March 29, 2003
By Lindsay Kramer
Staff writer
It was perhaps the warmest reception a Syracuse Crunch player ever got for posting an assist.
A dozen young men greeted new Crunch left winger Scooter Smith outside the Crunch locker room Friday night following his pro debut in Syracuse' 3-1 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Onondaga County War Memorial.
They formed a semi-circle around him and showered him with smiles, pats and high-fives. The kinship was understandable - Smith's admirers were his former college teammates at Colgate.
"Those guys are some of the best friends I have. Them coming made this that much more special, to see how happy they are," Smith said. "You get a sense of accomplishment."
Even before an assist Friday gave him his first pro point, Smith had accomplished a lot this season. He led the ECAC with 24 goals and was second-team all-league.
But when the Raiders were bounced out of the league's postseason tournament two weeks ago, Smith figured his season was over. A run of Crunch injuries at forward changed that.
Smith was signed to a tryout contract Wednesday and practiced with the team twice. He was excused from Friday's pregame skate because he had a class.
"I was definitely nervous. I didn't know what to think when I came up here," Smith said. "I just wanted to get my feet wet, see how I'd stack up against players like this."
That could be an answer awhile in coming. Smith skates well for the college game but admits he was taken aback by the speed of the pros. Strength, too, could be an issue. Smith is just 5-foot-10, 186 pounds.
Still, Smith broke the seal on his pro scoring column with 12:04 remaining in the second. Alone in the low slot, he put a shot on Hamilton goalie Eric Fichaud.
Fichaud handled that bid, but the rebound popped off to the right side. Syracuse center Brad Moran, stationed off the post, easily knocked it back in.
The announcement of Smith's assist drew as loud a cheer as that for Moran's score.
Smith will need more of those moments in the Crunch's remaining five games if he hopes to draw a pro paycheck next season.
"It's tough to measure yourself after one game, but I think I played well," Smith said. "Hopefully, some guys will look at me and I'll get a shot from there."
Notes
There is more ECAC flavor in the Crunch locker room than just Smith. With Pascal Leclaire out with a knee injury, the team has added Mike Walsh as a backup goalie. Walsh played for Clarkson this season.
Syracuse 3, Hamilton 1 umbfHamilton 010 - 1Syracuse 012 - 3
First Period-None. Penalties-Ryder, Ham (holding), 7: 45; Hainsey, Ham (delay of game), 15:25; Walser, Syr (delay of game), 18:57.
Second Period-1, Hamilton, Bishai 7, (DiCasmirro, Balej), 5:26. 2, Syracuse, Moran 9, (Smith, Sloan), 7:56. Penalties-Dzieduszycki, Syr (obst. hooking), 9:42; Torres, Ham (interference), 11:58; Sloan, Syr (holding), 12:45.
Third Period-3, Syracuse, Jackman 9, (unassisted), 6:35. 4, Syracuse, Darche 30, (McDonnel, MacLean), 19:50, (en). Penalties-Sloan, Syr (cross-checking), 7:02; Plekanec, Ham (slashing), 8:39; Syr (slashing), 8:39; Sloan, Syr (boarding), 10:46; Goehring, Syr (delay of game)(served by Tremblay), 17:16.
Shots on Goal-Hamilton, 7-10-10-27; Syracuse, 6-15-15-36. Power Play Opportunities-Hamilton, 0 of 6; Syracuse, 0 of 3. Goalies-Hamilton, Fichaud (14-5-3), (out 19:26 of third)(return 19:50), 35 shots-33 saves; Syracuse, Goehring (16-20-3), 27 shots-26 saves. A-5,467. Referee-Tom Kowal. Linesmen-Angelo D'Amico, John Murphy.
