By Brooke Killgore
Photo Credit: Arnav Pokhrel (Instagram: @prod_adp)
HAUPPAUGE, NY—The Orange fell to a dominant Seawolves offense this weekend, a close 7-6 loss on Saturday followed by a 10-3 blowout on Sunday. Syracuse is now 0-4-0 in the ESCHL standings.
After just recovering from their last weekend’s fall to Ohio University, Syracuse looked to find some rhythm against a 2-5-1 Stony Brook University.
Stony Brook had struggled in the 2023 season, especially after a run to the playoffs last year. Their season ended in the ESCHL playoffs against then-ranked #18 Pittsburgh, and since then, their performance hasn’t shined.
Yet, Syracuse struggled to pull out a victory during the series. Last weekend, the Orange lost junior forward Brock Alvers and sophomore forward Jack Alecia to injury, so the lines were readjusted. Newer players were paired with more experienced players, such as first-year forward Brendan Duffy with senior forward Sam Hutchinson and sophomore forward Isaac Arnold.
Saturday’s game was one for the books as Syracuse came within tie-range several times against Stony Brook’s line. The first period entailed freshman forward Carter Rugg’s power play score alongside first-year forward Brendan Duffy’s first collegiate goal.
“It was a tough battle, but for me personally, I had my first goal, so that was definitely nice,” Duffy said. “We’ve got a lot of guys banged up [like] Alvers and Alecia…they’re usually on the top line there, so we’re missing them. But [I’ve] got an opportunity to step in there. I really like playing with the guys that I played with, Hutchison and Arnold.”
The Queensbury native would go on to score two more and assist freshman forward Matt Mahoney’s goal in the third.
Although Syracuse found the back of the net consistently all three periods—Mahoney and Duffy in the second and sophomore forward Isaac Arnold and defenseman Connor Chesner in the third—Stony Brook met them each time.
Syracuse sophomore goaltender John Angelino was in the net for his second collegiate start but struggled to keep the Long Island team out of his box. The Seawolves had six goals within the first two periods and headed into the third with a lead of 6-4.
The game was close in the third period as Mahoney scored to push the Orange to 6-5. Even with a goal from Chesner late into the game, Stony Brook finished off the ‘Cuse with one last score, ending the first match 7-6.
The Orange ended Saturday’s game with 43-29 shots on goal, a low scoring percentage, something head coach Chris Timmons discussed in an intermission interview.
“We’ve got to stick to our game plan and understand what they’ll be throwing at us. That comes with being able to scan the ice, read the situation, and react to make the right plays,” Timmons said. “We just [have to] make sure we’re shooting to score and not try to make it easy for [their goaltenders].”
Sunday brought more changes to the line as junior goaltender Chris Spano took Angelino’s spot in the net. Even with this, the ‘Cuse could not kick into gear and handed Stony Brook another win, 10-3.
The game finished with 47-40 shots on goal and a score per period for the Orange—Duffy in the first, sophomore forward Jack Wren in the second, and Mahoney in the third. A devastating shutdown from Stony Brook sent Syracuse home on the bus with a 0-4 ESCHL record and close to the bottom overall.
“We made some costly mistakes; some goals that shouldn’t be happening on plays that we had full control…we were just trying to do too much,” Timmons stated. “I think we dominated with our systems, and you look at the opportunities they got, and it was when we didn’t play true to ourselves.”
Syracuse—now 6-7-1— is home this upcoming weekend, where they will take on the 6-7-2 Drexel University Dragons. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. All home games are played at the Tennity Ice Pavilion on Syracuse University’s campus and are free to attend for students and the general public. Home games are also broadcast live for free on the SU Hockey Network.
Contact me:
X: @BKillgore13
Email: bnkillgo@syr.edu
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