SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After three straight road games, No. 9 Syracuse (4-2, 2-0 BIG EAST) returned home to the Carrier Dome and posted a 10-6 victory against Providence (1-4, 0-2 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, March 21. In the process, the Orange improved to 14-0 all-time in BIG EAST play and extended its home winning streak to seven games.
Nine players combined for the Orange’s 10 goals versus the Friars. Senior Tommy Palasek (Rocky Point, N.Y.) was the team’s only multi-goal scorer, netting two in the first quarter. He also passed out an assist to finish with a team-best three points. Sophomore Derek Maltz (Ashburn, Va.), junior JoJo Marasco (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and redshirt senior Tim Desko (Syracuse, N.Y.) each had one goal and one assist in the contest.
At the opposite end of the field, the Orange received a tremendous effort from its defense. The Friars attempted just 16 shots in the game, while committing 22 total turnovers. A season-high 13 of Providence’s miscues were caused by the Orange. In addition, Syracuse shut out Providence for a stretch of 24:09 from the first to the third quarter and didn’t allow an even-strength goal until the final period.
“I thought the defense played really well,” SU head coach John Desko said. “We had some good matchups there. We were able to create turnovers with double teams and pressure them throughout the game.”
Sophomore Matt Harris (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and senior Brian Megill (Clark, N.J.) led the defensive charge. Harris tied his career high with six ground balls. Megill picked up three ground balls and matched his personal best with five caused turnovers.
Palasek gave the Orange a 1-0 advantage less than a minute into the game. After Providence tied the score on an extra-man goal by Robert Flemming, Marasco reclaimed the lead for Syracuse, scoring on a running jump shot with 8:39 left in the first period.
It was all Syracuse after that. Marasco’s goal sparked a 5-0 Orange run that resulted in a 6-1 halftime advantage. Marasco and Palasek each recorded a goal and an assist in the scoring spurt.
Providence finally broke its scoring drought with another man-up goal, this one by Niall Cahill 24 seconds into the third quarter to make it 6-2.
The Orange led 8-3 advantage in the fourth quarter before Providence’s JT Weber notched the team’s first even-strength tally with 13:42 remaining. After Weber’s goal both sides scored twice down the stretch to produce the 10-6 final.
Orange sophomore goalie Dominic Lamolinara (Arnold, Md.) made his first career start in the cage. He played the full 60 minutes and registered four saves to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Christian Dzwilewski totaled 15 saves between the pipes for the Friars. Offensively, Andrew Barton paced Providence with three points (2g, 1a).
Syracuse welcomes No. 14 Villanova to the Carrier Dome on Sunday, March 25. Faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Sports and SportsNet New York (SNY).
Game Notes: The Orange is now 4-0 all-time against the Friars and has outscored Providence in the series, 59-17 … Syracuse has won 26 games in a row against unranked opponents … Freshman Ralph D’Agostino (Tewksbury, N.J.) made his debut at the faceoff X and won both draws he attempted … Sophomore Pat Powderly (Reisterstown, Md.) scored his first career goal in the fourth quarter.
Courtesy: SU Athletics
