By Kevin Dorr and Isabella Apple
#26, Sophomore forward, Sam Hutchinson
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Orange (3-12-0) are gearing up for a weekend matchup with the New York University Violets (7-4-3). This will be the second series between these two New York ESCHL teams. In October, the Violets bested the Orange 3-2 and 4-2 in Manhattan.
Saturday’s game will be played at the Upstate Medical Arena at The Oncenter War Memorial, home of the Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning).
Although the Orange have played at the OnCenter in years past, no one on the current roster has ever played in the arena.
Senior Tim Kalinowski said it’s a reflection of the growth the program has sustained over the past few years.
“I couldn’t be more excited. It’s huge for our program to play in these types of games and speaks to the direction we are headed [in],” said the forward.
This will be a unique experience for all playing and watching the game. Sophomore Sam Hutchinson appreciates playing at a professional hockey arena.
“We’re very lucky to have the opportunity to play at such a nice venue,” said the forward. “Not many teams get to do something like this, so it’s going to be special”.
At the end of the day, this is just another league game with two points on the table.
“Regardless of the occasion, this is a huge two points for us on Saturday and we need to come out flying,” said Hutchinson.
Admissions to the game is still free of charge, and the puck will drop from the OnCenter at 1:30 pm, a time change from 2:00 pm when the game was originally scheduled. Fans attending the game are being asked to enter through the State Street entrance.
Also, the Orange will be hosting a raffle on Saturday for a chance to win an authentic Rebirth orange jersey - one of the new uniforms that Syracuse unveiled this season. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased at the Syracuse Crunch’s game against the Rochester Americans which begins at 7:00 pm.
The raffle prize, modeled by #29, sophomore, Alexander Oakes
Tickets to the Crunch game can be purchased using this link, and $5 from each ticket purchased through the link will be donated back to Syracuse University ACHA Hockey.
Forward Colin Morrow said it’s an amazing feeling to be backed by the local professional team.
“We both want to build the game of hockey in Syracuse and be an inspiration to young players in the area,” said the senior. “It’s great to see we’re supporting one another along the way.”
Sunday’s game will be back at Tennity with a 2:00 pm puck drop.
Throughout the season, Chris Timmons’ squad has improved in most aspects of the game, especially in the defensive zone. Defensive zone turnovers have been limited, which contributes to clean breakouts. With a young team and first-year coach, there was a natural learning curve. A main theme for this season is improvement.
This will be a great test for the Orange since they played two close and competitive games against the Violets when the season was young.
The Orange have been playing much better at even strength, which is obviously important. However, special teams have been lousy.
The power play scored just one time out of 11 opportunities two weeks ago against West Chester. Throughout the season, special teams have struggled on both sides with the power-play not being much of an asset for the Orange, and teams like Stony Brook (#9 in the ACHA) capitalizing on man-advantage situations.
Junior Mackenzie Murphy recognizes the changes needed to improve there.
“We need to shoot more on our power play”, said the defenseman. “We’re being a bit too patient and looking for the perfect scoring opportunity. [We] need to get bodies in front of the net and look for loose sticks.”
Murphy quarterbacks the top power-play unit of the Orange and had an assist on Syracuse’s lone power-play goal against West Chester.
Coming off a holiday break, players should be well-rested and looking to play hard. The effort and compete level have been satisfactory all year. At this point in the season, the Orange need to string together strong shifts consistently.
Forward Anthony Larkin understands the need for consistency to win games.
“We need to be ready for a full 60-minutes, from the first puck drop to the final buzzer,” said the freshman. “A full 60-minute effort will get us a win.”
If fans can’t make it to the game this time, they are encouraged to cheer on the Orange through the Livestream brought to you by the talented Syracuse broadcasting team of Cam Ezeir, Doug Lattuca, and Raven Brink. The stream can be found here.
Contact us:
By e-mail: kcdorr@syr.edu
By e-mail: Iengelha@syr.edu
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