By Zoe Jurmann
#6, Freshman, Forward, Max Gargurevich. © David Herman
SYRACUSE, N.Y.--- This weekend the Syracuse Orange (3-14-0) faced off against the NYU Violets (9-4-3) in their last series before winter break. Although they lost both games, the Orange showed improvement as the weekend progressed.
On Saturday, the Orange played a ‘Cuse X Crunch game at Upstate Medical University Arena, home of the AHL team the Syracuse Crunch (the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate).
This game featured two of the best periods the Orange have played so far this season, leading 5-4 by the end of the second. It seemed like everything fell apart in the third with the Violets scoring five consecutive goals.
Despite all of the excitement and hope around the game, the Orange lost 5-9. Though, this was the highest-scoring game of the season thus far for the Orange.
Alternate captain Mackenzie Murphy views Saturday’s game as a growing experience for Syracuse Men’s Hockey as a whole, and really enjoyed his experience at Upstate.
“Obviously not the result we wanted. That being said, tonight said a lot about where the program is heading. I like to think that at some point Syracuse will have NCAA hockey and play their home games downtown,” said the junior. “The Crunch were great hosts and Jim Sarosy and Vance Lederman were a big reason why. Nothing but great things to say about those guys. We’re so thankful they gave us the opportunity to skate on their ice.”
Saturday’s game also saw first goals for not one but three Orange freshmen. Defenseman Zach Goldenberg has been a very versatile player for the Orange, playing both forward and defense for the team on multiple occasions.
Netting his first ever goal as an Orange on Saturday, Goldenberg felt like the moment was well-awaited, especially with the team's struggles producing.
Goldenberg stated “It felt good to get it. Obviously, it's been a bit of a struggle for the team to score goals in general, and I’ve been bouncing around from forward to defense “It was nice to get one. I kinda just saw it in the air, saw it hit the ice, and I kinda just hit at it and it went in!”
Head coach Chris Timmons has been really happy with Goldenberg’s play so far.
“Goldie is known as our utility player or a Swiss Army knife, being able to play wherever we need him to and playing the role we need,” said Timmons. “It was good to see his hard work pay off and to get his first at the War Memorial,” the coach added.
Max Gargurevich was another rookie who after a hard-fought first half of the season was able to net his first goal as an Orange, with the help of linemates Colin Morrow and Tim Cook.
Gargurevich explained, “I mean, it felt good, it's kinda been a long time coming. Cooks and [Morrow] have kinda been trying to get me to that, and it felt good to get the ‘monkey off my back.’ So, hopefully, more to come.”
Timmons also praised Gargurevich for his effort and energy levels on the ice. This goal was a long time coming and very well deserved.
“Gargs has been a workhorse for us and has put in the effort level that has earned him his spot on the game-day roster from game 1,” said the head coach. “It was just a matter of time till his work was going to pay off and I’m sure it was a nice weight off his back to get the first one.”
Freshman Lucas Skolnick was the third player to get his first goal on Saturday.
Coach Timmons mentioned that Skolnick has been battling injury for quite some time, so it was nice for him to finally be able to reach this milestone.
Timmons added, “he’s been determined since he got back on the ice to make an impact in his return and he did that this weekend. He adds more stability and offense on the defensive end and it showed with his performance this weekend.”
Sunday’s matinee was also a first for rookie goaltender Chris Spano who had his first collegiate start in net.
Teammates and coaches were elated for Spano, and despite falling 4-3, were very happy with his play.
Spano was thrilled for the opportunity and is proud of the way he was able to bounce back from being down 4-0.
“I was really excited to get my first start. I’ve been looking forward to this moment ever since I’ve gotten here and I was just ready to prove myself to the team and the fans,” said the netminder. “It was obviously disappointing to let in three at the start - definitely not according to plan. Fortunately, a few of the guys came up to me and told me to just have fun out there. From there on out, I was able to stay level-headed and focus on playing my game.”
Coach Timmons applauds the goaltender’s growth throughout the season and is excited for future seasons with him in net.
Timmons explained, “Spano has put in the work at practice this past week and only has gotten better since day one. Even though the first period might not have gone the way he wanted, he bounced back in the second and third and dialed in to give us a chance to climb back in the game. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Teammate Gargurevich also explained how the other skaters really wanted to play their best defensively to aid Spano.
“There was a lot of excitement for Spano’s first start, definitely a lot of guys wanted to make sure we were protecting him in front, I think JD [Florio] showed that pretty well he took a hard penalty defending Spano in front of the net with a kid jabbing at him,” said the freshman. “While we were all rallying to protect him he ended up standing on his head for us and kept us in a game that totally could have run away from us early but he stood on his head after a tough first period and helped us get back in it."
Goldenberg also noticed Spano’s maturity level on the ice, despite his rookie status on the team.
“It was great to see [Spano] get his first start. He's looked great in practice and it showed in the game. He kept us in it and he looked really calm, which is impressive for a freshman goalie getting his first start,” said the defenseman.
Sunday’s matinee also featured freshman George Haywood dressing and playing in his first game for the Orange.
Haywood has been battling illness all season and was elated to find out he would finally be making his long-awaited season premier.
“It's nice to be back out here, I kinda put in the work these past few weeks, going no contact then coming back. Just being out here with these guys, it's awesome,” explained Haywood. “Being in the room, being in the atmosphere, I mean I love this team, so, the more time I can spend with them the happier I’m gonna be. Obviously, I was ecstatic.”
#18, Freshman, Forward, George Haywood © David Herman
Coach Timmons noticed Haywood’s impact on the team off the ice as a hype-man and an enthusiastic presence in the locker room. He also applauds the freshman’s job at generating energy after the Orange’s third goal.
Timmons stated, “He's a guy we lost to illness for about a month. He’s one of the guys who's a real energizer for us in practice. And he does it with his play as well, he plays physically. And I thought he was a guy who, if we need someone to step in for a guy who maybe didn’t do it the last shift, he was the right guy to do it. He was one of those guys who brought the right energy and brought the right attitude and he really boosted our bench morale.”
This weekend marked the end of the first semester of the 2021-22 season for the Orange as they head into winter break and will not play again for another month and a half.
Spano believes that this break will be beneficial to the Orange, especially as they continue to push
“Going into the break, I thought today’s game was a great step forward for our program. I think going into the break after an encouraging loss is going to be really important coming back next semester with a clean slate,” said Spano. “As for myself, I’m excited to have finished my first semester of both school and hockey. With this game, I’ve felt I proved to myself I could play at this level. Hopefully, I can contribute more going forward.”
Reflecting on the first half of the season may be beneficial for the team’s mentality according to Goldenberg.
Goldenberg believes “the break will be beneficial because we can all sit back and reflect on the first half and come back stronger. We've struggled and lost a lot of games and it gets frustrating. Taking the next few weeks off will allow us to come back energized and ready to go for the second half of the year and hopefully put together some wins.”
Coach Timmons expanded on this, stating that this break is acting as a clean slate for the team and that their effort in the third period of Sunday’s game gives him hope for the team’s future. He also appreciated the effort the team puts into their game, despite having a full workload on top of hockey.
“It's a new slate, you know, we have nothing to lose here. Unfortunately, our first half of the season was really a growing period. But from a coaching perspective and where we’re at as a team, I’m happy with the growth that we’ve had. I want these guys to focus on de-stressing, and balancing work and hockey, it's a tough job,” added the head coach. “ I think this is a good time to destress, get with family, take the mind off of it, rest up. We’ve had some guys who are sick and worrying about injuries, so the month and a half is gonna help us get back and come back with a lot more energy. I feel a lot more confidence based on the way we’ve been playing, we’ve just gotta connect the dots and that we play a full 60 minutes.”
You can catch the Orange after winter break as they take on Niagara University on January 15th at Tennity Ice Pavilion. Syracuse hockey wishes everyone a safe, happy, and healthy Holidays.
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Email: zjurmann@syr.edu
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