An incredible performance from the Hoya goalie and 22 Orange turnovers combined to give Georgetown a 10-8 victory.
WHAT HAPPENED: The game was extremely slow paced and the first half score reflected that. Each team scored just two goals in the first quarter and Syracuse scored once in the second to take a 3-2 lead into halftime. The Orange fell behind by three goals in the third quarter. Syracuse turned the ball over six times and Georgetown capitalized, scoring four goals. The Orange couldn’t catch up in the fourth quarter, mainly because of the 1-for-8 performance at the X. With a win today, the Orange could have clinched a Big East tournament berth. Now, they’ll have to beat Notre Dame next week to avoid a tiebreaker.
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WHAT IT MEANS: This game meant a tremendous amount for both teams playing. Georgetown was trying to salvage a season that has been less than stellar. The Hoyas have lost a lot of close games and led Notre Dame by five, only to give up that lead and lose. The Orange was trying to reestablish itself in the Big East. Winning would have put the team comfortably into the Big East tournament and probably even the NCAA tournament. But this might not be a terrible situation for the Orange. Notre Dame is a very talented team and the game is a must-win for Syracuse. This might give the Orange some reason to fight. A problem all season has been the team’s lack of energy and urgency. This gives the senior leadership a reason to get the troops rallied. They don’t want their next game to be their last.
If the Orange wants to win next week, someone has to step up at the X. Will it be Brian Megill? Chris Daddio? Ricky Buhr? Today, Megill picked up 2-of-5 and Chris Daddio grabbed 7-of-15. If the Orange can stay right around .500, the team will greatly benefit from those possessions.
STAR GAZING: It’s tough to pick a star on the Orange but Bobby Eilers stood out over the rest of his teammates today. He scored twice and assisted on one goal. But the real star of the game was Georgetown’s Matt Winter. His 12 saves don’t even tell the whole story. With a couple minutes left in the game, the Orange had pulled within two and he made a couple huge, point-blank saves. Tommy Palasek was all alone in front of the net in transition, he faked a couple times and Winter made an incredible kick save. He was the star of this game.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse finishes up the regular season when it travels to South Bend to take on Notre Dame on Saturday, April 28 at 5 p.m. TV: ESPNU.