By Hunter Kuchenbaur and Zoe Jurmann
SYRACUSE, NY – Orange fans can “tip” their cap to the TIP for now as the Syracuse Orange ended their season with a tough weekend on the road against the University of Rhode Island Rams that saw the Orange eliminated from ESCHL playoff contention. Syracuse went [2-11-0] since we discussed midseason statistics, so maybe I’m the bad luck charm! Regardless, let’s look at how the Orange left their mark on the box score this season.
MASTER AND APPRENTICE
No matter how many times the lines were shuffled in the Orange’s 2022-23 campaign, there was always the staple on the blue line: Mackenzie Murphy and Connor Chesner. As Murphy hangs up his skates for the Orange, Chesner’s career at the TIP is just getting started. The top D-pair combined for 26 points this season. The rest of the Orange defensemen to play a game combined for just 16 points. While Murphy will always be known for his backchecking ability, Chesner will fill Murphy’s shoes very well as the facilitator of the first powerplay unit. Chesner tied for 2nd in points on the Orange with 15, tallying a power play goal and power play assist on the season. Chesner recorded at least one point in 4 of the 9 victories this season, and the Orange were 3-1 in games Chesner scored at least one goal. Expect an offensive mentality on the backend for the 2023-24 campaign.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The Orange say goodbye to their #1 goaltender Nikolaos Manousos. After splitting the share of the workload last season with Cal Stewart, Manousos found himself between the pipes for 16 of the Orangemen’s 31 games this season. To say he improved is an understatement. The numbers speak for themselves:
2021-22:
2-9-0
5.41 GAA
.860 SV%
2022-23:
5-10-0
4.02 GAA
0.892 SV%
Manousos made over 200 more saves this year than last year despite playing just 4 more games. He averaged 26 saves per game last year and 32.44 saves per game this year. “Manny” also dominated the middle of Orange schedule as from November 6 to February 5 he yielded a 0.926 SV%.
Known “University of Buffalo slayer” Jordan Edelstein also hangs up the pads for the Orange. Of Edelstein’s 3 victories in the last 2 seasons, 2 of them came against UB. One was a 42 save shutout last season, and the other being this season where he made 27 saves on 29 shots for an OT victory. The Orange look for better results out of their young goaltending duo for next season: AJ Finta and Chris Spano. The two combined for 13 games played, a 4.675 GAA, and a 0.876 SV% this season.
RANK’EM
The Orange improved from 6-20-0 in 2021-22 to 9-21-1 in 2022-23. Let’s keep the trend rolling upward heading into next season! Fun fact of the year: The Orange were 2-2 against teams ranked lower than them in ACHA rankings at the end of the season. Here’s a recap of where the Orange stand in major categories compared to last season. Until September, Orange fans.
*All Rankings are in ACHA Men’s Divison 1*
2021-22 (68 teams) | 2022-23 (70 teams)
ACHA Rank: 55th | 55th
Goal Differential: -72 (60th) | -53 (59th)
Penalty Minutes: 363 (48th) | 353 (57th)
Regulation Wins: 5 (59th) | 6 (57th)
Home Win Percentage: 0.267 PCT (58th) | 0.313 PCT (54th)
Away Win Percentage: 0.182 PCT (57th) | 0.267 PCT (59th)
Power Play Percentage: 10.7% (68th) | 14.4% (63rd)
Penalty Killing Percentage: 67.3% (45th) | 82.5% (17th)
A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP
Next season is going to bring big changes to the Orange locker room. Having been a young, rookie heavy team for the past few seasons, much is about to change. The Orange are losing five seniors that have been the core of the team for a long time. Captain Mackenzie Murphy has been the representative of the team for as long as he has been on the team, and losing that voice will force the older skaters to step up. Junior Sam Hutchinson was named alternate captain late in the season, and he and fellow juniors are ready and willing to step into leadership roles previously filled by the seniors. The once considered young ESCHL team now has a large majority of players becoming upperclassmen, they need to rely on their teamwork and chemistry to add onto their successes from the season.
While the Orange did struggle with goalscoring and their offensive mindset, it's important to focus on the successes of the season and how they can improve for next season. Not only did the Orange improve in the win column, going 9-21-1, they improved on maintaining leads and putting up a fight when down. If the team can continue to improve on their successes and keep a positive attitude on and off the ice, they’ll be able to start next season off on the right track.
THANK YOU
The Orange, both the team and staff, would like to thank you for your support throughout the season. From attending games and cheering us on from the sidelines, to supporting our writing and broadcasting staff, your support does not go unnoticed. We can’t wait to see you back at the TIP for the 2023-24 season!
Contact Us
Hunter’s email: hckuchen@syr.edu
Zoe’s email: zjurmann@syr.edu
Zoe’s twitter: @Zoejurmann