SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Twice Syracuse built a two-goal lead. Twice No. 4 Penn State fought back. But when the game reached overtime, the Orange had the final answer.
Jocelyn Fiala scored the game-winning goal just 1:36 into overtime Friday night, lifting Syracuse women’s ice hockey to a 5-4 upset of No. 4 Penn State at Tennity Ice Pavilion.
The victory marked Syracuse’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2021, snapping a 49-game winless streak against ranked teams.
“Honestly, I was pretty shocked,” Fiala said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, no way this happened.’ And then it was just electric.”
The Nittany Lions rallied from two goals down twice, including a 4-2 deficit in the third period, but it was the Orange who came out on top.
Jackson Kinsler opened the scoring with her fifth goal of the season at 11:27 of the first period. Jordan Blouin extended the lead to 2-0 in the second, capitalizing on a rebound before Penn State answered with goals from Kylie Amelkovich and Mikah Keller to tie the game.
Syracuse goaltender Ava Drabyk made 40 saves despite the Orange being outshot 44-18. Her strongest performance came in the second period, when Penn State outshot Syracuse 25-3 before managing to score two goals.
Drabyk delivered one of her biggest saves of the night during that stretch, diving across the crease to deny Nicole Hall on a scoring opportunity.
Nea Tervonen gave Syracuse a 3-2 lead early in the third period before Fiala extended the advantage to 4-2 with a one-timer during its second power-play.
Penn State was able to answer on its fourth power-play opportunity when Danica Maynard scored on a rebound in front of the net. Following a late Syracuse icing, Penn State won the ensuing faceoff, setting up Hall’s game-tying goal with 2:54 remaining in regulation.
Blouin finished with a goal and two assists, while Fiala recorded two goals, including the overtime winner.
Despite Penn State’s repeated comebacks, the Orange remained focused on finding a way to finish the game.
“I think that speaks a lot about our resilience,” Fiala said. “We’re a really resilient team. We stay close to our identity.”
Syracuse head coach Brian Idalski praised his team’s ability to respond under pressure while competing against one of the nation’s top programs.
“Liked our compete. Thought we executed. We played with good energy,” Idalski said. “We pressed. We didn’t sit back. We played real hockey against a real opponent.”
Despite the victory, Idalski emphasized the importance of quickly turning the page before Saturday’s rematch.
“You can be happy for about 10, 15 minutes. That’s it,” Idalski said. “Because they’re going to come back hungry, and I know what’s coming.”
The result snaps an 11-game losing streak against Penn State, improving SU to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in Atlantic Hockey America play.
The Orange return to Tennity Saturday for a rematch against No. 4 Penn State, looking to complete the weekend sweep.