Shoot it, shoot it.

For Jessica Frump, the words of her teammates resonated in her head right before she ripped a shot on goal – the first ever scored at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

The bedlam of the raucous crowd and the sound of skates cutting up the freshly manicured ice were blocked out as she reached back, followed through, and sent the rubber puck past Sacred Heart goaltender Amanda Nagel.

The moment was an inconceivable one for Frump, one that a freshman rarely has the opportunity to cherish. Despite the euphoria that accompanied the moment, it was the implausibility of the split-second that stood out. One month ago, all hope seemed lost.

As Frump was ready to step onto the team bus for SU’s first-ever game against Colgate on Oct. 1, the freshman forward was notified by her coaches that she wouldn’t be able to travel.

Shortly thereafter, Frump was told what had transpired. The NCAA Clearinghouse – the body that determines whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play – had decided two of her high school credits, Algebra and American Style Language, didn’t satisfy requirements. Therefore, Frump, according to NCAA standards, hadn’t qualified. She wouldn’t be allowed to play for Syracuse until she did.

When the news reached the rest of the team, one word summarized the sentiment that suddenly encapsulated the Orange, assistant coach Graham Thomas said: disappointment.

‘We were excited about having her here and we thought that she could contribute offensively,’ Thomas said. ‘She is a valued member of the team.’

For Frump, the setback capped a whirlwind six months. In April and May, Frump began to contact Orange head coach Paul Flanagan about possibly playing hockey for SU, her first-choice school. Frump penned letter after letter to Flanagan expressing her desire to suit up for the Orange.

Last May, she applied and then had her official visit at SU along with fellow Californian and SU sophomore forward Julie Rising.

‘I had committed, and I was shocked that she hadn’t committed to a school already,’ Rising said.

Then, two weeks prior to the start of school, she was notified that she would be playing hockey with the Orange.

‘I realized I’m so fortunate,’ Frump said. ‘In my situation at home, I didn’t know if I was going to play hockey anywhere, I didn’t even know if I was going to have to post-grad anywhere.’

But after being denied athletic eligibility, Frump faced another challenge.

Just as she had done several months prior, Frump scribbled letter upon letter, this time to the NCAA Clearinghouse. She tried to explain the situation at hand, her sights set on returning to the ice for the first-year program. Along with her own efforts, Frump had SU and her high school, Saugus High (Calif.), write letters to the clearinghouse.

When the NCAA got back to her, the freshman found out that she was credited as a partial qualifier. She could practice with the team, but not play in games.

After hearing the lukewarm news, Frump didn’t have high hopes.’I thought I wasn’t going to be able to play all season,’ Frump said.

Finally, the week before the first home game in the program’s history, the forward was greeted with the news that she would be eligible to play in mere days. The letters of support had paid off.

So there she was, on Halloween night, donning a Syracuse jersey for the first time, standing elbow pad to elbow pad with her teammates, as ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ reverberated in Tennity.

‘When we were doing the national anthem, I stood there, staring at the net thinking, ‘I want that. I want that first goal,” Frump said.

Nearly six minutes into the first period, Frump who had just leapt over the boards and entered the game, received a pass from Keeta Koalska. She heard the scream of her teammates – ‘Shoot it! Shoot it!’

Seconds later, she was mobbed by her teammates, which she hadn’t had a chance to see play all year (Frump didn’t travel to SU’s seven away games).

‘I was so happy for her,’ Rising said. ‘I knew she could score early, and it was great that she was able to put a puck in during her first game.’

Added Thomas, ‘We were surprised that it happened in the very first shift, but we weren’t awestruck.’

Days later, Frump still hadn’t completely grasped the gravity of what had happened, perhaps a byproduct of all of the highs and lows she experienced in such an abbreviated time period.

‘I still kind of don’t believe it, it hasn’t hit me yet.’

aolivero@syr.edu

Published on November 5, 2008 at 12:00 pm