Ava Drabyk shines despite SU’s 4-1 loss to No. 4 Penn State
Despite Syracuse’s 4-1 loss to No. 4 Penn State Friday, Ava Drabyk shined in net, saving 36-of-39 shots. Peter Radosh | Asst. Copy Editor
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The last two times Syracuse played Penn State, Ava Drabyk was pulled early.
In a 7-0 loss against then-No. 6 PSU on Nov. 14, Drabyk was benched in the third period after allowing a career-high six goals. Six different Nittany Lions scored in what was the Saskatchewan native’s worst outing of the year at that point.
But it couldn’t get worse from there, right?
It did. The following day, Drabyk lasted just the first period before she was benched for Maïka Paquin. SU’s netminder conceded four goals in a 12-minute span en route to an 11-2 loss which plunged the Orange to 6-9.
It’d be an understatement to say that the two games served as a wake-up call for Drabyk. Since Nov. 15, she hasn’t allowed over three goals in a game and has added four shutouts to her resume. She’s also piled up multiple Atlantic Hockey America honors and was named to the Hockey Commissioners Association National Goalie of the Year Watchlist Wednesday.
Against No. 4 Penn State Friday, Drabyk reversed her fortune from the last two PSU games and shined. Despite Syracuse’s (12-12-3, 8-7-2 AHA) 4-1 loss to the Nittany Lions (20-4-0, 14-1-0 AHA), Drabyk saved 36-of-39 shots and kept the Orange in a game where their offense mustered just 13 shots. It’s her 12th straight contest saving over 90% of shots on goal.
“As a team, we’ve grown so much and just understood the game a lot better,” Drabyk said postgame.
Penn State is a powerhouse. Not only does it have three players (Tessa Janecke, Grace Outwater, Maddy Christian) with over 13 goals each, but it’s outscored AHA opponents 77-15 this season and leads the conference by nine points.
PSU’s aggressiveness and pace was evident in the first game. It exposed Drabyk by consistently shooting high, putting her in uncomfortable positions to make saves she wasn’t accustomed to making at the time.
So, since the first Penn State series, Drabyk said she’s focused on reading her opponent’s blades more to anticipate where players are shooting. Facing a fast-paced offense like PSU, Drabyk added that finding her way through screens would be important in slowing the Nittany Lions down.
Drabyk’s approach worked from the get-go on Friday. Penn State glided down the ice at will early in the first period, but the freshman held steady, denying three Outwater shots on goal.
Outwater eventually scored with three minutes to go in the frame, but Drabyk still looked poised and collective in goal – the opposite of how she looked in November.
Syracuse’s offense struggled mightily in the period. PSU’s ferocious defense suffocated SU, and the Orange rattled off just two shots in the first 20 minutes.
Penn State peppered Drabyk with 14 shots in the first period, but it led just 1-0 after 20 minutes — in large part due to the goalie’s brilliance.
The Nittany Lions were still shooting high. They were still playing with the fast-pace they’ve played with all season. Simply put, they looked multiple steps ahead.
Yet unlike last time, Drabyk had a formula for keeping PSU in check. It showed on the scoreboard.
While Mya Vaslet tacked on another goal early in the second to make it 2-0, that’d be all Drabyk allowed in the period. Penn State controlled possession and fiercely skated down the ice, but the freshman kept the Nittany Lions offense at bay.
Drabyk struggled to overcome adversity against PSU in November. Anytime she allowed a goal, Penn State would pounce on her for another within minutes – evidenced by her allowing four goals in 12 minutes.
It was the opposite on Friday.
After a Heidi Knoll goal cut SU’s deficit to 2-1, a tripping penalty on her gifted the Nittany Lions a power play. But despite relentless pressure, Drabyk saved five straight shots, keeping the Orange in a game where their offense stagnated.
Forty seconds later, PSU had another power play after a Charlotte Hallett cross-checking penalty. Yet once again, Drabyk stopped anything that came in her vicinity, contributing to one of SU’s best penalty kill performances of the season.
Syracuse came into Friday as the worst penalty kill team in the AHA at 77.9%. Penn State came in as the second-best power play team at 25.6%. It didn’t matter.
“It (The penalty kill) was amazing,” Drabyk said. “We’ve done a lot of work on that in practice, and being able to shut down their top players is a big energy boost for us.”
The netminder allowed another goal late in the third period, but it doesn’t negate her stellar showing overall. It was a total 180 from what transpired two months ago and a microcosm of the team’s improvement since then.
“She’s (Drabyk) been working really hard, and she did very well,” Knoll said.
