Syracuse scored less than a minute in, and it was only a precursor for what was to come.

Freshman forward Ben King’s tally with 55 seconds gone was followed by three more in the first period and against inexperienced Indiana University of Pennsylvania goalie Austin Moody, SU jumped out to a four-goal advantage after 20 minutes.

The Orange (13-7) started early and never looked back in a convincing 9-2 win over Indiana University of Pennsylvania (8-12) on Saturday at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

“We wanted to score tonight and we scored,” SU head coach Nick Pierandri said. “We kept them off the board for the most part and limited their shots. I would say it was one of our better efforts of the year.”

Moody was seeing time in only his third game of the season, which SU quickly took advantage of. The Orange scored three goals in the first 15 minutes, prompting IUP head coach Cody Krynock to replace him with regular starter Robbie Stock late in the first period.

The change in net did nothing to stop SU offensively, though.

Seven different players recorded goals against IUP, but junior forward JR LaPointe was the difference-maker. The Orange’s leading scorer added four more to his season total and provided consistent pressure against a soft Crimson Hawk defense.

“We went out there and took care of business,” LaPointe said. “Any success I had was a direct reflection of my teammates and I’m just glad we were able to string together a good group of goals today.”

On the other end of the ice, SU continued their streak of defensive excellence, keeping its opponent under three goals for the fifth straight game.

Senior goalie Austin Lefkowicz faced a minimal challenge from the Crimson Hawks, keeping them scoreless for much of the first two periods. Despite the large scoring gap between the two teams, Pierandri decided to keep his starter in to finish out the game.

“The defense definitely helped me out,” Lefkowicz said. “When I’m in the game I feel like I can help the team win.”

The Orange face IUP again on Sunday for its final game before winter break, and will look to continue its current five-game win streak.

“I think we’ve got to come in and be physical and have the same kind of jump that we did today,” Pierandri said.

Published on December 6, 2014 at 6:09 pm