Fourteen miles of Minneapolis suburbs are all that separated ice hockey players Allie LaCombe and Cara Johnson growing up.

Now as teammates at Syracuse, they couldn’t be any closer.

LaCombe and Johnson became friends one summer as high school underclassmen playing for the Minnesota Whitecaps. Little did they realize they would share the same ice for nearly a decade.

“It’s almost hard to explain sometimes,” Johnson said. “That we’re all the way out here in Syracuse and we have that Minnesota connection.

“It’s a real thing, there’s just things we’ve both experienced from back home that we can share together.”

LaCombe, a junior, and Johnson, a senior, both play contributing roles for Syracuse (16-11-3, 7-6-3 College Hockey America). LaCombe is one of SU’s leading offensive forces with eight goals on the season, while Johnson is viewed as an unspoken leader on the team and is highly regarded by her peers and coaches.

Part of their fondest memories competing on the ice goes back to high school, when they competed as players on rival high schools.

“I’ve known Cara for so long that it was almost hard to think of those games as rivalry games,” LaCombe said.

While Johnson reveled in the opportunity to play a close companion in high-intensity games, she didn’t mirror LaCombe’s exact thoughts.

“Allie’s team was known as the powerhouse hockey school in the area and I watched them win two state championships,” Johnson said. “Then when all of the seniors left Allie’s team, it was nice to finally beat up on those guys and we went to (the state championship).”

No hard feelings were ever instilled in one another. If anything, the matchups were just another way to heighten the competitive edge between them.

As both players have watched each other mature and develop, their mutual respect for one another is palpable.

“I’ve watched Cara become faster and stronger,” LaCombe said. “Once most girls reach college hockey, they begin to blossom as a player. And that’s definitely the case for Cara.”

Johnson echoed much of the same sentiments toward LaCombe and said that her teammate has one of the best shots on the team.

In terms of eventually arriving together at Syracuse, LaCombe insisted familiarity was a big factor for her selection in a school. Johnson provided the glimpse of home that LaCombe desired on what would be her future team.

“It was important to me to have some connection and comfortably with whatever school I was going to choose,” LaCombe said. “So knowing I would have Cara from back home definitely was a big factor in leading me here.”

Head coach Paul Flanagan believes the connection for the two transcends just the Syracuse hockey team, as well.

“It happens quite a lot — where the best athletes in smaller areas get to know each other quite well,” Flanagan said. “And I’m sure they got to know each other real well and may have had some sort of direct or indirect affect on Allie’s decision.”

Since LaCombe’s cousin used to play for Syracuse, Johnson doesn’t take responsibility for LaCombe choosing SU. Yet she did remember the jubilance both of them shared when LaCombe broke the news that she had been accepted into the school.

Now Johnson’s inclination reflects a microcosm of their relationship.

The modest and mild-mannered Johnson doesn’t look upon herself as a leader or captain, but her closest peers — especially LaCombe — would like to convince her that she is.

“She’s a senior this year and has been a phenomenal leader for us on and off the ice,” LaCombe said. “But really, being so close to her for so long, I’ve looked up to her almost my entire life.”

Published on February 12, 2014 at 1:26 am

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman