the latter half of their campaign on the right foot. They didn’t let it go to waste.

Syracuse (9-11-3, 5-6-2 AHA) claimed its fifth conference victory Friday in a 3-1 triumph over Delaware (2-19-0, 1-12-0 AHA) on home ice. Following a forgettable first period, the Orange scored three unanswered goals over the next two behind a strong performance from their power-play unit.

Scoring first in three of its past four games, Syracuse came out fast to start the contest. Its top line of Jackson Kinsler, Nea Tervonen and Stella Costabile was firing on all cylinders and tested goalie Charlotte Payne early with two shots on net. However, it took just 19 seconds for the Blue Hens to wipe away the Orange’s momentum.

Just three minutes in, Kinsler was assessed a minor penalty for tripping, giving Delaware’s struggling power-play unit a chance to strike first. Despite its AHA-worst 4.1% conversion rate and its 0-for-12 mark versus Syracuse coming into the matchup, the group didn’t take long to break through.

With open space at the left side of the goal, Bailey Gray fired a wrist shot that was deflected into the back of the net by Kaitlin Finnegan. For the first time, the Orange suddenly found themselves trailing the Blue Hens.

As Syracuse scrambled to generate a response, all it could muster were missed shots and turnovers as Delaware soundly defended the interior of its own zone. SU was forced to rely on harmless shots from distance that didn’t pose a challenge to Payne. By the end of the frame, the Orange only led 8-7 in shots on goal.

Much like the two sides’ previous meetings, there was no lack of physicality from the moment the puck dropped. Midway through the first, another minor penalty was called, this time against the Blue Hens.

Although Delaware has dealt with expected lumps in its inaugural campaign, penalty killing hasn’t been one of them. That was on full display during SU’s first player-up chance, as the Blue Hens held the Orange to just a single shot on target over the two-minute span.

With the first intermission approaching, Syracuse continued to rely on its faceoff dominance to create chances in the offensive zone. But even behind an 11-5 advantage in the circle, it simply couldn’t get past Delaware’s relentless forecheck in the opening 20 minutes.

After being outplayed for most of the first frame, Syracuse flipped a switch when it emerged from the tunnel to open the second. Its faceoff unit continued to take care of business out of the break, and dangerous offensive chances finally followed suit.

In what felt like an extended power play for the Orange, they possessed the puck for almost the entire first half of the middle frame, while fatigue began to set in for the Blue Hens.

Unable to change lines due to SU’s relentless pressure, Delaware leaned on Payne to hold firm as Syracuse rattled off 13 shots over the first nine minutes of the period. The freshman netminder did her best to weather the storm but eventually ran out of magic.

After denying Emma Gnade’s shot with her pad, the rebound slid onto the tape of Jordan Blouin, who ripped home the equalizer from the right side of the goal.

Syracuse finished the period with just one goal, but it could’ve easily scored more. It racked up 40 shot attempts compared to Delaware’s six in the second period, along with a 12-for-16 mark on face offs. Still, the Blue Hens’ goaltending — which entered the contest with the most combined saves in the nation — prevented the Orange from climbing in front.

That was, until their power play came to life in the final frame. Although it’s been a weak point for most of Syracuse’s season, the group stepped up when it needed to most against Delaware.

Less than three minutes in, Costabile beat Payne five-hole for SU’s second power-play goal in as many games. Then, Peyton Armstrong added another off a redirection in front of the crease, boosting SU to a comfortable 3-1 edge with 4:17 left in regulation. The pair of tallies marked just the third time the Orange have scored multiple power-play goals in a game this season.

At the other end of the rink, the Blue Hens only mustered three shots toward Drabyk. The up-and-coming goalie didn’t have to do much to slam the door down the final stretch.

Entering 2025-26, it was imperative Syracuse found a way to take care of business against a heavily inexperienced team like Delaware. Despite some of the team’s matchups being closer than expected, the Orange have done just that through three meetings with the Blue Hens thus far. Now, they’ll look to complete the season series sweep of the AHA’s newest contender Saturday afternoon.

Published on January 2, 2026 at 9:20 pm
Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray