SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Men's Hockey team opened their season with a two-game exhibition series against the Syracuse Lightning (NCDC) this weekend. The Orange split the series, earning a 3-2 victory on Friday and narrowly falling in a shootout on Saturday.

The Orange came out strong in the series opener, firing on all cylinders against the Lightning and generating sustained offensive pressure. The Orange created several quality scoring opportunities, but were initially held off the board by strong goaltending from the Lightning. 

Despite this only being an exhibition match, both teams established a physical and aggressive tone early.

The first penalty of the night saw the Orange's sophomore defensemen Jack Duffy called for tripping at the 5:30 mark, giving the Lightning the first powerplay of the night. The Lightning man advantage did not stop Syracuse, who utilized some fourth line magic from the penalty kill combo of sophomore forward Mathew McEnroe and assistant captain Eli Pendergrass. 

The Orange capitalized just 29 seconds into the penalty kill, as Pendergrass found McEnroe for the first goal of the game at 5:59 to take the 1-0 lead. 

Back-to-back Syracuse penalties midway through the period gave the Lightning a 5-on-3 advantage for nearly a minute, but the Orange managed to come out of the dangerous situation still holding the lead. 

A late scuffle at the end of the first period resulted in penalties to both teams with 42 seconds remaining, sending the game into intermission with a minute of 4-on-4 play to start the second period. 

The Lightning controlled possession early in the second period with a sequence of long offensive possessions, however sophomore goaltender Cash Lawrence held strong in between the pipes. 

A Syracuse penalty just over 3 minutes into the game did not slow down the Orange who doubled their lead only 30 seconds after killing off the penalty. From the left circle, sophomore forward Nathan McLean found freshman forward Aidan Wilson who tapped in his first collegiate goal from the crease at 5:32 to take a two goal lead.

"It was great to score my first goal for the Orange," said Wilson. "That moment is a great confidence booster. It's always great to get on the board early and build off of that." 

A Lightning tripping penalty at 12:05 gave Syracuse an opportunity to extend their lead, however at 13:23 the Lightning tallied a shorthanded goal of their own to cut the Syracuse lead to 2-1. 

The intensity continued as three penalties, two from the Lightning and one by the Orange occurred within 30 seconds at the 16 minute mark. Syracuse took advantage of the man-advantage as freshman defenseman Chris Paolone found the back of the net at 16:51, with assists from Nathan McLean and senior defenseman Ryan Thomas to extend their lead to 3-1. 

The Lightning responded with a deflection goal at 19:40, sending Syracuse into the second intermission with a 3-2 advantage.

Neither team found the back of the net during the third period, though the physical play continued and both sides made repeated trips to the penalty box. The Lightning pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker following a timeout with one minute remaining, but Syracuse held on to secure the 3-2 victory in Game 1. 

The first game of the series saw several positives for Syracuse's special team. They scored a short handed goal, and a powerplay tally, and killed off all 8 Lightning powerplays.

Ahead of Saturday's match, Syracuse Head Coach Chris Timmons made significant lineup changes for the second game of the series as the team continues to test different combinations ahead of the regular season. Each period saw a different goalie, with freshman Charlie Pickart starting in the pipes for the Orange.

Syracuse looked to carry the momentum from game one, coming out with intensity and battling the Lightning through a scoreless opening period. The Orange recorded 11 shots on goal compared to the Lightning's 10, setting the tone for another closely contested matchup at Tennity Ice Pavilion.  

The Orange switched goaltending, with freshman Matt Angelino getting his turn in the crease. The physicality ramped up in the second period, with both teams matching penalties at the 6:20 mark. 

The resulting 4-on-4 play didn't stop the Orange from breaking through the Lightning defense and scoring their first goal of the night. The unassisted goal, scored by senior assistant captain Kade Cook put the Orange up 1-0 at 11:59 in the second period. 

"This weekend was a great confidence builder heading into the season with quite a few guys getting some goals and a solid split after two good battles," said Cook. "I'm very excited for this season and I'm looking forward to seeing what our team can accomplish." 

Shortly after, the Lightning were assessed another penalty which set the stage for a Syracuse power-play goal. Sophomore forward Brayden Sainato capitalized on the opportunity with an assist from junior forward Jack McCormick, extending the Orange's lead to 2-0.

The Lightning scored their first goal of the night with one minute remaining in the period, but Syracuse answered just 30 seconds later. Junior forward Tanner Cole finished a chance set up by Sainato and sophomore forward Quinn Wimer to send the Orange into the second intermission with a 3-1 lead.

Headed into the third period, the Orange had another goaltending change with sophomore Bryce Miller in between the pipes. The Lightning came out of the intermission with renewed intensity, erasing the deficit in the third period with goals at the 1:31 and 5:00 marks to tie the game at 3-3.

The final stretch became a back-and-forth battle as the Lightning took their first lead of the night at the 11-minute mark before scoring again just 34 seconds later to build a 5-3 advantage.

However, the Orange refused to go quietly. Jack Duffy and Robbie Murphy scored 46 seconds apart to erase the Lightning's two-goal advantage and tie the game 5-5 with five minutes remaining. 

Neither team could break the deadlock before the end of the 3rd, sending the game to a 3-on-3 overtime. 

Syracuse turned to goaltender Charlie Pickart for the 3-on-3 overtime period. Neither team scored during the extra frame, however both teams stayed aggressive searching for the go-ahead goal.

After a scoreless five-minute overtime period, the contest headed to a shootout. The Lightning scored the lone shootout goal in extra rounds to secure a 6-5 victory and split the exhibition series.

Syracuse will open its regular season on the road next weekend against defending National Champion Ohio University Bobcats on Friday and Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7PM for both matchups. Those games can be seen on FloHockey (subscription required) and heard on the Syracuse Hockey Network radio call.

All home games are held at the Tennity Ice Pavilion on Syracuse University's campus and are free for students and the general public. Home games are also streamed live on the SU Hockey Network.