Finisher Keogh stays hot with 3rd hat trick in 3 games

Three has been a lucky number for Stephen Keogh - the Syracuse attack has scored a hat trick in three consecutive games.

Keogh, a sophomore, presented himself as a dominant force in the Orange's attack Friday as he tallied five points in Syracuse's 15-13 win over Albany.

The goals came easy for Keogh, who balances the SU attack as a finisher to complement passers like Kenny Nims and Matt Abbott. Keogh currently leads the team in goals with 37, and his 3.09 goals per game average ranks second in the country.

Keogh helped the Orange to its eight-goal first-half lead that it later squandered away. As Syracuse attempted to hold on to its lead in the fourth quarter, Keogh passed the ball to Josh Amidon, giving Syracuse a four-goal lead.

The magic of three started against Cornell April 7, when Nims assisted Keogh for all three of his goals, helping the then-No. 5 Orange upset the then-No. 3 Big Red. Four days later, Keogh registered another hat trick against Rutgers. Keogh has scored at least three goals in eight of Syracuse's 12 regular games thus far.

"We got some good goals and came out with the win," Keogh said.

Another solid day at the X

For the second consecutive game, Syracuse came out with the advantage in faceoffs, winning 16-of-29, including the first seven, to open up the game.

The X was mainly patrolled by Gavin Jenkinson, who has all but cemented his role as the go-to guy for the Orange after a string of injuries sidelined former faceoff men Jake Moulton and Josh Knight. Jenkinson went 12-of-18, hitting his stride toward the end of the first quarter after developing a rhythm with midfielder Matt Abbott, who snuck in and secured the possession after some strong opening moves by Jenkinson. Abbott won his only faceoff in a man-down situation where the Orange couldn't afford to bring another player on to the field.

But perhaps the best sign for the Orange all night from the X was the return of Jake Moulton. After suffering a broken hand during practice before the Georgetown game on March 7, Desko had estimated he would be out for the remainder of the season. Moulton won 2-of-5 faceoffs.

Albany's goalie switch stalls Orange attack

Great Danes head coach Scott Marr said he's comfortable using a two-goalie system for the remainder of the season, and Friday's game showed why.

After starting goalie Drew DiCioccio was pulverized for 10 goals on 29 shots, Marr pulled his goalie at the half in favor of John Carroll. Carroll helped lead the Great Danes in the 9-1 comeback surge, coming within one goal of tying an SU team that led by eight goals at the half.

"I like both of them to be quite honest with you," Marr said. "I think Drew got the short end of the stick with so many possessions in our end. I thought John was very sharp though, he made some good saves."

The coach said he will continue using the system, as both goalies are freshmen and have shown flashes of strong performances. Marr said he has no complaints about having a pair of freshmen in the Carrier Dome environment, but doesn't have a firm decision as far as next game's starters now.

"At this point I like the fact that both can play, and at some point we can go to the two-goalie system - we'll make that decision on Sunday."

mkgalant@syr.edu

ctorr@syr.edu