Behind the mask
"What is on Syracuse's goalies' masks and why"
Like many goalies, Allison Small’s first mask was just plain black — her Syracuse teammate Ady Cohen’s was a pre-designed Iron Man mask. But, like every goalie, as their careers went on they began to use custom masks, adorned with designs that represented the teams they were on, as well as pieces of themselves.
Mask designs give goalies “an opportunity to be creative,” Cohen said. “Add some personal touch.”
Find out what is on Syracuse ice hockey’s goaltenders Small and Cohen, and what each symbol means to them.
Ady Cohen
14 starts, 7-7-0, .981 save percentage
Otto
Cohen worked with a designer who sent her templates for approved designs, and Cohen chose one of the many university-approved Ottos that covers both sides of her mask.
“It feels like it wouldn't be a Syracuse mask if I didn't have him on there,” Cohen said.
Racing stripes
Cohen wanted a “clean and simple design,” she said, so the senior chose the blue and orange racing stripes to adorn her mask.
Flags
Cohen has the Russian and American flags crossed on the back right of her mask to represent her adoption from Russia. Cohen was adopted by her mother, Debra, when she was seven months old, and her mother has moved across the country supporting her hockey career ever since. “I just wanted to put that on as a sort of a sentimental thing,” Cohen said.
Defy Gravity
The quote that adorns the bottom of the back of Cohen’s mask is taken from the play “Wicked.” It is a “daily reminder to defy expectations,” Cohen said, “On the ice, in the classroom and just as a person.”
Ribbon
The green ribbon on the back of Cohen’s mask honors her grandfather, who passed away from lymphoma. It allows her to “always keep him with me,” she said.
Allison Small
18 starts, 5-11-2, .919 save percentage
Otto
Small chose another “SU approved” depiction of Otto the Orange. Small’s Otto is breaking through the ice brick wall that covers her masking, holding a hockey stick above its head. Small said she chose this Otto because it looks angry and “just wants to win.”
Skyline
On both sides of Small’s mask are references to Syracuse. The black S lines the left side of her mask while a graffiti style ‘CUSE’ covers the other. Within the ‘CUSE’ are recognizable features of the SU skyline including the Carrier Dome and Crouse College.
Bricks
Small wanted her mask to be a lighter color she said. She covered her mask with a “brick wall,” made of ice, playing off the popular goaltending phrase.
Electricity
Small calls the lightning surrounding Otto “energy,” a reference to a saying from the movie “Kicking and Screaming.” One of her old team’s joked about the phrase “electric in the air,” from the Will Ferrell movie.
License Plate
Small, from Nestleton, Ontario, embedded her name within her home province’s license plate. Since Small’s mask was designed, however, the motto and design of Ontario license plates has recently changed.
Maple leaves and daisy
One of 15 Canadians on SU women’s ice hockey team, Small has maple leaves covering the back of her mask. The lone daisy represents her dog, named after the flower.
