No. 15 Rutgers (4-3) at No. 13 Syracuse (3-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
Two ball clubs that have been up and down do battle in the Carrier Dome. Talk about a home stand; this will be the sixth straight game for the Orange in their friendly confines. It was just announced, however, that their next game against Duke — also set for the Dome — will have be moved to another venue because of NCAA women’s basketball. In the meantime, we get a matchup that if anything like last year’s meeting, a 14-10 Scarlet Knights win, will be fast-paced and heart pounding.
Rutgers had been riding a two-game win streak until it stumbled this week against Lehigh. The Scarlet Knights saw an 8-5 lead evaporate quickly in the third period but battled back to take a 10-9 lead early in the fourth. From there it was all Mountain Hawks. In order to correct the course Rutgers will need to play with more energy and emotion against Syracuse. They’ll also need some production from their midfield. Currently converted attackman Tommy Coyne (7, 4) is leading the charge in the middle, but players like Casey Rose (5, 1) and Owen Mead (7, 1) need to up the ante to support an explosive attack. Down low, Kieran Mullins (15, 10) is the conductor with Adam Charalambides (17, 6) and the slippery Ryan Gallagher (7, 6) providing punch. Goalie Max Edelmann (61%) has put up caree- highs in saves in two of the last three games for Rutgers, including an 18-save gem against Princeton. He will be needed big-time against the Orange. Defenseman Kyle Pless (12CT) has adjusted to playing close defense but still is at this best in the open field.
Syracuse is fresh off a big 14-10 win over Hopkins. That one had some good old-fashioned Dome magic. Down 9-8 after three quarters you could sense the Orange wave coming. It arrived courtesy of a Jacob Buttermore goal early in the fourth quarter that gave Syracuse a lead it would never relinquish. A huge difference maker for Syracuse has been LSM Brett Kennedy (2G). His energy, speed and hustle have been on point in 2019. The midfield, featuring Buttermore (9G, 1A), Brendan Curry (8, 7) and Jamie Trimboli (6, 3) has been the lifeblood of the Orange offense. Attackman Bradley Voigt (12, 2) has been a slick finisher but you still feel like the attack needs to do more. Netminder Drake Porter (58%) has been good and is getting better but has yet to play a game in a Syracuse uniform outside of the Dome. Syracuse seemingly has the edge at the face-off dot, but Rutgers was stellar against Lehigh.
