Syracuse hockey alum Akane Hosoyamada helps Japan into Olympic medal round

In her second Winter Olympics, former Syracuse Orange women’s hockey defender Akane Hosoyamada has emerged as key player for Japan’s national team. Japan finished first in Group B in the preliminary round and will face Finland later this week in the quarterfinal.

In the four group games, Akane scored one goal and added an assist while finishing a +1. Her goal came on the power play against China and was the first of her Olympic career.

She told Syracuse University news that participating in the Olympics was always a goal but one that seemed out of reach for the Alberta native.

It was certainly a dream, but it seemed really far off at the start. I tried to stay positive, but never really got a shot at playing for Canada. I was about to give up. But an opportunity came to play for Japan, so I went for it. I packed up everything and moved to Japan.

You can catch Akane and her team in action on Peacock in the US. Good luck to Akane as she attempts to join former Syracuse teammate Stefanie Marty as Olympic medal winners.