Syracuse Drops Series Against IUP

By Brian Piendel

Photo Credit: Maria Kaffes / @mariakaffesimages

SYRACUSE, N.Y.— The Syracuse Men’s Hockey team (1-5-2) hosted the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Crimson Hawks (8-0-0) this past weekend, dropping both games by a one goal margin. Saturday night’s tilt was decided by an overtime winner with the Crimson Hawks winning 2-1 and Sunday afternoon’s back-and-forth affair ending 5-4 in favor of IUP.

Both games saw the Orange generate more shots on goal than the Crimson Hawks, tallying 47 and 58 respectively. Senior goaltender AJ Finta started in net both games, recording 27 saves on 29 shots on Saturday and 17 out of 22 shots on Sunday afternoon.  

Senior captain Connor Chesner got the series rolling with his first goal of the season halfway through the first period. Sophomore forward Jack McCormick and senior forward Jack Wren connected a smooth give-and-go pass before finding Chesner in front who put the puck home on his backhand at 12:52 in the first to give the Orange an early lead.  

Syracuse was inches away from extending the lead to two as freshman forward Ben Brant rung the post just under 40 seconds after the Orange’s first tally.  

Unfortunately for the Orange, the first period lead was short lived. IUP found an equalizer from Shane Miller at 15:19, assisted by Hunter Fairman and Chase Malloy.  

The second and third period of game one saw chances created by both sides. The Orange generated multiple scoring opportunities, including a breakaway chance from Nathan McLean, turned away by Hawks goaltender Connor Halpert with 10 minutes left in regulation.  

IUP found the game-winning goal in 3-on-3 overtime 1:27 into the extended period. Crimson Hawk forward Jace Rearic tossed a wrist shot on net that dribbled through AJ Finta’s pads and was poked into the net by Zack Sooy to conclude game one.  

Game two saw the Orange come out flying, tallying the game’s first six shots on goal. Syracuse’s aggression was short-lived as IUP converted on a 5-on-3-man advantage from Maddox Rearic, set up by Jace Rearic at 6:24 in the first.  

Special teams continued to be a point of emphasis for the Orange as they converted a man advantage opportunity of their own with under a minute left to play. The puck zipped around the attacking zone before Brant one-timed the puck past the Hawk’s goalie to tie the game at 19:35, freshman forward Nathan McLean and Chesner would get the assists on the play.  

IUP took a 3-1 lead to start the second period by virtue of tallies at 2:33 and 8:09, scored by Nathan Meola and Jake Schmelzer. The Crimson Hawks controlled the momentum of the game before taking a five-minute checking from behind major penalty at 12:21.  

The Hawk’s major penalty quickly turned into a goal for the Orange. Jack Wren glided towards the goal untouched and slotted the puck into the top left corner at 14:45 in the second. Jack Duffy and freshman defender Hamilton Nordwind were credited with assists on the power play goal.  

Not even a minute later, the Orange found the back of the net again, still on the power play to tie the game at three at 15:08 in the second. Brant added his second tally of the afternoon, assisted by Nathan McClean and sophomore defensemen Ryan Thomas to bring the game back to even. 

The Oranges’ momentum continued into the third period with a go-ahead goal from Brendan Duffy at 3:46 on the powerplay. Chesner’s wrist shot created a rebound, quickly picked up by Duffy and slotted past the goalie. Junior forward Kade Cook got the secondary assist on the goal.  

IUP tied the game with a wrist shot from the blue line by Nathan Meola. The Hawks would score the eventual game winner on a two-on-one opportunity, slotted into the net by Hunter Fairman at 14:05. The Crimson Hawks claim both victories in the weekend series to continue their undefeated campaign.  

The Orange look to bounce back next weekend against #2 ranked Adrian College at Arlington Ice Arena on October 17, at 7:05 and October 18, at 1:05. 

All home games are played at the Tennity Ice Pavilion on Syracuse’s campus and are free for students and the general public. Home games are streamed live on the SU Hockey Network. Radio broadcasts are also available for all away games.