Syracuse goalie Allie Kelley broke the NCAA all-time saves record for career saves. She broke the previous record of 4,167 that was set by RPI’s Lovisa Selander at the end of her career in 2019.
Coach Britni Smith said Kelley has been great for the Orange her whole career.
“I thought she was on a different level tonight, her focus, her ability to make big saves in big moments,” Smith said.
Kelley said the record was a factor that she thought about prior to the game but tried to stay focused the best she could.
“It definitely was in the back of my mind, but I was trying not to focus on it. I kind of thought it was a bit of a districation, I was also trying not to look at the scoreboard too much,” Kelley said.
Kelley set the record Friday against Penn State in a 41 save performance. She started her career at Quinnipiac before transferring to Saint Anselm College.
Kelley said she was surprised by the support and the reaction from the fans and her teammates.
“It was nice to see all the support from the fans and I was kind of confused when everyone rushed the ice. I thought maybe it was a tv timeout or something, but my teammates made that moment special for me,” Kelley said.
Kelley has spent the last two seasons with the Orange and is 47 saves away from 2,000 in her Syracuse career.
The Orange lost 1-0 in overtime despite the play of Kelley.
Katelyn Roberts scored the only goal of the game for the Nittany Lions in overtime. She beat Kelley high glove side to get the win.
Kelley’s performance happened three days after she was named to the Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association’s goalie of the year watch list. Kelley was one of 33 goalies put on the list.
Kelley has 9 more regular season games to continue to extend her record prior to the playoffs.
Kelley said the culture and the coaching staff were a huge reason in her decision to come to Syracuse.
The team plays Penn State again Saturday at 3 p.m. at Tennity Ice Pavilion for another conference matchup.