Looking at Melissa Piacentini, one might not see a dominant goal scorer.

At 5 feet, 2 inches, the forward is one of the shortest players on the Syracuse team. And with a never-ending smile, Piacentini more closely resembles the team’s cheerleader than the program’s all-time leading scorer.

But with one more shot in the back of the net, the junior will tie the Syracuse (8-13-9, 6-5-5 College Hockey America) career goals record with 41. Piacentini leads the Orange in goals with 14 and is tied for first nationally in power-play goals, but hasn’t scored in three games and feels she may be due for one this weekend.

Piacentini will likely break the record before she graduates and gets her next chance to do so this weekend when the Orange takes on Lindenwood (9-17-1, 6-9-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m., both in Tennity Ice Pavilion.

“She’s so tenacious that that’s one of her greatest attributes,” SU head coach Paul Flanagan said. “She just kind of has that little edge about her when she gets the puck on her stick.”

It’s not that she doesn’t have skill, Flanagan said, but her strategy is to out-work the opponent to get her goals.

Though she’s fast and a good skater, she’s not a flashy player who is going to take defenders one-on-one. Instead, she relies on her effort and knowledge of game.

“The way she sees things developing before they happen, it’s un-teachable,” forward Allie LaCombe said. “It’s just a natural hockey skill to be able to watch plays develop in front of you and know where to be at the right time.”

On power-play opportunities, Piacentini uses that sense to her advantage. Always quick to credit her teammates, she often finds herself in front of the net, tipping another’s shot into the goal.

Her tenacity is the reason she gets loose pucks around the net and further down the ice. Even on defense and up against the boards, Flanagan said, Piacentini is always going hard after the puck.

“I don’t think I’ve ever scored any goal from the circles,” Piacentini said. “So I think the biggest thing for me is being a gritty, hard-working player and getting after those loose pucks in the crease.”

On the bench and off the ice, though, she’s always smiling. Though they don’t play on the same line right now, LaCombe said Piacentini is always a positive, calming presence for her linemates after finishing a shift.

The senior watched Piacentini mature into an adult that she looks up to, despite her age. Piacentini always knows how to make someone laugh and when a teammate needs a little extra motivation, LaCombe said.

“She brings just that infectious smile and laughter and has a lot of fun,” Flanagan said. “Teams, whether it’s us or anybody, you need more athletes like that.”

But she may not smile any more than usual when she scores her next goal. Piacentini said she probably wouldn’t even realize that she’s scoring a record-tying goal. She didn’t even know she was so close to breaking the record.

On a team that’s struggled for wins this season, Piacentini and LaCombe said they’re too focused on trying to win to think about individual accomplishments.

And in this tough season, Piacentini helps keep it lighthearted. Whether she’s laughing at an embarrassing moment in practice or turning her helmet the wrong way, she has an ability to make everyone else around her happy.

Said Flanagan: “She competes her ass off, day and in and day out, so that’s a pretty good recipe. Compete, she’s got some good talent and she has fun.”

Published on February 12, 2015 at 12:10 am