Orange Opens 2015 Season Against Siena

(4) SYRACUSE (0-0) vs. SIENA (0-0)
Game Details: Saturday, February 7 | 4 p.m.
Location: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Game Links: Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Television: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel
Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM (Syracuse)
Twitter: @Cuse | @CuseMLAX
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes
Siena Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The fourth-ranked Orange (0-0) kicks off the 2015 season on Saturday, Feb. 7 when it hosts Siena (0-0) at 4 p.m. inside the Carrier Dome. The game marks the earliest season opener in program history and the contest is the middle game of an Orange lacrosse tripleheader. In addition to the men's game, the SU women start its season at noon against Denver. The Orange women also host Canisius at 7:30 p.m.

Syracuse is coming off an 11-5 last season in which it earned the No. 2 in the NCAA Tournament, the team's 31st NCAA appearance in the last 32 seasons. Siena posted an 11-6 record in 2014 and won its third MAAC championship in six years, and its second under current head coach John Svec.

SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
SU owns an all-time record of 76-19 (.800) in season-opening games. It is 35-10 in campaign starters since 1970 and has won 15 out of 16 under head coach John Desko.

In season-opening games at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse is 20-1 (.952). The team's only loss was a 16-15 decision in double overtime against Albany in the 2013 campaign starter.

The Orange defeated Siena, 19-7, in last year's season opener behind eight goals from Dylan Donahue, the most goals ever by an SU player in a season-opening game.

OFFENSE LOCKED 'N' LOADED
The Orange brings back six of its top nine point producers from last season and 75 percent of its total goals from a year ago (156-208). The leading returning goal-scorer is Dylan Donahue (37).

Donahue (54), Kevin Rice (80) and Randy Staats (56) all topped 50 points last season, the first time since 2001 Syracuse featured three 50-point scorers. Overall, SU returns 76.2 percent of its points (256-336), led by Rice's 80 (36 goals, 44 assists).

RICE STREAKING
Kevin Rice has a goal-scoring streak of 15 straight games, which is the sixth-longest active streak in the country. Rice scored at least once in each of the last 15 games of 2014. The only game in which he didn't find the net was the season-opener against Siena.

Rice has 36 total goals during the streak.

DONAHUE HAS HIS OWN STREAK
Dylan Donahue has recorded a point in 23 straight games, the longest such streak on the team. The streak dates back to April 27, 2013 against Notre Dame. Donahue has 75 points (50 goals, 25 assists) during the stretch. The last time Donahue failed to find the scoring column was on April 20, 2013 at Georgetown.

MULLINS CLIMBS CAREER LIST
Defenseman Brandon Mullins ranks sixth all-time at Syracuse in career caused turnovers (31). In 2014, Mullins was named a USILA Second Team All-American and was second on the team with 17 forced turnovers. Mullins posted a career-high four caused turnovers on March 8, 2014 versus St. John's and he's been credited with at least one caused turnover 19 of his 36 career games.

SCOUTING SIENA
Siena was 11-6 in 2014 and was picked to win the MAAC last month in a vote of the league's head coaches.

Senior attackman Richie Hurley is the reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Year. Hurley led the Saints in goals (34), assists (48) and points (82) last season. He accounted for 19.7 percent of the team's goals, 47.1 percent of the team's assists and 29.8 percent of Siena's points.

Conor Prunty, a 2014 All-MAAC selection, is Siena's top midfielder. Prunty had 26 goals and 11 assists a year ago. The Saints also return their top faceoff specialist and goaltender. Casey Dowd is the reigning MAAC Faceoff Specialist of the year. He won 58.8 percent of his draws (230-391) and ranked eighth in the NCAA in ground balls per game (8.88). Tommy Cordts started all 17 games for Siena in the cage and made 184 saves.

Head coach John Svec is in his fourth year at Siena. He is 30-20 overall and was named the MAAC Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2014.

THE SIENA SERIES
SU leads the all-time series with Siena, 3-0. Two of the three previous pairings occurred in the postseason. In addition to winning the first regular-season meeting between the programs last year, the Orange topped the Saints, 11-4, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Championship and 10-4 in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Championship.

Syracuse has outscored the Saints 40-15 in the series.

UP NEXT
Syracuse welcomes Central New York rival Cornell to the Carrier Dome on Sunday, Feb. 15 for the 100th meeting between the two teams. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Dylan Donahue

Brandon Mullins

Kevin Rice

Randy Staats

Syracuse University Athletics