Senior Jessica DiGirolamo is the 2020-21 College Hockey America (CHA) Defenseman of the Year and junior Abby Moloughney is the CHA Best Defensive Forward Award winner. In addition, DiGirolamo earned All-CHA First Team honors, while Moloughney and senior goaltender Allison Small are All-CHA Second Team selections. Freshman Hannah Johnson earned a spot on the CHA All-Rookie Team.
DiGirolamo and Moloughney rank among the top 10 in the CHA in points and goals. DiGirolamo leads all defensemen in scoring, and is ninth overall in the league, while Moloughney is third in points and tied for third in assists.
The CHA Player of the Month for February, DiGirolamo ranks fifth nationally in points per game by a defenseman. She set the Syracuse career record for goals scored by a defenseman (26 goals) and is third on the record list for career points by a defenseman. DiGirolamo earned CHA all-rookie team honors on 2017-18 and earned CHA All-Tournament Team honors in 2018-19.
This is the third year that Moloughney has earned all-conference honors. She was an all-rookie selection in 2018-19 and a first team honoree in 2019-20. She also won the 2019-20 CHA Individual Sportsmanship Award. This season she is tied for 10th nationally with 21 points and is tied for seventh in assists with 12. The CHA Best Defensive Forward Award is given to a forward who scores and plays well on both ends of the ice.
Small ranks second in the league in save percentage (.944) and is third in goals against average (1.82). Against Robert Morris she recorded a career-high 49 saves, which is the third-best single game performance in the nation in 2020-21 and the fourth-best in Syracuse history. Small, who won the 2019-20 CHA Goaltending Trophy, ranks sixth in Syracuse history with 1,117 career saves and holds the Orange career save percentage record (.925).
Johnson has six points, including three goals and three assists, on the season. In 19 game she has 12 blocks and is plus-five on special teams. It is the fifth year in a row that the Orange have had an all-rookie selection.
Syracuse (10-8-1 overall, 8-6-1 CHA) is the fourth seed in the 2021 CHA Tournament and will play fifth seed Lindenwood (2-13-1) on Thursday, March 4 at 7:30 pm in the quarterfinals. The game will be streamed on Stretch.
(Syracuse Women’s Hockey Photo)
