Joey Spallina, John Mullen claim ACC weekly awards
Joey Spallina was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week, while John Mullen earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Joe Zhao | Design Editor
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Syracuse attack Joey Spallina and faceoff man John Mullen have been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Players of the Week following SU’s wins over Manhattan and Colgate, the conference announced Tuesday. Spallina earned Offensive Player of the Week, while Mullen took home Defensive Player of the Week.
Spallina recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in Syracuse’s 18-2 blowout win over Manhattan. He then exploded for a career-high 11 (five goals, six assists), to help the Orange defeat No. 18 Colgate 16-12. It was the most points by a Syracuse player since Casey Powell recorded 13 against Virginia in 1997.
The junior put on an offensive clinic. Colgate let Spallina operate at X unoccupied, allowing him to systematically pick apart its defense. When Spallina needed to be aggressive scoring, he was, tallying a season-high five goals. His performance helped dispute an online narrative that he doesn’t perform well in big games.
Mullen’s been on a tear as of late as well. He won his first 10 faceoffs against Manhattan and finished 14-of-15 at the X. That consistency continued when he matched up with Colgate. For the fifth time this season, Mullen won at least 60% of his faceoffs, going 18-of-29. This season, Mullen is fourth in the country with a 66.7% faceoff win rate.
Spallina and Mullen are the fifth and sixth Syracuse players to earn ACC honors this season. Michael Leo won Offensive Player of the Week after scoring four goals in SU’s season-opening win versus Jacksonville. Spallina got the same honor after his 10-point performance against Vermont. Last week, Jimmy McCool won Defensive Player of the Week after a 12-save performance versus Johns Hopkins, while Owen Hiltz’s four goals got him Offensive Player of the Week.
