No. 3 Syracuse Tops No. 2 Stony Brook 3-2 in Overtime to Advance to ESCHL Finals March 17, 2019 Owen Sienki- Syracuse, NY On Saturday, March 16, the third-seeded Syracuse Orange (19-10-2) faced off against the second-seeded Stony Brook Seawolves (20-9-3) in an ESCHL tournament semifinal game. After a grueling five-period tilt against NYU on Friday afternoon, the Orange hoped to continue their tournament run with another big win against Stony Brook University. Similarly, the Seawolves hoped to continue on to the tournament final after enjoying their second-seed bye from the quarterfinal. The winner of this semifinal matchup would be given the opportunity to play against Liberty University in the ESCHL finals on Sunday, March 17. Stony Brook controlled the pace of the game over the half of the first period, not allowing the Orange to generate much offense in the Seawolves’ zone. The Seawolves generated significant shot opportunities, but senior goaltender Jake Kahler stood strong in net for the Orange after allowing four goals on 17 shots on Friday against NYU. “Honestly I was focusing on this game as soon as we got off the ice yesterday,” Kahler explained his approach heading into Saturday’s game. “I knew that if I stood tall for the boys they would capitalize and finish the job, and they absolutely did.” Syracuse broke the momentum with about eight minutes remaining in the period with some solid shot opportunities of their own, but it seemed like that momentum shift would be snuffed out when Syracuse forward Matt Jacobs was sent to the penalty box with 4:40 remaining in the period. However, the Orange would strike first with their third shorthanded goal of the tournament 56 seconds later, when junior forward Owen Herrington received a pass along the boards from senior alternate captain Trip Franzese and found himself on a breakaway. Closing in on net, he deked to his backhand to open up the right side of the net, then moved back to his forehand and deposited the puck past junior goaltender Richard Shipman. The Orange would kill off the remainder of the penalty and finish the first period with a 1-0 lead. The Orange carried that momentum out of the first period and into the start of the second, applying strong pressure in the Stony Brook zone for the first five minutes of the second frame. However, the momentum shifted 6:43 into the period, when senior forward Brad Riccardi found himself on an odd-man rush into the Syracuse zone with a teammate on his left wing. Opting to peel off from the net, he sent a pass back to senior defenseman Frank Coscia, who sent in a wrist shot past Jake Kahler to tie the game up at 1-1. The majority of the middle part of the second period was played in the neutral zone, with both teams trading rushes but not goals. Then, with 2:07 showing on the clock, the Seawolves struck again when freshman forward Dustin Rinaldo rung around the back of the net and found sophomore defenseman Brendan Pepe with a pass. Pepe received it and quickly snapped a shot over Kahler’s glove to put his team in the lead 2-1 by the end of the second period. Both teams upped the intensity of their play in the final period of regulation, with the Seawolves attempting to maintain the lead and the Orange hoping to execute a comeback. Goaltending made the difference in the period, with both Jake Kahler and Richard Shipman trading outstanding saves and performances throughout the period. 9:23 into the period, Syracuse finally worked the puck into the back of the net after a mad scramble at point-blank range. Syracuse’s celebration was cut short, however, as the refs ruled no goal because the net had been dislodged before the puck crossed the goal line. With 5:40 remaining in regulation, Stony Brook was given an opportunity to extend their lead late in the game after a Trip Franzese penalty. The Seawolves tested Jake Kahler with several difficult-to-save shots, including a quick wraparound from Dustin Rinaldo, but the senior netminder held strong in the crease. 2:07 later, SU point leader and junior alternate captain Peter Owen Hayward found himself on a breakaway, but Richard Shipman stacked the pads to make a strong save to keep his team on top. SU head coach Connor Treacy made the decision to pull Jake Kahler for an extra attacker as the final minute of the game approached. With just 14 seconds left, another scramble ensued out front of the Stony Brook net, resulting in what the Orange believed to be an equalizing goal. However, the referees could not confirm whether or not the puck crossed the goal line, as Stony Brook forward Devon Palmieri had covered the puck with is glove, so the officials granted Peter Owen Hayward a penalty shot and a chance at redemption after his missed breakaway opportunity earlier in the period. “I had a little chat with Kahler before the shot and he thought backhand was the move so I just trusted it and made sure I had plenty of speed coming in,” Hayward described his plan for the shot. Kahler’s advice seems to have worked, as Hayward rushed towards the net with speed, moved to his backhand, and elevated the puck past the blocker of Shipman to tie the game up at 2-2 and send it into overtime. “[Coach Treacy] just told us to come out really hard and try to get one early and I don’t think the puck left their zone in overtime so I guess we did a pretty good job of following his advice,” Peter Owen Hayward explained the team’s strategy heading into the overtime period. The team certainly stuck to the plan and executed it well. Just one minute into overtime, SU junior defenseman Luke Caddo fired a shot from the point that came loose in front of the net. Finding it was Trip Franzese, who wasted no time in slapping the puck into the back of the net and putting the game away for his team.
With Saturday night’s win over the Stony Brook Seawolves, the Orange earned their spot in the ESCHL tournament finals, to be played on Sunday afternoon against the Liberty University Flames. Liberty secured their spot in the finals after defeating the University of Delaware Blue Hens, peppering their opponents with 52 shots on goal and converting on both of their power play opportunities. Senior forward Zechariah Roberts led the offensive effort with two goals. “[The plan is] Same as always: work hard, be disciplined and trust our speed and skill to take care of the rest,” Syracuse alternate captain Peter Owen Hayward said, looking ahead at Sunday. “We feel like we’re playing with house money here so we’re going to go have a great last game as a group and hopefully come out on top.” “We’re so fired up about the two overtime wins but we still know there one more game to take care of. Our focus is all on liberty right now and we couldn’t be more ready to get that trophy,” senior goalie Jake Kahler commented after Saturday’s game. The puck drop for the ESCHL finals matchup in West Chester, Pennsylvania, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 17. Fans can live stream the game on the team’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hipmDNLyMY.