Despite beating Georgetown, undisciplined penalties defined SU’s 4th quarter
Chuck Kuczynski was ejected in No. 8 Syracuse’s win over No. 13 Georgetown. It could’ve cost the Orange, but they allowed just one goal during the three-minute penalty. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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Sometimes, Syracuse’s biggest kryptonite is itself. Just look at the fourth quarter of its win over Georgetown Sunday. SU led by six with only eight minutes remaining. It would’ve taken a miracle for the Hoyas to overcome the deficit.
Chuck Kuczynski helped Georgetown’s odds a bit. After Hoyas midfielder Joe Cesare had his shot checked from behind by Tyler McCarthy, Kuczynski was there to meet his opponent. What initially was a late slide turned into a dirty hit by Kuczynski, who launched himself at Cesare, catching him with an elbow to the neck.
The officials first gave the Syracuse defender a two-minute locked-in penalty. After a quick review, they ejected Kuczynski and upgraded it to three minutes.
Even though the Orange led by a sizable margin, Kuczynski’s moment of madness could’ve been costly. Rory Connor scored 46 seconds into the penalty, yet the Hoyas didn’t deal any more damage, going scoreless the rest of the way.
No. 8 Syracuse (7-2, Atlantic Coast) was in control for most of its 18-12 win over No. 13 Georgetown (3-4, Big East). However, the Orange have the Hoyas every opportunity to create a nervy ending. SU committed four of their six penalties in the fourth quarter, but because it scored 17 goals through three quarters, it didn’t come back to bite the Orange.
“We’ve been talking about that quite a bit lately. Just mental toughness, making good decisions and not getting caught up in the frenzy of a game where the calls are made,” SU head coach Gary Gait said postgame. “If that’s a one goal game, and we do that, it could cost us.”
Georgetown coach Kevin Warne didn’t have much to add about the situation.
“I’ll plead the fifth,” he said postgame.
Warne was livid throughout the second half. His face grew red after Liam Connor was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct following a goal in the third quarter. At some point, Warne discarded his gray retro Georgetown jacket and sported a white longsleeve shirt. He certainly had no disagreements with the call on Kuczynski.
It was the second time in six days, an ill-timed fourth quarter penalty nearly swung the momentum for Syracuse’s opponent.
Against Denver Monday, Drew Angelo was called for a one-minute unsportsmanlike penalty after winning a faceoff. At that point, SU led 12-7 before DU scored three goals in 33 seconds to turn what looked to be an easy win into a nailbiter.
Gait disputed the call. After Denver’s first goal during the man-up, Gait and his staff were called for a conduct violation, for what he said was questioning whether Angelo was locked in after the scoreboard showed the penalty was wiped off.
“It kind of spiraled there,” Gait said. “But I’m sure if we could do it over again, maybe call a timeout and say, ‘Look, this penalty on the clock, is this a release call or not?’”
The head coach wasn’t satisfied with the situation after reviewing the film. He said one kid “decided to fall down and flop around” and reiterated the ref wasn’t looking at the play. So, when he saw the situation, Angelo was flagged.
The faceoff man’s penalty was less controversial than Kuczynski’s on Sunday. No ruling has been made, but Kuczynski faces a possible suspension for Syracuse’s matchup with undefeated No. 8 Duke next weekend.
Throughout the season, Gait has switched between Kuczynski and Jordan Beck for SU’s third close defender. Beck started the first two, Kuczynski got the next three, while Beck has returned over the last five, all of which have been Syracuse wins.
The Orange’s latest triumph was less stressful than Friday, because Syracuse maintained a comfortable margin. They have Jimmy McCool to thank for that. The goalie finished with a season-high 17 saves, including a denial of Jack Ransom to maintain SU’s five-goal margin during Georgetown’s extended penalty.
“When we do go man down, we kind of enjoy it,” McCool said. “We just love to play and when they have an extra guy, you know? They might be expecting to score, so we like that challenge. We like to do the tough stuff.”
It might be fun for McCool, but Syracuse has to be weary of being undisciplined. This isn’t an inexperienced freshman group. The Orange are a senior-led group, who have been in every possible scenario one could imagine in college. The ill-advised flags are a head scratcher.
As Gait mentioned before, penalties like Kuczynski’s are damaging in close games. Margins get thinner in conference play and the NCAA Tournament. If the Orange keep having lapses in judgement, they’re eventually going to pay for it.
The flags didn’t stop even after Kuczynski’s ejection. With three minutes left, Riley Figueiras got two penalties on one play. One for an illegal body check. The other for a push. Like it did before, Syracuse’s man down unit — which defends at a 71.9% rate — saved it.
It’s clear Gait wants to clean up Syracuse’s discipline. The issue has popped up at various points this year. During its win over Penn, a stop while two-men down and facing a two-goal deficit helped spark a comeback.
Two days prior, Syracuse’s loss versus Princeton ended in anger. The Orange committed five penalties in the final three minutes, as frustrations boiled over in defeat. Billy Dwan III and Figueiras picked on Peter Buonanno, knocking him to the ground and hitting him late. A scuffle ensued. “Kung Fu Fighting” played through the loudspeakers. SU lost 11-7.
This week, Syracuse was fortunate that its penalties came with it in complete control. The Orange’s miscues didn’t affect the outcome of the game. But if they weren’t careful, they easily could’ve.
