Leschyshyn, Van Vliet awarded CHA weekly honors after weekend sweep

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Forward Anna Leschyshyn and backup goalie Amelia Van Vliet have earned College Hockey America honors after Syracuse’s weekend sweep of Long Island University. These are the first collegiate honors both skaters have earned with the Orange.

Leschyshyn was the difference maker offensively in a two-game stretch that saw SU scoring 10 goals against LIU. The sophomore doubled her season point total — she now has 12 — after notching three points in each game. In the Orange’s (8-8-1, 6-6-1 CHA) 5-2 victory Friday night, she scored two goals and assisted a third goal by Shelby Calof.

The following day, Leschyshyn achieved her first collegiate hat trick — SU’s first natural hat trick since Lindsay Eastwood in 2019 — with her seventh goal of the season.

For Van Vliet, the award comes after her first collegiate start in net for the Orange. After the final game against LIU, head coach Paul Flanagan pointed out that he was happy to get some of the younger skaters on the ice, including Van Vliet.

In her first start, Van Vliet allowed just two unassisted goals and blocked 19 shots in her first win as the Orange’s goaltender. In her second career start, she saved 18 shots and shutout the Sharks in Syracuse’s 5-0 Saturday afternoon win. In 37 games with SU, senior goalie Allison Small has finished just five games without allowing a goal.

Although Flanagan hopes there are “many more to come” in terms of starts for Van Vliet, he noted the team might opt toward returning to Small for the Orange’s next game. They face RIT Tuesday night in their final home game before traveling to Robert Morris ahead of the CHA tournament.