Box Score
Post-game Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - #8/9 Syracuse (2-0) outscored Army, 4-1, in the third quarter to overcome a one-goal halftime deficit on Sunday, Feb. 24, and went on to defeat the Black Knights, 8-7, in front of 4,656 fans at the Carrier Dome. With the victory, the Orange improved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2004 season and have won 12 of the last 13 meetings with the Black Knights.
SU used the 1-2 punch of senior attackman Mike Leveille (Delmar, N.Y.) and junior attackman Greg Niewieroski (Watertown, N.Y.) to hand Army (1-1) its first loss of the year. Leveille and Niewieroski combined for all four of SU’s goals in the crucial third period, and seven of the Orange’s eight goals on the day.
Leveille pushed his streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 41, finishing with six points on four goals and two assists, while Niewieroski added a hat trick.
Trailing 3-2 early in the third quarter, the duo went to work. Niewieroski began the scoring spree, finding the net with 11:31 remaining in the period to tie the game. Eight minutes later, Leveille fired the ball past Army goaltender Adam Fullerton to give Syracuse its first lead of the contest, 4-3.
Leveille hit Niewieroski for a score at the 2:16 mark, and added an unassisted goal 37 seconds later, to cap the run and open up a 6-3 SU advantage.
Army hung tough as Jason Peyer and Pat Fullerton registered back-to-back man-up tallies to cut the lead to 6-5 with 13:48 left in regulation, but Leveille came through with a pair of goals in the span of 11 seconds to push SU’s margin back to three, 8-5, at the 9:17 mark.
Still, the Black Knights refused to go quietly. Unassisted goals by Paul Wigdzinski and Peyer drew Army within one with 3:36 left, but Syracuse controlled the pace of play the remainder of the game, holding the ball for long stretches to take time off the clock. When the Black Knights did gain possession, the Orange’s aggressive ride forced two turnovers in the final 90 seconds to seal the win.
Syracuse dominated the game’s statistics, out-shooting the Black Knights, 43-22, and it held a 26-12 advantage in shots in the first half. The Orange also won the ground ball and face-off battles. SU collected 38 ground balls to Army’s 23 and won 13 of the game’s 18 faceoffs.
Senior faceoff specialist
Danny Brennan (Farmingdale, N.Y.) was 12-for-16 (.750) at the X for Syracuse. It marked the second straight week he finished better than 70 percent on draws. His 12 faceoff victories increased his career total to 300.
Freshman goalie
John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.) played all 60 minutes for the Orange and made six saves to earn the win. His counterpart, Fullerton, finished with 15 saves, 12 of which came in the first half as the SU offense unleashed a barrage of shots.
Fullerton’s stellar first-half effort allowed the Black Knights to gain leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 before SU’s third-quarter surge.
Midfielder Rob McCallion paced a balanced Black Knights’ attack with three points (1g, 2a). Peyer was the only player to find the back of the cage more than once for Army. He finished with two goals. Four other Black Knights each had one score.
Sunday’s game marked the SU debut of freshman midfielder
Jovan Miller (Syracuse, N.Y.) who scored the first point of his career with an assist on Leveille’s last goal.
Syracuse returns to action on Saturday, March 1 when it takes on #3 Virginia in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. The Orange and Cavaliers will faceoff at 12 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.
