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Three Syracuse ice hockey players were named to the All-Atlantic Hockey America Teams, the conference announced Wednesday. Forward Bryn Saarela and goaltender Allie Kelley were Second Team selections, while defenseman Jessica Cheung was chosen to the conference’s All-Rookie Team.

Throughout the season, Saarela was a focal point of SU’s offensive attack. The graduate student transferred to the Orange from Holy Cross, but her presence wasn’t felt immediately. In Saarela’s first 11 games, she tallied just one goal and five assists. But when Syracuse faced RIT on Nov. 15, 2024, Saarela broke out. The forward scored two goals, helping the Orange break their nine-game losing streak.

From there, Saarela shined, especially in SU’s December series with Robert Morris. Over the two-game span, the forward scored five goals — including her first career hat trick on Dec. 6 — and notched two assists, earning her AHA Forward of the Week and AHA Forward of the Month. Saarela led the Orange in goals (17) and points (29) and ranked third in assists (12).

On the defensive side, Kelley started 34 of Syracuse’s 35 games in net. The goaltender finished the season with a .928 save percentage, the fourth-best mark in the AHA, while collecting 1,115 saves, a clear first ahead of RMU’s Maggie Hatch (839). Like Saarela, Kelley started slow, but her presence in net helped the Orange win seven of their last eight games.

Kelley’s biggest moment of the season came on Jan. 17 when she set the NCAA all-time saves record in a 1-0 overtime loss to Penn State. On top of her record, Kelley finished the season with a conference-best 32.79 saves per game and four shutouts, which ranked co-third in the AHA.

To round out Syracuse’s selections, Cheung was one of two defenders selected to the All-Rookie Team. The Ottawa, Ontario, native made a spark immediately, tallying a goal and assist in SU’s season-opening win over Stonehill. From there, Cheung’s defensive presence stuck out with four games collecting six-plus blocks.

Cheung helped the Orange end strong with eight blocks in the first game of their five-game win streak. Two games later, she recorded six en route to a shutout 5-0 victory over Lindenwood. Throughout the season, Cheung led rookie defensemen in the AHA with eight points and 45 blocks in conference play.

Published on February 26, 2025 at 3:47 pm

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