Midway through the second period, freshman forward Stephanie Grossi stepped onto the ice for Syracuse during a line change.

With both Syracuse and New Hampshire knotted at one, Grossi picked off a loose puck that a defender had attempted to clear in UNH’s zone. She swiftly fired off a shot that went past New Hampshire goaltender Vilma Vaattovaara’s glove and found the back of the net for a score.

“I think the puck just had eyes,” SU head coach Paul Flanagan said. “The goalie just missed it. She was on her way down because of Steph’s quick release.”

Grossi contributed on both of SU’s scoring plays and continued her strong play this season by netting one of the team’s two goals and collecting an assist on the other in Syracuse’s (1-1-2) 2-2 tie with New Hampshire (1-3-1) on Saturday afternoon at Tennity Ice Pavilion. The freshman also led the Orange with eight shots.

Flanagan praised Grossi’s ability to make plays and her ability to keep the game simple. He said that her skill, awareness and smart play make a huge difference on the ice for the team.

SU junior defender Nicole Renault took a pass from Grossi and slipped a shot past Vaattovaara just 93 seconds into the game.

“I came out of the corner with the puck and Renault was open, so I slid it down to her,” Grossi said of her assist on the play. “She didn’t have much room, but she got through.”

Renault said that Grossi did most of the work to create the team’s first score, threading a tight pass for the assist despite two UNH defenders being draped all over her.

Grossi’s goal in the second period came after the Wildcats had answered Renault’s goal with one of their own to close out the first period. Grossi’s goal, one she called “lucky,” again gave the Orange the lead.

Saturday afternoon marked only the fourth game of Grossi’s collegiate career, but that isn’t apparent based on her performance.

Syracuse totaled 40 shots for the entirety of the contest and Grossi was responsible for a fifth of those. One of her eight shots was in the overtime period, in which SU only managed to shoot three times.

“She was huge,” Renault said of Grossi. “You can’t even tell she’s a freshman out there.”

In addition to leading the team in shots on Saturday, Grossi also tops the Orange with 22 shots on the season — eight higher than the next player, junior Melissa Piacentini, who led the team in goals last season.

Grossi has shouldered some of the scoring load early in the season. Her goal on Saturday gives her two goals on the season, which leads Syracuse.

Flanagan believes Grossi’s play Saturday afternoon was a bright spot for the Orange in a game after which he was disappointed. The team dominated territorially in the second period and the team didn’t bury enough of their scoring chances, Flanagan said.

“I think some of our less-skilled players who try to make the game difficult should try to pay attention to Steph,” Flanagan said. “I think she’s a great role model as a player. She’s one of our top players right now.”

Published on October 11, 2014 at 9:06 pm

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu