Syracuse falls 4-1 to No. 4 Penn State, snaps 4-game win streak
SU fell to No. 4 Penn State 4-1 Friday, halting its four-game win streak. Ava Drabyk made 36 saves, but the offense only found one goal. Peter Radosh | Asst. Copy Editor
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Penn State had Syracuse flabbergasted, dazed and befuddled two months ago. How could it not have been?
The then-No. 6 Nittany Lions just handed the Orange their largest series abomination in two years, when SU was outscored 21-0 through 120 minutes against Colgate. A year ago, SU’s biggest weekend defeat, fittingly, came at the hands of the Raiders, but only by an eight-goal deficit.
Twenty-four seconds was all it took for PSU forward Katelyn Roberts to show Syracuse it would be in for a long weekend. With three goals on the power play and four in the third period, the Nittany Lions weren’t even halfway to their weekend total after their 7-0 win.
“We gave a great team way too much time and space, and they took it to us right away,” SU associate head coach Heather Farrell said on Nov. 14, 2025.
The next day, Rylee McLeod managed to give the Orange a lead just over a minute in. But the remainder of the frame saw four Penn State goals and a Charlotte Hallett ejection, plus a five-minute major, after she threw a punch in front of the Nittany Lions’ bench. Starting goaltender Ava Drabyk was benched in each game, as SU was dismantled in an 11-2 nightmare loss.
“(Syracuse) is going to have a long bus ride home thinking about this weekend,” PSU head coach Jeff Kampersal said on Nov. 15, 2025.
The Orange have had two months to think about that weekend, even throughout their four-game win streak. That was snapped in Syracuse’s (12-12-3, 8-7-2 Atlantic Hockey America) 4-1 loss to No. 4 Penn State (20-4-0, 14-1-0 AHA). The Nittany Lions finagled the puck past Drabyk in each period and capped things off on an empty net. She still stopped 36 shots, but Heidi Knoll was the Orange’s only hope on offense with their lone goal.
Drabyk’s first test came just under 100 seconds in, gloving a Sophie Morrow bullet from the opposite flank. Morrow had a busy start Friday, blocking a Makenna Williment shot a few minutes later.
SU had several centering passes from behind the cage but couldn’t get anything on goal. Jordan Blouin set up Peyton Armstrong several times, but the oversized Nittany Lions swarmed the 5-foot-3 forward, halting her from shooting.
Halfway through the first, Jordan Blouin showcased her hustle, skating from end to end to win a puck before an icing could be called, and even laced SU’s second shot on goal. The only issue was that the Orange had already surrendered 10.
“We can beat them with our speed, and getting cuts behind them is tiring,” Knoll said. That’s how you tire them out.”
With just over three minutes to go in the first frame, Grace Outwater, who was tied for a game-high eight shots, corralled a puck to Drabyk’s right, threading it to the top-right corner to open the scoring column for PSU.
The beginning to second frame mirrored the start of SU’s second clash with Penn State this season. It took 20 seconds for Mya Vaslet to squeeze the puck between three Syracuse players on a cross-ice shot to double the lead.
That advantage was extended nearly five minutes later, when Drabyk dove onto the ice, leaving an open goal. PSU captain Tessa Janecke tried converting on the empty cage but was blocked by Blouin.
“That was horrible. I was so scared,” Drabyk said. “I almost pooped my pants.”
The freshman recovered, making several strong saves throughout the period. She took a puck to the chest from Abby Stonehouse halfway through the frame and made three more saves within the next minute throughout PSU’s first power play.
But that wasn’t before Rylee McLeod fed Knoll on a 2-on-1 before the penalty. The captain deked toward Penn State goaltender Madison Campbell and finished on her strong side.
“Especially early on in the second, it was nice to change that momentum and get the girls fired up,” Knoll said.
Pressure was taken off of Drabyk throughout the period, as the Orange tied their season-high 24 blocked shots. Although Charlotte Hallett was assessed with the penalty for Penn State’s advantage, she blocked four shots. Sami Gendron tallied six.
“We actually worked on blocking pucks in practice this week,” Knoll said. “It’s very consistent to their game.”
Twelve seconds after the Orange killed off a Rachel Walsh penalty, the Nittany Lions remained in the offensive zone, and Kendall Butze put the game out of reach.
On a power play, SU opted to pull Drabyk for a 6-on-4 advantage. Gendron and Blouin both got shots on Campbell but couldn’t find back iron. Once Penn State controlled the puck, it went to its captain, Tessa Janecke, to rip a screamer from its own side to deliver the dagger.
The Orange weren’t embarrassed on their home ice and played respectable hockey against the AHA’s powerhouse.
“We really figured out what worked for our team, coming back to the house, blocking shots and playing together,” Sami Gendron said. “That was the biggest success.”
