By Isabella Cucci and Chloe Martinez
SYRACUSE, NY — SU Men’s Hockey celebrated with its Hall of Fame Weekend by sweeping the No. 23 University of Delaware infront of several generations of SU players, with a nail-biting 6-5 shootout victory on Friday and a resilient 3-2 win on Saturday.
The story of Friday’s game consisted of back and forth penalties between two physical squads in the high scoring affair with some remarkable goaltending from AJ Finta.
In the early stages of the game, Delaware controlled play in the offensive zone, testing junior goaltender AJ Finta, who finished the first period with a perfect save percentage. Finta’s diligence in the net allowed for SU to pursue an aggressive and fast paced approach on offense. Junior forward Jack Alecia netted his ninth goal of the season off assists from fifth-year and captain Sam Hutchinson as well as junior defenseman Sean Caddo.
Within 56 seconds of the start of the second period, SU defenseman Ryan Thomas took advantage of an early powerplay opportunity, his first collegiate goal in the orange and blue, putting SU up 2-0.
“It felt amazing honestly, I think I [wasn’t thinking] during the moment..” Thomas said. “The puck ended up at my feet and I just tried to get it on net as quick as possible… luckily it went in.”
Throughout the game, the presence of generations of former SU skaters and coaches shook Tennity Ice Pavilion and left an impression on the current team.
“That was a great feeling,” Thomas added, describing the moment after scoring. “It’s nice to have them all here supporting us. They paved the way for everything we have now, so it was great to see them show up.”
Delaware responded quickly as forward Cody Dias brought the Blue Hens back within 1 about a minute later. The ‘Cuse promptly answered with back-to-back goals, with Hutchinson recording his first of the season of a set faceoff play. Freshman forward and Eastern State Collegiate Hockey League point leader (17) Cam Gaffney followed suit on a goal off the rush.
The Blue Hens eventually pulled their starting goaltender Timothy Briley, who finished the night with 13-17 shots turned away and a .765 SV%. Jacob Snellenburg entered as the replacement in an attempt to shift momentum.
Opening the third period for the Blue Hens, forward Justin Guelph scored a power-play goal to bring the Hens back within 1. The period was marked by a high level of physicality, with players frequently engaging in aggressive play. As a result, all four goals scored by both teams in the third were on the power play.
With ten minutes on the clock, the Blue Hens tied the game 5-5, which sent the start of Alumni weekend into overtime.
After a period of back and forth and intense defensive efforts by both teams, the game headed into the shootout.
The University of Delaware stepped up first with sophmore Tanner Mahoney. Mahoney attempted to go between the legs, but AJ Finta was up to the challenge . For the Orange, senior forward Evan Vasolvoski was first and drew Snellenburg out of the crease in slow motion to convert on SU’s first attempt.
For Blue Hens, senior forward Ryan Rodrigues looked for a quick shot, but Finta successfully turned it away. Freshman Cam Gaffney would have the opportunity to seal the win for the Orange in which he was able to slide one past Snellenburg five-hole to win it for the Orange on the first game of the series.
Finta recorded 50 saves off 55 shots and defended seven penalty kills, pushing Syracuse to its first conference win of the season..
“I owe it to these guys. There are times earlier in that game to make a save and I don't know where the puck is; they clear it out in front. It’s a full team effort.” Finta said, “Again, it feels good, it was a big one for us.”
Going into back-to-back games against the Blue Hens, alumni and their families filled the stands to cheer on the Orange for Saturday’s matchup.
As both teams entered the first period of Game 2, both teams were unable to capitalize resulting in a scoreless period. Finta maintained the same momentum he showcased the night before, making multiple saves throughout the period.
Picking up the pace, the ‘Cuse landed on the board first with a goal from senior forward Max Gargurevich — his first of the season. Delaware forward Ryan Rodrigues answered back with the help of Justin Guelph and Tanner Mahoney.
At the start of the third, Brendan Duffy received a double minor, putting Syracuse short-handed. The one-man disadvantage didn’t stop Syracuse as Gargurevich found the net again on a short-handed breakaway opportunity, putting Syracuse up 2-1.
Soon after, Thomas found himself with his second power-play goal of the series, putting SU up 3-1. While Delaware netted one more, attempting a comeback, Syracuse secured a 3-2 win, defeating the Blue Hens in a 2-0 series.
This victory marked the first time the Orange have swept a team during Alumni Weekend since its inauguration in 2019. Before the weekend series, SU had gone 1-6 against Delaware.
This weekend, Syracuse travels to Oswego on Friday and returns to Tennity Ice Pavilion for “Pink The Rink” on Saturday. “Pink The Rink” honors Breast Cancer Awareness month and encourages fans to show support by wearing pink. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m on Friday and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
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.
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