Melissa Piacentini has worked on her spin move her entire career. It was a move she learned from her brother growing up. It was a move on Friday night she used to set up Jessica Sibley for the go-ahead goal with just more than three minutes remaining in the game.

“She’s an unbelievable player,” Sibley said of Piacentini. “… She works hard every day.”

Sibley’s goal gave the Orange (8-9-1, 5-1-1 College Hockey America) the lead for good en route to a 3-1 win over Penn State (4-10-3, 1-3-3), and with the assist, Piacentini notched her 101st career point. Her 100th came earlier on an assist to Nicole Ferrara. She is SU’s first 100-point player in program history.

It was a rewarding moment for Syracuse’s most consistent offensive force for the last four years.

“She’s easy to talk about,” Flanagan said. “She’s a tremendous kid. I’m very proud of her.”

Piacentini’s consistency is something that Flanagan believes is most impressive. The SU head coach said since the first day Piacentini set foot on campus, he knew he could count on her to be a consistent producer.

Flanagan praised Piacentini’s consistently laid back approach, saying that she was just waiting for her opportunity.

“She did a lot of just chipping the puck in,” Flanagan said. “She didn’t get a lot of opportunities. But that was a nice move, very crafty. Younger players can’t make that play.”

Flanagan might have been the most excited about the achievement as he was the one to begin a “Tini” chant in the lockeroom, with the rest of her teammates following in the chant.

“When you’re 5-foot nothing and you play the way she plays, it’s amazing,” Flanagan said.

Piacentini was extremely selfless in her comment on her thoughts after acheiving her 100th point, hoping to stay out of the spotlight. To her, it was simply all about being surrounded by great teammates.

Goalie Jenn Gilligan, who kept Syracuse in the game early with nine saves in the first period, said that she didn’t think Piacentini even had the 100th point on her mind. She went on to say that Piacentini felt embarrassed in the locker room with everyone cheering her name.

“I think the whole team is very happy for her,” Gilligan said.

Published on December 5, 2015 at 12:17 am

Contact Jack: jfupton@syr.edu