It was not a game to remember for fans of the Orange. Fourth-ranked Albany (1-0, 0-0) battered seventh-ranked Syracuse (1-1, 0-0) in the Carrier Dome on Saturday 15-3, marking its worst offensive performance since 1991.
A week ago, 'Cuse dominated the faceoff circle thanks in large part to Danny Varello and stellar play from the wings during the Orange's rout of Binghamton. Against the Danes, Syracuse went 5 of 22 at midfield. As a result, Albany controlled the game, never giving Syracuse a chance to catch up.
Jamie Trimboli opened the scoring with a shot he rifled past Albany's J.D. Colorusso just over three minutes into the contest. It would be the only goal the Orange would register until the 6:02 mark of the third quarter.
For a while, Don Madonna and the Syracuse defense weathered the storm, until the Danes scored two in quick succession to take the lead in the waning minutes of the quarter. Albany would never look back.
Freshman Tehoke Nanticoke scored his first career goal to extend the lead to 3-1. It proved to be the first of five for the nation's top recruit on the afternoon. Jakob Patterson broke the ensuing stalemate with his second of the day and the Orange trailed 4-1 at halftime.
Syracuse never managed to recover. The Danes outshot the Orange 50 to 23 and Syracuse managed to only register 13 shots on target.
The third quarter was particularly brutal for the Orange. Albany scored three times in the course of three minutes to push the tally to 7-1. Nate Soloman finally stopped the bleeding for Syracuse with his only goal of the afternoon.
Albany snuffed out any hope though as it scored 13 seconds later to restore a six-point lead. The Danes outscored the Orange 7-1 in the period.
It proved to be an ugly and sloppy day by John Desko's group. In addition to the wayward offense, Syracuse committed six fouls in the game, giving Albany ample extra man opportunities. The Orange also committed 14 turnovers after having just 9 a week ago.
The Danes continued to dominate into the fourth quarter. Patterson added two more to bring his total to four for the game. Marcellus-native Kevin Hutchings notched his first career goal, but it was merely a consolation for the Orange in the closing minutes. Albany scored the final two to close it out.
Following the brutal lose, the Orange have the week to prepare for another in-state battle as twelfth-ranked Army visits the Dome on Saturday.