Syracuse Split Series with Stony Brook
- Maria Kaffes
- 24 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Benjamin Lefkowitz and Sophia Volz
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Men’s Hockey team (10-15-4) returned home after a seven-game road trip for a two-game series against Stony Brook University (14-11-3). In an ACCHL North Division matchup, the Orange split the series, winning 5-3 on Saturday before falling 8-1 on Sunday's matchup.
Saturday’s game marked Military Appreciation Night, with SU wearing special-edition orange camouflage jerseys. The evening began with a ceremonial puck drop by U.S. Marine Corps veteran, John Shaheen.
Syracuse started strong and controlled possession early. However, a penalty put the Orange on the penalty kill, and the Seawolves converted to take a 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, Syracuse attempted a breakout, but Stony Brook forced a turnover to take a two-goal lead. After falling behind early, SU picked up the pace with its fourth line generating offensive chances.
Their strong shift led to a first-line goal with freshman Ben Brant burying the puck- his team-leading fifteenth goal of the year, making it a 2-1 game. Just over a minute later, junior forward Carter Rugg found a loose puck, tying the game, marking his seventh of the season.
Stonybrook opened the second period with pressure, but senior goalie AJ Finta made four key saves in the first three minutes. Eventually, the Seawolves cashed in on a rebound chance to take a 3-2 lead.
Physical play escalated in the second period, resulting in five combined penalties. Syracuse was assessed a five-minute major that carried into the third. Stonybrook held a one-goal lead heading into the final twenty minutes.
In the third, SU killed off the five-minute major and gained momentum. Junior forward Kade Cook found the back of the next- tying the game at three.
Midway through the third, Stonybrook took a slashing penalty to put Syracuse back on the power play. Just a few seconds later, SBU matched that penalty, putting SU on a five-on-three for over a minute.
The Orange delivered on the two-man advantage. Brant took the puck along the goal line and used a power move to slide it through the five-hole to give Syracuse a 4-3 lead.
The freshman wasn’t done yet. He added another power-play goal to complete the hat trick and extend Syracuse’s lead to two.
The Seawolves had a late push in the final minutes of the third, but the Orange held strong on the back end to secure a 5-3 win, snapping a six-game losing streak. Senior captain Connor Chesner was pleased with his squad’s effort and resiliency.
“I loved the way we played in the first game. We were down early, but we were not discouraged and fought our way back” Chesner said. “The energy on the bench was electric and it felt like we had gotten back to what we were before our skid.”
Headed into Sunday’s matchup, the Orange aimed to build on the momentum from Saturday. Syracuse entered the contest riding a seven-game winning streak over ACHA D1 opponent Stony Brook, after the Seawolves had previously won nine straight matchups in the series.
The team faced no lineup changes, with Finta starting in net once again for the Orange.
Syracuse opened the game with an aggressive pace, dominating the offensive zone with strong pressure.
Freshman defenseman Robbie Murphy anchored the Orange’s defense, turning away a breakaway opportunity by Stony Brook. However, just over three minutes into the game on a power play, the Seawolves struck first to open the scoring.
After the goal, Finta stood strong between the pipes, making a series of acrobatic saves to prevent the Seawolves from extending their lead.
Yet, Stony Brook continued their aggressive forecheck, catching Syracuse mid line change and extended their lead to 2-0 halfway through the first period.
A Seawolves crosschecking penalty gave the Orange a chance to strike back with under eight minutes to go in the period, but Syracuse was unable to capitalize despite several strong opportunities.
Stony Brook kept the pressure on, and despite Finta’s efforts, the Seawolves capitalized to push their lead to 3–0. Less than a minute later, they struck again, taking a commanding 4–0 advantage into the first intermission.
The Orange sought to regain momentum early in the second period, as the fourth-line of forwards Eli Pendergrass, Aiden Emery, and Henry Pendleton sustained an extended shift in the offensive zone.
Just over five minutes into the period, the Seawolves converted a rebound opportunity to stretch their lead to 5–0.
After offsetting penalties on both teams, Finta turned away a Seawolves odd-man rush. However, Stony Brook generated another breakaway shortly after. With under eight minutes remaining in the period, Stony Brook pushed its lead to 6–0.
Syracuse junior forward Brendan Duffy finally broke through on a power-play opportunity, scoring the Orange’s first goal with two minutes remaining in the second period.
The Seawolves responded quickly, as an unsuccessful clear by the Orange allowed for Stony Brook defenseman Joe Trazzera to close the period with another goal, bringing the score to 7–1.
Freshman netminder Cash Lawrence replaced Finta at the start of the third period. The Orange tried to generate scoring chances but were unable to secure consistent time in the offensive zone.
Lawrence held strong in net, denying the Seawolves on many shot opportunities. With under five minutes to play in the game, Stony Brook found the back of the net once more to seal the game with a final score of 8–1.
As the Orange prepare to host their final home series of the season next weekend, the loss marked the beginning of the end for several seniors, including Chesner.
“My time as an Orange has meant everything to me,” Chesner said. “These past four years have been the best of my life, and although it’s hard to think about moving on, this team still has more to accomplish.”
Syracuse will host ACHA opponent University of Pittsburgh at 6pm this Friday, February 13th, and at 2pm this Saturday, February 14th.
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.