Dominic Lamolinara came out of halftime just like he would for any other game. He went out to warm up like usual, to get loose, warm up Bobby Wardwell and be ready in case his team needed him later in the game.

But Kevin Donahue had other plans. He told Lamolinara to get ready to play – he would get the call for the second half. Lamolinara went out with Brenny Daly to prepare for immediate action in the final 30 minutes.

“Just getting that quick little warm up with Brenny was all I needed,” Lamolinara said.

Lamolinara performed admirably in those 30 minutes, holding Johns Hopkins to just two goals. He choked off the Blue Jays’ comeback attempt, and after a quick man-up goal, Lamolinara held No. 5 JHU scoreless for the remainder of the third quarter as No. 7 Syracuse put the game out of reach en route to a 13-8 victory.

Lamolinara tallied five saves, including several from point-blank range, frustrating an already irritated Blue Jays offense that committed unforced errors and failed to capitalize on opportunities.

He provided a stark contrast to Wardwell’s first-half struggles. After allowing just one goal in the opening quarter, the goalkeeper allowed five goals in the second before being pulled. He finished with just three saves, but the Orange led 8-6 at halftime.

“I was on the sideline watching what they were doing like I always do every game, just in case Bob gets hurt or anything,” Lamolinara said. “When I did get the chance I just settled down, focused and just knew it was just another game.”

After allowing a quick extra-man goal that cut SU’s lead to one, Lamolinara settled down. He made his first save midway through the third quarter and shut JHU out for the rest of the frame.

The fourth quarter started relatively roughly once again. Lamolinara made a save from in close, but Brandon Benn scooped up the rebound and scored past the goalkeeper. That fluky goal would be the last he conceded.

Trailing by four and in need of quick goals with less than eight minutes remaining, Wells Stanwick gave Johns Hopkins one of its best scoring chances of the half. He found himself wide open about five yards from the net, one-on-one with Lamolinara. The goalkeeper rushed out to pressure the attack. Stanwick couldn’t get a shot off cleanly.

The Orange added another goal to ice it, but the way Lamolinara was playing it didn’t matter. No one was going to beat him.

“Dom coming in the second half we really got at least three one-on-one saves that would normally be goals,” SU head coach John Desko said. “That was huge for us and it helped us change that two-goal lead to a three- and four-goal lead.”

Published on March 16, 2013 at 7:50 pm

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2