Mason Kohn’s 9-of-9 start on faceoffs sparks No. 6 SU’s blowout win over Utah

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Mason Kohn won 90.9% of his faceoffs by the start of the second half, but there was no reason to slow down. He boxed out Tyler Kloeckl at the start of the third quarter, winning the initial clamp before rolling it back into Syracuse’s defensive zone.

The Orange’s wings did as much as they could to pick up the ball. Utah players started to pile around him too, taking their turn at stabbing at the turf. But none of them were successful, only Kohn got to it.

To get to SU’s attack, Kohn had even more roadblocks. Two, three, four and eventually five Utes checked him as he crossed the midfield line. He stumbled but didn’t fall down once, kickstarting the Orange’s attack 20 seconds after the start of the period.

“It’s been a treat,” head coach Gary Gait said postgame about Kohn’s addition.

Whatever way Kohn chose to win the faceoff, he succeeded. He twisted his body a full 180 degrees to win the clamp before securing the loose ball in the Orange’s defensive zone. He scooped it directly to the attack to catalyze a quick shot on goal. Or he forced Kloeckl to jump early for a faceoff violation.

Kohn won 9-of-9 battles at the faceoff X to begin the first half, finishing the afternoon with a 77.8% win rate as No. 6 Syracuse (4-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) defeated Utah (0-3, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) 18-7. The performance was his second best of the season, behind his 14-of-15 outing against Manhattan. Kohn also added with two points to add to his stellar performance at the faceoff X.

Syracuse’s new go-to specialist came at the most opportune time. Last season, the Orange’s inconsistencies at the faceoff X last year were at the forefront of their second straight season without an NCAA Tournament berth — the first time that had happened since 1979. They finished with a 41.9%, which was 64th nationally.

Prior to the season, Gait mentioned how the coaching staff addressed the hot topic issue with “some new faces in that area,” referring to Kohn and Freshman Johnny Mullen. So far, Kohn hasn’t just been a fresh addition from Tufts to an already loaded Syracuse’s roster. He’s been the reason for its blowout wins.

“What can I say? Three games, 75%, it’s been fun to watch and it’s what college coaches don’t want when teams are dominating and winning 75% percent,” Gait said before the Maryland game.

The Terrapins were the first real test for Kohn. Gait hoped Kohn and Mullen could combine for close to 50% to give the Orange a chance. They missed that as Kohn finished Saturday’s contest with a 44.4% win rate, which was 22.3% lower than his second-worst performance this season.

Against Utah’s multitude of options, including Kloeckl, Bryce Madden and Luca Pivetta, Kohn dominated. Kohn won the first eight faceoffs in the first quarter, with his only real mistake coming after he coughed up the ball while trying to secure possession with four minutes left in the period. Ryan Stines capitalized on it, scoring the Utes last goal of the first half.

That play was Kohn’s only turnover, though the rest of the team couldn’t hold onto possession throughout the afternoon. SU recorded 18 overall turnovers, the same as Utah and its second-worst mark this season.

But Gait said Kohn kept giving the Orange possessions, which helped them erase their mistakes. Kohn won the ensuing faceoff after his own turnover too.

“When you get the ball back on every faceoff it helps make up for those turnovers,” Gait said.

Kohn didn’t really change his tactic based on who was in front of him, instead paying attention to if the Utes’ employed long-sticks or short-sticks at the wings. If there were long-sticks, Kohn said he knew he had to be more deliberate. Against short-sticks, he knew he had to pick the ball up quicker.

More importantly, Kohn said the wings gave him room to breathe.

“Our wings did a great job of boxing out and making space and making it a one-on-one in the middle and taking their wins out of the equation,” Kohn said. “And then we moved the ball really easily.”

Kohn advanced the ball to SU’s attack on all but two of his faceoff wins. In the fourth quarter, he took it upon himself to help score too.

Two minutes into the final period, Utah scored its first goal in nearly 35 minutes. Kohn won the clamp against Kloeckl, spinning past a long-stick on the wing before charging to the middle to the middle of the field. He raised his stick to shoot but dished it to Joey Spallina for an easy step-down shot.

“There’s some great finishers on offense who I’ve been able to feed the ball to and they’ve been able to put the ball away pretty consistently, and they can put the ball in the back of the net,” Kohn said.

Seven minutes later, Kohn didn’t hesitate. After sprinting to the crease, he kept his stick in front of him, sidestepping inside one defender before ripping the ball into the back of the net to secure a 10-goal lead.

Kohn said he’s gotten more comfortable with taking it all the way to the net after spending this past year working solely on his lacrosse stick skills instead of juggling hockey as well. There’s also so many players who are in “contention” on SU’s attack, leaving him with free range toward the crease.

“Just recognizing situations and being comfortable with taking it to the net is definitely something that’s changed for me,” Kohn said.

Now, he’s one point away from his 2023 point total at Tufts, a mark he’ll aim to beat against Army.

“I look forward to watching him continue as we increase the competition,” Gait said.