Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMLAX | Old ritual helps Galloway break out of slump
By Tyler Dunne
Posted: 4/20/08, 10:44 PM EST Section: Sports
John Galloway was searching for answers.
Sunk in a two-game funk, the befuddled Syracuse freshman trudged toward the Carrier Dome a couple hours before the Orange's 10-5 win over Albany Friday, when he spotted a nearby field. And it hit him. It was time to revive a high-school tradition.
Galloway dug up a handful of the dirt and stuffed it into a plastic bag. In the locker room he added some water and splattered the dirt-turned-mud all over his pale complexion.
That's more like it. Galloway got into a zone early against the Great Danes and never looked back, bailing out an SU offense that went stale in the second half. One week after making zero saves and allowing four goals in the fourth quarter of Syracuse's win at Rutgers, Galloway responded with arguably his best game of the season. The freshman allowed five goals - three below his season average - while making 14 saves.
"We started doing it after games in high school," Galloway quipped with the now-dried, crusty mud wearing off. "…I think I'm going to keep doing it now."
Good call. After sprinting to a 7-2 lead, the Syracuse offense shut down. During the game's final 39 minutes, the Orange (11-2) only scored three goals. Galloway, who allowed 11 second-half goals against Cornell and Rutgers, needed to deliver. Even with its top scorer, Corey Small (28 goals), sidelined with an injury, Albany bombarded Galloway during the fourth quarter.
This time, the freshman was ready, stifling Albany to its lowest goal count since it lost to Johns Hopkins in the season opener.
Galloway made six of his 14 saves in the final stanza, highlighted by a lights-out sequence during an Albany frenzy. On a delayed penalty, Albany's Mark Cometti fired a point-blank shot five yards in front of Galloway, who instantly lifted his left shoulder for the save. An amped up Galloway bounced up and down five times in his crease, confidence high.
Seconds later, on the ensuing man-down, Galloway deflected a Kyle Brunk bullet out-of-bounds, garnering a subtle nod from senior defenseman Evan Brady. Twenty seconds later, Galloway plucked a Nate Sullivan-missile from the wing, ending Albany's man advantage.
Sunk in a two-game funk, the befuddled Syracuse freshman trudged toward the Carrier Dome a couple hours before the Orange's 10-5 win over Albany Friday, when he spotted a nearby field. And it hit him. It was time to revive a high-school tradition.
Galloway dug up a handful of the dirt and stuffed it into a plastic bag. In the locker room he added some water and splattered the dirt-turned-mud all over his pale complexion.
That's more like it. Galloway got into a zone early against the Great Danes and never looked back, bailing out an SU offense that went stale in the second half. One week after making zero saves and allowing four goals in the fourth quarter of Syracuse's win at Rutgers, Galloway responded with arguably his best game of the season. The freshman allowed five goals - three below his season average - while making 14 saves.
"We started doing it after games in high school," Galloway quipped with the now-dried, crusty mud wearing off. "…I think I'm going to keep doing it now."
Good call. After sprinting to a 7-2 lead, the Syracuse offense shut down. During the game's final 39 minutes, the Orange (11-2) only scored three goals. Galloway, who allowed 11 second-half goals against Cornell and Rutgers, needed to deliver. Even with its top scorer, Corey Small (28 goals), sidelined with an injury, Albany bombarded Galloway during the fourth quarter.
This time, the freshman was ready, stifling Albany to its lowest goal count since it lost to Johns Hopkins in the season opener.
Galloway made six of his 14 saves in the final stanza, highlighted by a lights-out sequence during an Albany frenzy. On a delayed penalty, Albany's Mark Cometti fired a point-blank shot five yards in front of Galloway, who instantly lifted his left shoulder for the save. An amped up Galloway bounced up and down five times in his crease, confidence high.
Seconds later, on the ensuing man-down, Galloway deflected a Kyle Brunk bullet out-of-bounds, garnering a subtle nod from senior defenseman Evan Brady. Twenty seconds later, Galloway plucked a Nate Sullivan-missile from the wing, ending Albany's man advantage.
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