Syracuse ice hockey beats Lindenwood 2-1, improves to .500
After falling to Lindenwood 4-1 on Nov. 8, 2025, Syracuse rode a strong penalty kill and two third-period goals to a 2-1 victory over LU Friday night. Isaac Williams | Contributing Photographer
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Syracuse probably wants to forget the last time it played Lindenwood.
On Nov. 8, 2025, SU fell to the Lions 4-1 behind seven penalties and subpar power play defense. What seemed like a get-right game transpired into arguably Syracuse’s ugliest performance of the year outside its first Penn State series.
But that doesn’t change the fact that the Orange have historically dominated Lindenwood. Syracuse is 45-11-4 all-time against the Lions and won 3-of-4 contests against them last season. LU has certainly improved from its woeful 5-26-2 record last year, but is still just fifth in Atlantic Hockey America.
After its valiant effort fell short against then-No. 4 PSU last weekend, SU had a solid opportunity to get back to .500 Friday.
It cashed in on that opportunity. Syracuse (13-3-3, 9-8-2 AHA) defeated Lindenwood (8-17-2, 6-10-1 AHA) 2-1 Friday behind strong defense and third-period goals from Nea Tervonen and Jordan Blouin. Ava Drabyk saved 29-of-30 shots and SU’s penalty kill was flawless in the victory.
“That was a hard-fought win for sure,” SU head coach Britni Smith said. “… Overall, it was really just a battle to get that three points tonight, which is nice to see.”
The Orange’s first period Friday couldn’t have been more different from what it was last Saturday.
Despite falling 3-2 to the Nittany Lions Saturday, SU gained an early 1-0 advantage after a Jackson Kinsler goal. But two Penn State goals in a six-minute span gave it a 2-1 lead en route to its victory.
On Friday, both teams failed to generate any sort of offense early. Syracuse held Lindenwood without a shot on goal for over 10 minutes, but still couldn’t break the ice.
Heidi Knoll looped around the back of the net and nearly got SU on the scoreboard, but Lions goalie Lexington Secreto denied the shot. Outside of Knoll’s quality look, Syracuse’s offense stagnated in the first period.
“I don’t think anyone felt like we were at our best in the first period,” Smith said.
Even with the Orange’s offensive shortcomings to start, their penalty kill kept LU’s offense at bay. After stopping a Lions player-up advantage in the first, SU built off its defensive momentum in the second period.
Due to a holding penalty by Jocelyn Fiala two minutes into the frame, Lindenwood had its second power play chance of the game. LU’s Josey Dunne-Weeks aimed high and nearly snuck one past Drabyk, but the netminder kept it scoreless.
After last Friday’s loss to Penn State, Drabyk said that she’s been working on reading her opponent’s blades more to anticipate shot paths. Dunne-Weeks’ shot would’ve likely been a goal earlier this season, but Drabyk’s improvement prevented that from happening Friday.
“(Ava) continues to be a pretty consistent threat for us on the net. She made a couple big saves at the end there when they were 6-on-5,” Smith said. “I’ve said it a number of times, but she’s a pretty mature goalie for us in the way she handles her emotions.”
Syracuse’s penalty kill kept LU’s offense in check seven minutes later, a testament to the unit’s recent improvement. It ranked last in the AHA for the majority of the season, but stopped six of Penn State’s seven player-up opportunities last weekend and continued its success Friday.
Yet even with SU’s superb defensive efforts, its offense was stymied again in the second period. From errant shots to other missed chances, Syracuse couldn’t take control.
Peyton Armstrong glided down the left side of the ice on a fastbreak, but slipped and lost control of the puck. Maya D’Arcy’s power play shot initially looked on goal, but landed wide right. No matter how much LU’s defense broke down, the Orange couldn’t capitalize.
Everything changed just minutes into the third.
On a power play that carried over from the end of the second period, Tervonen broke the scoreless tie with a goal on an assist from D’Arcy. SU’s player-up unit ranks just fifth in the conference, but Tervonen’s tally gave it a much-needed boost.
“It (the goal) felt amazing,” Tervonen said. “D’Arcy gave me an amazing pass there, and just basically had to put it in from there. So it felt really good.”
Eight minutes later, Blouin tacked on an insurance goal. The freshman scored the game-winner against Lindenwood on Nov. 7, 2025, and her third-period strike proved to be the difference Friday night.
Lindenwood’s Paige Cline cut SU’s deficit in half with two minutes remaining, but it wasn’t enough. Syracuse’s penalty kill, coupled with Tervonen and Blouin’s heroics, was enough to squeeze out a victory.
SU will need to display a greater sense of urgency in the first two periods if it wants to compete with the cream of the crop in the AHA. But between its fight against Penn State and win over Lindenwood, it’s light years ahead of where it was in November.
“I think we have raised our standard a lot since back then (November),” Tervonen said.
