Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are a Women ' s Division I team in College Hockey America . 2008 - 09 is their first year of play . Syracuse previously had men ' s and women ' s club teams in the American Collegiate Hockey Association . The school also had a men ' s ice hockey team which played from 1911 to 1940 . History . On March 6 , 2008 , it was announced that the Orange would join College Hockey America . Syraucse was the fifth school to join the conference for women ' s hockey . Paul Flanagan , who coached the St . Lawrence Skating Saints women ' s ice hockey program to five NCAA Frozen Four appearances was appointed as the first coach for the Orange women ' s ice hockey program . Flanagan had been the 2001 ECAC and American Hockey Coaches Association Coach of the Year . For the inaugural season , Flanagan was joined by Graham Thomas , who played for Mannheim Jung Adler in Germany , and Erin O ' Brien , a two - time All - American at Plattsburgh State , an NCAA Division III school for women ' s ice hockey . Some of the first players for the team were transfer players from other schools . Gabrielle Beaudry , transferred to the Orange from Boston College . Cheyenne Bojeski was a transfer from rival Mercyhurst , while Julie Rising came to the Orange from Bemidji State . Lucy Schoedel and Stefany Marty were both transfers from New Hampshire Wildcats women ' s ice hockey . The Orange ' s inaugural season was in 2008 - 09 , and the team played its first ever game on October 1 , 2008 . On Wednesday , October 1 , 2008 , Lucy Schoedel recorded 34 saves and Megan Skelly scored the first goal in Syracuse women ' s ice hockey history . The goal was scored nine seconds into the school ' s first women ' s hockey game at Colgate . Despite holding a 2 - 0 lead in the game , the Orange lost to Colgate by a score of 4 - 3 . The following two games were against the eventual NCAA champion Wisconsin Badgers on October 2 and 3 . Despite losing both games , Lucy Schoedel made seventy five saves in two games . A week later , Syracuse played in its first ever College Hockey America conference game . The Orange took on the Robert Morris Colonials . Lucy Schoedel recorded her 100th career save ( and totaling 130 stops in just four games ) in a 1 - 0 losing effort . Team captain Stefanie Marty scored her first goal for Syracuse on October 17 . It was a 4 - 2 loss at Quinnipiac . Of note , Cheyenne Bojeski also scored her first ever goal for Syracuse . The following day , co - captains Julie Rising and Stefanie Marty would both score as Syraucse won its first ever game by a 2 - 0 tally . Postseason . March 5 , 2009 was the first postseason game in Orange history . In the quarterfinal round of the College Hockey America tournament , the Orange were ousted by the Niagara Purple Eagles by a score of 3 - 2 . Freshman forward Kylie Klassen made history by scoring the first playoff goal in the program ' s history . Assists went to Megan Skelly and Julie Rising . On March 5 , 2010 , the Orange won the first playoff game in program history . Sophomore Lisa Mullan scored two goals , as the Orange defeated Niagara by a score of 5 - 3 . In addition , freshman Isabel Menard added three points .