For senior Alysha Burriss, Syracuse isn’t too foreign.

The Canadian forward has the comfort other Ontario-born teammates share: being close to home. Despite having to transition to a new country, Burriss dominated. Entering the season, Burriss was one of SU’s top 10 all-time goal scorers. But when she came to Syracuse (0-3-1) three years ago, Burris experienced a much more difficult transition off the ice.

“Hockey, school, social life, every aspect is just different,” Burriss said. “… One of the nice things about where Syracuse is, is its location. If players are from Ontario, their parents can come visit frequently.”

For an international student, moving to a new country, campus and lifestyle can be difficult. There is something more challenging about adjusting to a campus that’s majority American-born students, she said. Yet, as Burriss matured from an 18-year-old into the team leader she is today, SU head coach Paul Flanagan credited her intelligence and heart as the reasons toward her success.

“It took her a couple years, but she has figured things out,” Flanagan said. “As a senior, you should know the ins and outs of how to act on and off the ice.”

Burriss and fellow senior Megan Quinn both experienced similar issues. The two lived within 30 minutes of each other in Ontario and played for the Durham West Lightning, a youth hockey team in that area.

Phil Bryant | Contributing Photographer

“We really got to know each other better in 11th and 12th grade, and now we’ve been here together for our fourth year,” Quinn said. “… She has always been the life of the locker room.”

While she overcame her issues off the ice, Burriss has performed at a high level since arriving on campus as a freshman. In her freshman year, she earned College Hockey America Player of the Week honors in her second month of action. She added a hat trick against Rochester Institute of Technology and recorded a career-high 24 points in 36 games.

Flanagan credits her career-long success to her trickery and intelligence.

“She’s a smart crafty player,” he said. “(Burriss) is very good at the little nuances, or bits and pieces of the game.

As one of the more experienced forwards, Burriss has mastered the art of finding open space and either locating the open teammate or firing a shot on goal. In each of her first three seasons, she has tallied at least 22 points and ten goals. Last year, she added 13 assists.

“I always try to do more than just score goals,” she said. “Hockey is a team sport and that’s the way I try to play it.”

Published on October 8, 2017 at 9:58 pm

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman