Syracuse Drops Two Game Home-and-Home Series Against Niagara
- Maria Kaffes
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
By Benjamin Lefkowitz and Sophia Volz
SYRACUSE, NY - Syracuse continued its season with a home-and-home series against #8 Niagara University this weekend. On Friday, the Orange traveled to Lewiston, NY, where they fell short 3-0 against the Purple Eagles. They returned home on Saturday afternoon for a physical matchup, losing 6-0.
The Orange entered the weekend without a key contributor, Senior Forward Jack Alecia. Out with an injury, the team was forced to have to generate offense without their second highest points producer.
The Syracuse defenders came out strong in the first period, killing off consecutive Eagle’s power plays and keeping the game scoreless through both a 5-on-3 and a 4-on-4.
The Orange carried their resilient play into the second, where they opened the period with a minute remaining on the power play. While unable to capitalize, the Orange offense generated many strong chances.
Senior Goaltender AJ Finta stood strong between the pipes, deflecting many Eagles opportunities away. However, with just under half of the period remaining, Niagara struck first, putting the Purple Eagles up 1-0.
“We are a smart group that looks to get open for each other and play as a team,” freshman Ben Brant said. “They’re a structured team, so we just have to make plays and trust each other.”
During an aggressive forecheck, Charlie Bellinger tallied another for Niagara, extending the lead to 2-0. After an unsportsmanlike penalty against the Niagara Coach, the Orange looked to respond back, but were unsuccessful.
With under eight minutes to play in the third, Caden Glover scored, giving the Purple Eagles the 3-0 lead.
Syracuse battled hard during the start of the final frame, generating quality chances from Junior Kade Cook and Freshman Nathan McLean but were unable to find the back of the net.
Syracuse pulled Finta from the net on the powerplay with 2 minutes to go, a last attempt to generate offense during five on three play. They were unsuccessful, sealing the game at 3-0 in favor of Niagara.
Heading into the second game of the series, the Orange returned to Tennity Ice Pavilion, aiming to snap their four-game losing streak. Finta started in net again for Syracuse, his first back-to-back series of the season.
Syracuse and Niagara continued their physical play in the opening frame of the second game. Early in the first period, the Orange took a hooking call and Niagara capitalized on the power play to take the lead. After a tripping penalty on Niagara, Syracuse failed to capitalize on their first man advantage of the game, trailing 1-0 at the end of the period.
Early in the second, Niagara had opportunities to pad its lead, but Syracuse goaltender AJ Finta stood strong on a two-on-one break to keep it a one-goal game. The Orange applied pressure in search of their first goal of the series, but the Purple Eagles keeper, Jackson Pundyk, made several key saves in his season debut.
Niagara tallied back-to-back goals with less than ten minutes left in the second period, extending its lead to 3-0. The Purple Eagles kept the momentum going, finding the back of the net again just a minute later to make it 4-0.
Syracuse continued to battle, but Niagara’s offense stayed relentless, peppering Finta with shots. After a save attempt from the Orange’s goaltender Finta, Niagara broke through once more with under a minute left in the second to make it 5-0.
The Orange fought to stay in the game, but struggled to break out of their zone. In the third, Niagara’s Charlie Belanger roofed a top-shelf goal to end the game with a final score of 6-0.
Senior defenseman and newly named alternate captain Sean Caddo says the team is focused on getting back on track.
“We just have to stick to our identity, trust our systems, and keep working hard,” Caddo said.
“It’s been a tough start, but there’s still plenty of time to turn it around.”
Syracuse will host Indiana University of Pennsylvania next weekend at Tennity Ice Pavilion on Saturday, October 11th, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 12th, at 2 p.m.
All home games are held at the Tennity Ice Pavilion on Syracuse University’s campus and are free for students and the general public. Home games are also streamed live on the SU Hockey Network.