Chris Daddio didn’t hesitate to praise Derek Maltz.

“Derek Maltz is the best off-ball player in the game,” Daddio said.

He didn’t even pause to think about what he had just said. He didn’t pause before he went on to talk about other elements of the game. Daddio considered it a fact.

And on Friday night Maltz certainly looked like one of the best off-ball players in the country. Maltz scored on all four of the shots he took, igniting No. 9 Syracuse (6-2, 2-1 Big East) to a blowout 17-5 win over Canisius (1-7, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic) at the Carrier Dome. He motored unremittingly to get open and once he got the ball in his wheelhouse he converted seamlessly.

“Obviously scoring goals is great,” Maltz said. “Helping the team out. Tonight was really just about execution and obviously we’re pleased with the outcome.”

Coming off an upset loss to Villanova on Saturday, Maltz knew Syracuse had to set the tempo in the early going. Canisius was an easy opponent on paper, but Maltz knew the Orange couldn’t take the Golden Griffins lightly.

Maltz scored three minutes into in the second quarter on a nifty pass from Kevin Rice. The goal gave SU a 6-1 advantage and helped eliminate any chance the Golden Griffins had of stealing a game they weren’t supposed to win.

Syracuse outshot Canisius 24-6 in the first half, taking a commanding 12-1 lead into the break. The Villanova loss was quickly forgotten, as the Orange was energized from the opening faceoff on Friday.

“I think we had a great week of practice. It started on Monday,” Maltz said. “Obviously a disappointing loss to Villanova.”

Maltz added two more goals early in the third quarter during a one-minute chunk. The first came off a pass from JoJo Marasco and the second was from Rice, who found Maltz all night long.

He added another goal just two minutes later on a dish from Tom Grimm, increasing Syracuse’s lead to 15-2. The game was long gone by that point, and Maltz’s goals were effortless.

Said Maltz: “The guys really came back and responded to what the coaches were asking of us.”

Published on March 30, 2013 at 12:07 am

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