Orange Fall Just Short in ACC Championship After Thrilling Playoff Run

By Benjamin Lefkowitz, Sophia Volz and Isabella Cucci, Head Beat Writer

The season for the Orange came to a dramatic end after an impressive post season run. Syracuse Men’s Hockey made it to the ACC Conference Championship game for the second consecutive season. The Orange would eventually fall to Stony Brook University 4-3.

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The Orange entered the tournament as the number 4 seed in the ACC North with a 4-3-8-1 (W-OTW-L-OTL) conference record - good for 19 ACC points. ‘Cuse looked to close the 2025-26 season on a run.

In the quarterfinals of the ACC Conference Tournament, fourth seeded- Syracuse upset the top seed in the south - the Kentucky Wildcats - by a score of 3-1. The Orange were propelled by their two leading scorers - freshmen Ben Brant scored twice and Nathan McLean added another.

In the start of the first, Kentucky quickly capitalized on a turnover on its first shot of the game, taking a 1-0 lead in the opening five minutes. Responding quickly, Brant found a loose puck and released a wrist shot on Wildcat goalie Kyle Hogan, evening the score at 1-1. The Orange outshot the Wildcats and headed to the second tied after the first.

The second period featured multiple penalties from both teams, but each were killed off. Freshman Nathan McLean was able to capitalize off a Kentucky turnover while shorthanded for his seventh goal of the season to give Syracuse the lead. Syracuse kept consistent pressure throughout the remainder of the game. Just minutes later, after the penalty expired, McLean found Brant and the freshman buried his second goal of the night, his 19th of the season, to extend the Orange’s lead to 3-1 heading into the third period.

In the third period, Syracuse’s defense held strong to maintain a two-goal lead. At the end of the third, the Orange secured a 3-1 win, advancing to the semifinals against the University of Pittsburgh.

Heading into the semifinals of the tournament, Syracuse continued their momentum and upset the North’s top seeded University of Pittsburgh.  

The Orange came out strong, as Nathan McLean capitalized again, this time on a powerplay opportunity to open the scoring eight minutes in. Just one minute later, sophomore Cam Gaffney extended the Syracuse lead to 2-0. Despite facing a series of penalties, Brant added a shorthanded goal to make it 3-0 midway through the period. Pittsburgh stayed aggressive, and with 6 minutes left they were able to respond with a powerplay tally of their own, cutting the deficit to 3-1 at the first intermission.

Syracuse opened the second period on the penalty kill, and another Orange penalty led to a 5-on-3 goal for Pittsburgh just two minutes in. The Panthers struck again a minute later to tie the game at 3, but Syracuse responded as sophomore Ryan Thomas converted on a powerplay to regain the lead. The teams continued to trade penalties, but junior forward Brendan Duffy extended the lead with five minutes remaining in the frame, sealing a 5-3 lead heading into the third.

The top-seeded Panthers cut the deficit with a goal two minutes into the final period and continued to press to the game. Pittsburgh pulled its goaltender with under 20 seconds remaining, but Syracuse held on to secure a 5-4 victory advance to the ACC finals. This was the first time the Orange had defeated Pitt in 11 - a winless streak that dated back to December of 2022.

Syracuse Men’s Hockey postseason run ended in the ACC Conference Finals, with a narrow 4-3 loss to Stony Brook University.  

The Seawolves opened aggressively, netting the first goal just over a minute into the period and adding another midway through the first to take a 2-0 lead. Despite powerplay chances on both sides, neither team converted. Syracuse continued their offensive push, and Gaffney was able to tally the first Orange goal with 27 seconds remaining in the opening frame.

Syracuse began the second period looking to cut the deficit, but Stony Brook struck again just 45 seconds in. The teams exchanged opportunities, yet the Seawolves capitalized midway through the period to make it 4-1. Syracuse captain Connor Chesener tallied his first goal of the tournament with 5 minutes remaining in the second, trimming the lead to 4-2 heading into the final period. 

Senior goaltender AJ Finta stood strong between the pipes, and the Syracuse defense successfully killed off a penalty at the midway mark of the third period. This set up senior Jack Wren to cut the Stony Brook lead to 4-3 with just over 9 minutes left in regulation. The Orange continued their push for the equalizer, but were unable to convert on powerplay and odd-man rush chances. Despite outshooting the Seawolves 34-17, the Orange fell 4-3 in the ACC Conference Championship.

For the second straight season Syracuse came up just 1 goal short in the conference finals - last season the Orange fell 4-3 in overtime to the University of Delaware in the ESCHL Championship game. The Orange finished the 2025-2026 season with a 10-19-4 record and the runner-ups in the ACC.