After getting benched in Syracuse’s recent loss to then #2 North Carolina, Jimmy McCool needed a bounce back performance.
Tar Heel attackmen Dominic Peitramala and Owen Duffy combined for eight points, with Pietramala cruising to a game-high five goals. McCool allowed 12 goals on just 19 shots, shots that backup goaltender Michael Ippolitti fared better against.
SU suffered its worst loss of the season at Chapel Hill and came back to the Dome with serious questions about its Tewaaraton Watch List goaltender. Those questions were amplified with Virginia on the schedule, the sixth best scoring offense in the country.
Similar to UNC, the Cavaliers have their own star-studded attack tandem. Brothers Brendan and McCabe Million tied each other in goals coming into Saturday’s matchup. Analysts predicted the game to be a shootout.
Until it wasn’t.
McCool held the #9 team in the country to single-digit points. The Millon brothers combined for seven points, but scored just three goals on the afternoon. It was the bounce back, the get back, needed before a critical stretch.
Up next is Senior Day for the ‘Cuse, something that McCool’s 2022 recruiting class teammates will take part in. The Massachusetts native is a redshirt junior and can return for another year or opt to head to the PLL.
After that comes a top-tier Notre Dame squad, the ACC Tournament, and then the NCAA Tournament. McCool is THE x-factor for Syracuse down this stretch.
