Jack Wren capped off a spectacular hat trick performance with the game-winner in a shootout as Syracuse University edged SUNY-Oswego 5-4 at Deborah F. Stanley Arena on Thursday night. The Orange forward dominated throughout regulation, scoring twice in the first period and adding a crucial short-handed goal late in the third period to force overtime after Oswego had mounted a furious four-goal rally.
Syracuse appeared to be cruising to an easy victory after building a 3-0 lead through two periods. Wren opened the scoring at 15:10 of the first period with help from Kade Cook, then Brendan Duffy extended the advantage just under two minutes later on assists from Chris Fanning and Cam Gaffney. Wren struck again at 18:58 of the second period, converting a feed from Tanner Cole to put the Orange firmly in control.
The third period belonged entirely to Oswego’s power play unit, which torched Syracuse for three goals in a span of just 53 seconds. The Lakers’ special teams barrage began when Nolan Sullivan scored at even strength at 7:09, assisted by Gavin Black and John Manzi. Then the floodgates opened as Zach Derito converted at 6:46 with helpers from Adam Jubran and Carsyn Crawford, followed immediately by Crawford at 6:16 on another Jubran-Derito combination, and Trent King at 5:23 to complete the stunning four-goal outburst that also featured Jubran and Derito assists.
With Oswego holding a 4-3 lead and momentum firmly on their side, Wren delivered the knockout punch with an unassisted short-handed goal at 17:07 to force overtime and eventually the shootout. The victory improved Syracuse’s season series advantage over the Lakers to 3-1, having previously split a home-and-home series in November before taking a 5-3 decision in Oswego back in January. For Oswego (2-5), the loss continued their struggles in what has been a challenging campaign.
