Syracuse ice hockey: 2022-23 Midseason report

Syracuse Orange women’s ice hockey is off to a bit of a rough start under new head coach Britni Smith. After winning their second CHA Championship last season, the Orange limped out of the gate against a loaded out-of-conference schedule. Their current 7-13-1 record is a bit misleading though; SU is 0-10 against ranked opponents but has fared much better against the rest of their slate.

That bodes well for the remaining schedule, which mainly features CHA opponents. Syracuse faces a pair of Top-10 teams right out of the break, but after that, the only other ranked team they have to play is conference foe Penn State. Here’s a look at the rest of the opposition:

• 1/10 vs #6 Colgate
• 1/17 vs #10 Cornell
• 1/20-21 at Lindenwood
• 1/24 at RIT
• 1/25 vs RIT
• 1/28-29 at Mercyhurst
• 2/3-4 vs #12 Penn State
• 2/10-11 vs Mercyhurst
• 2/18 vs Stonehill

The Orange are currently 4-2 in CHA play, with 10 conference games remaining. That puts them in second behind Penn State in the current standings.

CHA is one of four conferences to receive an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, along with ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the WCHA. Even if SU doesn’t end up hosting the CHA Championship again, all they have to do is get hot at the right time to once again claim the conference crown and punch a ticket to the postseason.

Stats to Know:

• Syracuse is taking the least amount of penalties per game (3.38) in CHA.
• Tatum White and Lauren Bellefontaine have the second- and third-best faceoff percentages in the conference, respecively.
• After putting the team on her back last season, Goalie Arielle DeSmet is having another year to remember in net. The graduate student has a .910 save percentage, 2.76 goals allowed per game, and over 27 saves per game.