With 24 seconds remaining, Steve Ianzito charged into the offensive zone with one last hope for Syracuse. Trailing Hobart 13-12, the Orange needed a goal to force overtime. Peter Zonino would likely need to make his 18th save to prevent it.

With 18 seconds left, Ianzito fired a shot. Just as he had done all day, Zonino got in the way. The Statesmen held on.

“The last shot was a lot of adrenaline,” Zonino said. “Just trying to get everything I had to stop the ball.”

Zonino snatched balls out of the air, kicked his legs in front of shots and sprawled around the crease to stifle the SU offense in Hobart’s stunning upset of No. 3 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday night. The Hobart goaltender tallied 18 saves in the victory, including five in the fourth quarter as the Statesmen staged their comeback.

Zonino started off hot, recording six saves in the opening period. With Hobart holding an early 1-0 lead, SU attack Kevin Rice found Derek Maltz all alone on the doorstep. But Zonino calmly slid over and denied the attack at the net.

“I thought their goalie was sensational, too,” Syracuse head coach John Desko said. “We haven’t seen him play like that this year. He played similar to that in our game last year.”

Zonino struggled in the Orange’s six-goal second period, but found his rhythm in the second half. It started on a shot from Luke Cometti. The midfielder tried to bounce a shot past Zonino in the opening minute of the third quarter, but Zonino kicked his leg out and knocked the ball away.

A minute later, Rice freed himself up along the crease and squared up to face the net, but again Zonino got in the way to keep SU’s lead at just three. A few minutes later, it was Henry Schoonmaker’s turn, but again Zonino sprawled in front of a shot that appeared destined for the back of the net.

“There are times where — as crazy as it sounds — more shots can almost be a good thing for a goalie, because you get into a rhythm,” Hobart head coach T.W. Johnson said. “When you get hot, it’s a little bit easier to stay in the zone.”

Zonino carried his rhythm throughout the remainder of the game, allowing just three goals in the final quarter and a half, and all three came from in close.

With Syracuse clinging to a one-goal lead with less than six minutes to play, Maltz fired a transition shot, hoping to give the Orange some breathing room. But SU wasn’t set up, and Zonino lunged toward the sideline where the ball squirted out of bounds. He was the closest to the ball. Syracuse lost possession and the Statesmen went on to win.

“Second half, I got it going,” Zonino said, “started seeing the ball a little bit.”

Published on April 17, 2013 at 1:15 am

Contact David: [email protected] | @DBWilson2