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Message: [QUOTE="Powellfan, post: 4566364, member: 4819"] Late to the party on this, but I was really impressed by the Syracuse performance this weekend. It was great to see an offense that moved the ball so well, with tons unselfish play. This is a unit that has so many weapons and they already look very comfortable playing with each other. I thought Spallina was fantastic and that he let the game come to him - he created his own shot plenty of times but also finished plays almost automatically that were set up for him. The competition will certainly improve but this seems like a group that has a very solid foundation. One worry point I saw in the Albany game was the performance of three of the freshmen, Leo, Rhoa and Kempney. All three seemed to have issues with footwork and they all looked a little shaky in the early going. That said they all finished with a goal in the game. Kempney did have three turnovers and seemed to lose his spot in the second line rotation to Rhoa. The tools are their for Kempney (he looks extremely fast and has a big shot) but might need a little more seasoning before he gets regular playing time. Pre-Holy Cross, I wanted to point out that what I was focused on was the performance of Michael Leo - only one goal in his first two games on five total shots, as a first line middie. But he was great against HC, with two goals and two assists, one of which a beautiful cross crease pass to find Spallina on the door step. I've noticed that since he draws a short stick he has been initiating a lot of offense, dodging down the left side alley to either pass through x or take a shot. You can see his confidence growing (he dusted a Crusader shorty and scored an easy goal). Again, competition will improve but he will be key to keeping defenses honest. Defense has been night and day since last year. It's not just the individual play (broken record here but competition will only get better) but the slide packages have been perfectly timed in all three games. There have been a few miscues of course, but last year the defense was leaving opposing offensive players wide open on the door step with alarming frequency. This hasn't been the case this year at all, as slides come fast and aggresive, usualy leading to a turnover. Clary has been a surprise as the number one defender, I thought he was great against Graydon Hogg, holding the best Albany player to one goal, which wasn't an easy one. A little less good against McInter of Holy Cross but your really nitpicking in this case. Shorties have held up under pressure though their workload will certainly increase. And of course you can't say enough good things about Will Mark. I give lots of credit to Petro for working hard this offseason to imrpove this unit. You can tell its not just having better goalie play, but lots of little changes have made a huge improvement. Everyone seems to playing in synch and knows what the other will do. This finally looks like a real unit. Anyways, great to finish this opening stretch 3-0. Things are about to get a lot harder but they are certainly passing the eye test right now. Face-offs remain a concern but Richiusa has been doing okay. Better than expected against both Vermont and Albany I would say but not quite as good against Holy Cross. That is still my biggest worry but you can see some potential in that area of the field. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?