In its second-ever trip to the ACHA National Tournament, No. 18 Syracuse Men's Hockey found its stride and advanced to the second round with a great win over No. 15 Illinois. Next up, the Orange will face No. 2 Stony Brook for the third time this season. SU lost 9-1 and 3-2, respectively, in the two previous matchups.
Freshman forward Connor McNamera got the game started with a goal in the third minute of the game off of a pass from fellow freshman Keith Lambert. Syracuse got a chance to increase its lead with a power play later in the period.