With 2 goals, Sibley carries SU into weekend home-and-home with No. 3 Clarkson
The horn sounded. A red light streamed over the ice. And the puck sat nestled in the back of the net. Jessica Sibley didn’t know what to think. She had just scored her first collegiate goal in her first-ever game, and she wanted someone to hug.
Sibley ran to Brittney Krebs, who had just assisted on the power play goal. She jumped up and the two embraced.
“I was just excited to get the first one over with,” Sibley said. “I could just play my game. Everything came easy after that.”
Sibley wasted no time striking again. The very next day she chipped in a shot on a power play to give Syracuse the lead against New Hampshire.
She has been an integral piece to a team that recorded just its fourth win against a ranked team in program history, when it defeated No. 10 Northeastern 4-1 on Friday. And though she’s found herself at the top of the box score thus far, she’ll still be second on the depth chart at center when the Orange plays a home-and-home with No. 3 Clarkson this weekend at Tennity Ice Pavilion on Friday at 7 p.m. and in Potsdam, N.Y., at 2 p.m. Saturday.
In front of her is senior captain Margot Scharfe, one of the most celebrated players in SU history. And while the two are both admittedly competitive, Sibley said that Scharfe has done a good job with keeping her accountable during practice.
“She just always pushes me, during practice or off-ice workouts,” Sibley said. “She’s always there, pushing you to do your best.
“She says, ‘Keep going Sibs, you’re almost there, you’re almost done.’ She’s constantly pushing you.”
Scharfe said she was ecstatic when Sibley scored her first goal. She tried to congratulate her, but it was too loud on the bench for her to communicate, so the two just exchanged smiles.
“From center to center, we always cheer each other on,” Scharfe said. “We like to keep it competitive with each other in practice.”
Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan said that Sibley has stood out among the freshman class. He jokingly noted that the Canada native is on pace to score 34 goals this season, one for every game.
“She’s getting a lot of playing time,” Flanagan said. “She’s playing on a regular shift on that second unit. She’s getting a lot of ice time, but she’s earned it, she deserves it.”
He said that while he could see Sibley on the first line next year, she and Scharfe don’t necessarily have the same type of game.
“Margot is a real good, all-around, hard-working center that has done her share of scoring, and we hope she continues to,” Flanagan said. “But when you look at Sibley, she has a good unique skill. She can bury the puck.”
With Scharfe set to graduate after this season, Sibley knows that the spot on the first line is hers to lose.
“It’s good to know that,” Sibley said. “But it makes me want to work harder to make sure that if I get it, then I get it. I just have to work harder I guess.”
