SU Lax Wins: Brett Queener Disappoints

No tights for Brett Queener didn't mean success for the Albany goalie.

One year after giving up eight goals in just 14 minutes while wearing Spandex tights, Queener returned to the Dome spandex-less.

The results for Queener were a little better in 2008, but Albany still went home with a 10-5 loss.

The opening quarter looked like it might be a lot like 2007 as the Orange jumped out to a 5-2 lead. The first quarter was played at a frenetic pace. The two teams combined for 21 shots and 21 ground balls.

Lots of hits led to a lot of ground balls which led to a very up and down pace. Brett Queener's tendency to try to move the ball up the field himself also led to a couple situations where the Albany defense was completely discombobulated.

I have to question why Queener is keen on coming out of the crease to try to make defensive plays 10-20 yards up field. His departure from the crease directly led to several goals and a couple more chances for SU when there was no goalie in net.

Queener leaving the net didn't once result in a goal for Albany off the break that ensued. So what does Albany get out of having Queener running around wildly?

The answer: pretty much nothing except a hole to dig out of.

The pace of the game slowed down quite a bit after the first quarter. The two teams combined for just eight goals the rest of the way.

Mike Leveille continued his Tewaaraton Trophy campaign moving forward with another hat trick. He's averaging almost a hat trick per game with 33 goals in 12 games. He's tallied 55 points this year.

I mentioned in the preview, Albany has only had one legitimate scoring threat this year, Corey Small. In this game, the Great Danes had none, as Small sat out with a pulled muscle.

The Orange played close to a flawless game. If I had to take one negative out of the victory, it would probably be the fact the 'Cuse only scored five goals during the final three quarters.

Ten goals is a solid total for a game, but five over three quarters is somewhat unacceptable for this team. Queener was responsible for a lot of SU's struggles. The Orange did get almost half of their shots on cage.

John Galloway was by far the bright spot of the game. The frosh played one of his best games as a member of the Orange last night. Galloway bailed the defense out several times when seams opened up, allowing Great Dane attackmen to get clear shooting lanes.

Albany seemed like they were trying to attack the upper half of the cage. Galloway recorded most of saves with his stick at eye level or higher.

SU also limited second chances, especially in the first half. The Orange was perfect on clears in the first half going 12-12.

Syracuse will look to extend its winning streak to ten games against rival UMASS next Saturday in the Dome. The Minutemen defeated the Orange at Garber Field in Amhearst to officially knock SU out of playoff contention last year.