Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Looking back at SU goalie Allie Kelley’s nearly six seasons of college hockey, there aren’t many boxes she’s left unchecked.

Since transferring from Quinnipiac to St. Anselm after her sophomore year, Kelley has become one of the most consistent goalies in the nation over the past four seasons.

While maintaining a minimum .900 save percentage across 67 games with the Hawks, Kelley also set program records in career saves, single-season saves, single-game saves and average saves per game.

Then, ahead of graduate school, Kelley again entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to Syracuse for the rest of her career. Despite making the jump from Division II to I in the process, Kelley remained unphased and resumed her pursuit of further records between the pipes for the Orange.

Now, almost exactly a year after eclipsing Syracuse’s single-game save record, Kelley was just 33 stops shy of breaking the NCAA career saves record Friday.

With SU set to host Penn State, which averaged an AHA-best 37.55 shots on goal per game entering the contest, all signs pointed toward a historic night for the East Berne, New York, native.

“(The record) was definitely in the back of my mind before the game, but I was trying not to focus on it. I was also trying not to look at the scoreboard too much, either,” Kelley said postgame.

Despite Syracuse’s (7-18-0, 5-6-0 Atlantic Hockey America) 1-0 overtime loss Friday against No. 9 Penn State (20-4-1, 11-0-0 AHA), the contest was still one to remember for Kelley. With her 41-save performance, she surpassed former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute goalie Lovisa Selander for the NCAA all-time career saves record. Still, her accomplishment was overshadowed by SU’s third overtime loss of the season.

So far in 2024-25, the Orange have made a habit of not showing up offensively until halfway through the opening period and, sometimes, even later than that. Friday was no different.

With two top-10 scorers in the nation in Tessa Janecke and Maddy Christian leading the charge for PSU, the Nittany Lions wasted no time putting Kelley to work in SU’s own zone. But the veteran goaltender was up to the task.

With 55 games under her belt as a member of the Orange entering the contest, Kelley had seen this movie plenty of times before. Shifting from left to right across the crease to make acrobatic stops, she kept the game scoreless with multiple saves from point-blank range. Through the first 10 minutes of play, Syracuse’s goalie moved 11 saves closer to cementing herself in the history books.

Kelley and SU’s defense were given an even tougher task moments later after Sami Gendron’s slashing penalty put the Orange at a disadvantage. After allowing its goaltender to be the victim of a shooting gallery early on, Syracuse’s blueliners cleaned things up on the ensuing penalty kill and held Penn State shotless on what would be one of only two power play chances.

Despite both teams possessing top-25 power play units entering Friday, goaltending prevailed in the first period as Syracuse’s offense still searched for a spark.

In its recent tests against ranked opponents, Syracuse’s biggest hurdle has been “playing the full 60,” a motto SU head coach Britni Smith is fond of. While the Orange failed to do so Friday night after a sluggish first period, they made up for it by battling back in the middle frame.

Giving Kelley only seven shots on net to deal with in the period, the Orange came alive on both ends of the ice. Despite Janecke’s best efforts to lead PSU’s attack to the middle of the slot area, Syracuse’s defense used active sticks and physicality along the boards to shut down the Nittany Lions’ high-caliber offense.

Meanwhile, all Kelley had to do was watch and wait to make the occasional routine pad-save when a puck floated toward her crease. SU’s defenders continuously blocked shots and kept her from breaking much of a sweat.

“There’s no question we have a team that believes this year. Our goal is eight blocks per period. I don’t think we got there in the second, but we still limited their chances,” Smith said.

On the other end of the ice, Syracuse was given two power play opportunities in the second period. But just as Kelley had been there for her team in the first period, so was Penn State goalie Katie DeSa. Across SU’s two player-up chances, DeSa turned aside each shot she faced.

The two missed chances encapsulated a night to forget for Syracuse’s power play. While its shorthanded unit staved off PSU’s attempts, SU’s 14th-ranked power play unit finished 0-for-6.

Despite their shortcomings while up a player, the Orange still had something to build on going into the final 20 minutes. Its 10-7 lead in shots in the second period marked the first time SU outshot a ranked opponent in any frame all season.

After a strong showing in the second period, Syracuse’s offense became a shell of itself once again in the third, mustering just four shots in the 20-minute span.

At the same time, Penn State’s offense found its footing after an uncharacteristically sloppy second period, firing shot after shot toward Kelley in hopes of breaking through. But Kelley held strong.

She happily gobbled up all 14 pucks that came her way in the frame, eventually setting the NCAA career saves record on her 33rd save of the game. Moments later, her teammates jumped off the bench and embraced her.

“I was kind of confused when everybody rushed the ice. I thought it was a TV timeout or something. My teammates made that moment special for me,” Kelley said.

Eventually, with the help of Syracuse’s 17 total shot blocks throughout regulation, the Orange and Nittany Lions headed to overtime for the second time in three meetings this season.

While it may have been Kelley’s night to celebrate, the Nittany Lions got the last laugh. Using a defender as a screen in front of Kelley, PSU forward Katelyn Roberts scored with a wicked wrist shot to seal victory for the Nittany Lions.

To her teammates, Kelley setting the NCAA career saves record was something extraordinary. But to Smith, she had seen it in her goalie from the beginning.

“(Kelley’s) past coaches had nothing but great things to say about her. They really talked about how she could help change a program,” Smith said. “From watching her on video, there was nothing that she was missing in our eyes. It was obviously a good decision on our part, and I hope she feels the same.”

Published on January 17, 2025 at 11:41 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu