For nearly 38 minutes, Syracuse couldn’t score. The Orange offense couldn’t find clear paths to the net against a suffocating Notre Dame defense and it couldn’t solve the nation’s top goaltender.

The SU attack finally broke through for three goals in the third quarter and another three in the fourth to cut a four-goal halftime deficit to one midway through the final frame.

But the early struggles proved too much to overcome as No. 17 Syracuse (7-7, 3-3 Big East) lost 8-6 to No. 4 Notre Dame (11-1, 6-0) on Saturday at a sold-out Arlotta Stadium in South Bend, Ind. The Orange failed to score in the first half for the first time this season, as Fighting Irish goaltender John Kemp made seven saves before the break to frustrate the SU offense.

‘We shot low. We should have changed the plane of the shot a little higher, but the goalie played a good first quarter, a good half,’ SU attack Tim Desko said after the game. ‘We got down 4-0 and then we came out to play in the second half. If we would have got a couple in the first half, it would have been a different game.’

With the loss -Syracuse’s first in six all-time matchups with the Irish -the Orange will likely have to win the Big East tournament to make the NCAA tournament. SU will take on host Villanova in the semifinals Thursday at 7 p.m.

Kemp was brilliant for the Irish in net in the first half. SU attack Derek Maltz got a look from point-blank range on the Orange’s first possession, but the goaltender blocked it with his body. Soon after, Tommy Palasek challenged Kemp, who knocked away his low attempt with his stick.

Maltz had another golden opportunity on the run along the left side in the second quarter, but it hit off the post. And the Orange offense never put together solid offensive possessions the rest of the way, falling behind by four at the break as the Notre Dame attack found holes in SU’s zone defense.

‘I thought if we would have got a couple of those, we would have felt a little bit better going into halftime,’ SU head coach John Desko said. ‘We changed our shooting in the second half, which I thought was good. We started to go up top after we shot a lot down low on him, and we were able to crawl back in it.’

Tim Desko got the team on the board midway through the third quarter and Joe Moore quickly added a second goal to give the Orange life and the momentum.

But Steve Murphy answered back with a goal to push the advantage back to three. SU would cut the deficit back to two three times in the half, but Notre Dame never allowed the Orange to come all the way back.

Bobby Eilers cut the lead to one, 7-6, midway through the final period, but Will Corrigan scored on the ensuing Irish possession to push it back to two goals.

From there, the Irish clamped down and the Orange fell for its seventh loss of the year, leaving its NCAA tournament hopes in doubt heading into the conference tournament.

‘We have to win two games there for anything to happen for us,’ John Desko said. ‘I thought this team, unlike teams previously, where we really lost the third quarter, today we won the second half, which we haven’t been able to do going down the stretch here, so that shows an improvement in our team.’

rjgery@syr.edu

Published on April 28, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu