Spring Break
The Daily OrangeBREAKOUT: Finally eligible, Jamieson nets hat trick in Syracuse's first-round NCAA win
By Conor Orr
Posted: 5/10/09, 10:47 PM EST Section: Sports
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Facing arguably the nation's top goalkeeper in Siena's Brent Herbst in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Syracuse head coach decided to combat the problem by unleashing newly cleared Cody Jamieson into the starting lineup, despite Jamieson playing less than a full quarter for SU all season.
"We needed someone that was going to shoot well against their goaltender," Desko said. "He was able to penetrate and get closer to the goal. ...I think he did a real good job for us making some important goals and finishing against what I thought was a hot goaltender."
The coach's gamble paid off. In by far his biggest role to date as a member of the No. 2 seed Orange, Jamieson tallied a hat trick and propelled Syracuse to an 11-4 victory over Siena in the tournament's opening round Sunday in front of 3,122 fans at the Carrier Dome.
The Orange will face unseeded Maryland Saturday at noon in the quarterfinals on the campus of Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y. The Terrapins upset an undefeated Notre Dame team, 7-3, Sunday afternoon.
It didn't take long for Jamieson to prove his coach right. Pacing along the crease with seven minutes remaining in the opening period, Jamieson waited for an opportunity he would soon get on a pass from Kenny Nims coming behind the net.
Nearly parallel to the cage, Jamieson jutted his arms out and bounced in the game's opening goal, sending the Orange into a frenzy.
"It felt great to be out there," Jamieson said. "I got comfortable working with the guys in practice this week, and I don't know, it just felt great to be out there."
With his bullying presence on the field, Jamieson added an entirely new dimension to the Orange attack. Entering a three-man rotation with Tim Desko and Chris Daniello, Jamieson dominated in the early going, earning him the opportunity to play almost the entire game.
But the move did more than just open up the offense. Inserting an impact player like Jamieson into the starting lineup so late in the season made him nearly impossible to game-plan for, Herbst said.
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