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Penn State’s Kiara Zanon and Maeve Connolly were barreling down the ice toward Syracuse goaltender Allison Small. It was overtime of SU’s game against Penn State, and with the score still tied, Small found herself outnumbered — and without defenders — after the Orange’s poor execution led to a turnover in transition. 

Small’s gloveside was exposed as Zanon, who had scored on her the night before, carried the puck forward. Small slid into position, anticipating Zanon’s pass to Connolly, and raised her arm high enough to block Connolly’s slap shot with her left shoulder. 

Small’s save — one of 33 that night — saved SU for the time being, though it went on to lose 4-3. The goaltender also rescued the Orange in a three-on-zero situation during overtime. 

“She pulled out a couple more for us there,” head coach Paul Flanagan said postgame.

That Dec. 11 game was no anomaly. In Small’s second season as a starter for Syracuse (2-4-1, 2-2-1 College Hockey America), the senior from Nestleton, Ontario, has used her mobility and experience to save a litany of shots late in games. She’s rescued SU time and time again, Flanagan said. 

Last season, Small won College Hockey America’s Goaltending Trophy and averaged just over 25 saves per game. Through seven games this season, her average is up to 32. She’s been the only goaltender to see the ice this year after splitting time with Ady Cohen in years past. Her save percentage (92.9%) in 2020 is tied for the third-best in Syracuse history, too.

“They had five or six grade-A chances right on the hash marks where they had point blank shots,” Flanagan said of Small after SU’s 4-3 loss to Penn State. “She did a great job.”

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In Syracuse’s season-opener against Colgate, Small jumped on a loose puck as it rolled aimlessly near the crease in the final minute of the second period. Less than 30 seconds later, she halted play once again when she stuck out her right leg and blocked a shot with her skate. She jumped to her feet and threw a couple punches at the Colgate forwards crowding the net.

Small brought that same feistiness for the full 60 minutes. Her Clarington Central (Ontario) Secondary School coach, Katherine Farrell, described Small as “strong” and “reliable.” It took the Orange another seven days to win their first game of the season, but the senior’s energy was present all-along.

Against Penn State on Dec. 12, Small’s net was crowded with the Nittany Lions’ forwards. Moments before PSU found its second goal, Small made a save, jumped to her feet and shoved a PSU player who was blocking her line of sight out of the way. 

“Allison’s gonna want to shut out every night,” Flanagan said. “That’s what we’re striving for.”

With eight minutes remaining in Syracuse’s third-straight matchup against Penn State on Dec. 11, the Nittany Lions won a faceoff in the left circle near Small. The forward carried the puck behind the goal to set up a play, misplacing the Orange defenders and forcing Small to shift.

A close-range wrist shot deflected off Small’s pads, and when Penn State regained possession seconds later, it began peppering Small with shots from all angles. Small dove to save a slapshot from the top of the key, stretching out her 5-foot-9 frame to neutralize the scoring threat using her pads.

Allison Small is averaging 32 saves per game through seven games this season. Daily Orange File Photo

“If she continues to play like that, she’s going to give us an opportunity to win every single night,” Flanagan said.

The week prior, Small recorded 39 saves and a career-high 44 the following day. Flanagan was impressed with how Small “established herself pretty well right from the get-go.” 

At Clarington Central, Small played forward because of the team’s abundance of goalies — they had three. She became one of the team’s highest goal-scorers, Farrell said.

Dating back to her freshman year with Quinnipiac University, Small’s only finished two games with a save percentage below 81%. This season, her lowest recorded save percentage of 90.3% came in a 28-save performance in the season-opener against Colgate.

In Syracuse’s final game before winter break, Small notched her 800th career save in the opening period that saw the Orange outshot 13-11. Shortly after Small jumped on the puck, her teammates skated to the net and hugged Small as coaches and the bench clapped in appreciation for the momentous save.

Small hasn’t made a final decision on whether she’ll opt to take the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility, which was granted to all college athletes due to the coronavirus pandemic. If she does, she could cement herself as one of Syracuse’s top-five all-time leaders in games played for goalies. Small currently ranks 6th all-time in games played going back to her time at Quinnipiac University.

Against Colgate on Nov. 20, Small made six saves in a span of three minutes at the start of the third period as the Raiders were driving. Minutes later, Small blocked a Maggie MacEachern shot with her left shoulder. Syracuse’s zone began to collapse, with Colgate penetrating through gaping holes. But Small laid out to grab another slap shot.

It was only the season-opener, but Small was already bailing Syracuse out.

Published on December 27, 2020 at 4:46 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt