AHA Monthly Recap: November 2025

Buckle up, fellow hockey fans. November has come and gone. This month was highlighted by some great upsets, some incredible performances, and big moments.

Featured Game:

It took 15 years and 17 tries, but Syracuse finally beat Cornell. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the Orange pulled out an incredible upset win in the shootout against the fifth-ranked Big Red.

Syracuse trailed 2-1 entering the third period before Stella Costabile scored the game tying goal early in the third. A good penalty kill by the Orange kept the score tied. With no goals in overtime the game, even on good chances from both teams, the game went to a shootout where goaltender Ava Drabyk stopped every shot she saw for the upset win.

Drabyk put together an incredible performance against a highly talented Cornell team. She finished with a career high 48 saves and was perfect in the shootout by stopping the two shots she faced. Syracuse was outshot 50-37 but still managed to stay in the game and beat a top five team.

You may be wondering why Penn State isn’t here. The Nittany Lions will be part of a separate story analyzing their unbeaten streak and loss to Northeastern, so keep an eye on The Ice Garden for that!

Awards Season🏆:

Best player: Emma Pickering - RIT

I try not to choose what the AHA chooses for their monthly awards, but it always ends up happening. I had Pickering in mind because she put together a great month. She recorded 13 points on four goals and nine assists this month. She earned a weekly honor as Defender of the Week after scoring a goal and an assist against Colgate on Nov. 7. Plus, she was a pivotal player in RIT’s series against an undefeated Penn State, scoring two goals against a Nittany Lions team that was struggling that game. Pickering also recorded a career-high four assists against Robert Morris to end the month. Defensively, the captain blocked 26 shots. Four came against Penn State and five were against the Colonials. Pickering really did it all this month which is probably why she was named AHA Defender of the Month … Very fitting!

Best Team of November: Mercyhurst

The Lakers finished the month with five wins, tied with Penn State! Sure, they suffered an overtime loss to Syracuse and were shutout by RIT the night after shutting them out, but Mercyhurst still pulled off some great wins. They swept Robert Morris to start the month and scored a combined 12 goals in those two games. They also took part in the Smashville NCAA Women's Hockey Showcase over Thanksgiving weekend, where they beat Stonehill 6-1 before losing to Wisconsin. Nevertheless, Mercyhurst put together a great month with wins that land them in second place in the conference standings.

Notable Performance of November: Penn State

Though their unbeaten streak ended this month, Penn State has played an incredible season and continue to do so. There are several players with important roles on the team, with the likes of forwards Tessa Janecke, Grace Outwater, and goaltender Katie DeSa, who started seven games in November and finished with a 6-1 record. DeSa currently has a 15-1-0 record overall with a .914 save percentage and a 1.58 goals against average. She also recorded back-to-back shutouts and became the second goaltender in program history to record 50 career wins. DeSa played a pivotal part in Penn State's unbeaten streak going for as long as it did and bounced back even when the streak ended.

Interesting Storyline:

The Tigers upset yet another ranked team.

RIT was hoping for a bounce back in game two against number 13 Colgate on Nov. 8. After suffering a 5-2 loss the night prior, the Tigers needed to respond.

The history between these two teams isn’t pretty—RIT only won two games and suffered a staggering 15 losses—but when every part of the team is working well, a win isn't difficult to come by.

The first goal of the game came from Colgate but the Tigers responded with a Tilli Keränen goal in the second period to tie the game. She also factored on Ireland Stein's game-winning goal, recording an assist before an empty netter by Linda Rulle sealed the 3-1 win.

While the offense was going, the defense was holding it down too. Goaltender Sophia Bellina made 36 saves while the skaters blocked a total of 21 shots. Laura Dyke and Emma Pickering both recorded four blocks while Lexi Sung added three of her own. That’s 11 blocks in between three players. That will take you far, especially with a team like Colgate that recorded 37 shots on goal.

This was RIT’s second win this season over a ranked opponent, with the first coming against St. Lawrence. It’s nice to see an all around well-played game result in a huge win.

Notable Moments:

• This Tessa Janecke goal from an incredible angle that looked like it didn't go in but then counted after review.
• Lindenwood's Madison Bowtell recorded her first career shutout this month against RIT.
• Nicole Pietrucha scored her first goal for the Lions while Ellie Muscedere scored her first collegiate goal.
• Lindenwood also scored a season-high seven goals against Bemidji State to end the month.
• Delaware captain Kaitlin Finnegan scored the program's first shorthanded goal.
• Fellow captain Tiana McIntyre scored her first goal as a member of the Blue Hens.
• Her teammate Victoria Borg scored her first career goal on Nov. 14.
• RMU's Morgan Giannone and Jessica MacKinnon both ended the month with a five game point streak.
• Syracuse's Emma Gnade recorded her first career hat trick against RPI on Nov. 29.

• Goaltender Ava Drabyk recorded a career high 48 saves and was perfect in the shootout win against Cornell.
• It was the first time in 15 years the Orange defeated the Big Red.
• RIT defeated a ranked Colgate for their second upset this season.
• Mercyhurst's head coach Michael Sisti reached 600 wins.

• Jade Maisonneuve played in her 100th game and scored in the Lakers' win against Syracuse.
• Penn State's unbeaten streak reached 16 games before their first loss against Northeastern on Nov. 28.
• Goalie Katie DeSa reached 50 career wins.
• Tessa Janecke broke some records of her own—see more on that below.
• The Nittany Lions reached their highest ranking when they made it to the number four spot on Nov. 24.

Something You May Have Missed:

November was a stellar month for the Penn State captain and Team USA forward Tessa Janecke. She started the month taking part in the Rivalry Series as the USA continues to prepare for the upcoming Winter Olympics. She then returned to school, where she finished the month with 11 points on three goals and eight helpers. Janecke also continued to etch her name in Penn State women’s hockey history when she became the first player in program history to record 100 career assists on Nov. 15. One week later, she tied the program’s all-time goal record with 74.

Looking Ahead:

Penn State was tested by Northeastern and suffered their first loss of the season on Nov. 28. They bounced back the following day beating the Huskies 4-1—good for them, because they do not play again until December 30! The Nittany Lions will have an entire month off before hitting the ice again against a ranked Cornell squad for a non-conference game. With December starting and the holidays near, the hockey starts to wind down, especially in college. I’m looking forward to this game to see how Penn State does after a month of practices, holidays, and rest.

You can check out the full AHA schedule here.