Jessica Sibley skated quickly to the net as defender Megan Quinn took a shot from the blue line. The puck slammed off Penn State goalie Celine Whitlinger, bouncing in Sibley’s direction. The junior dropped to her knees, positioning herself lower to possess the rebound. She fired as soon as the puck hit her stick.

And for the second game in a row, Sibley won the game in overtime for Syracuse. It was Sibley’s ninth game-winning goal in her SU career.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Sibley said. “But I think confidence has a little to do with it.”

The junior forward is winning more faceoffs than ever in her SU career. Her three game-winning overtime goals have propelled the Orange (16-13-3, 12-4-2 College Hockey America) to key victories against conference opponents. With two games left in the regular season, SU is relying on Sibley’s improved offense.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a transformation,” Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan said. “I’d say she’s really paid attention to detail.”

Sibley developed her ability to come through late in her freshman year, when she had two game-winning goals. But in her sophomore year, she earned a minus-27 rating. She had nine fewer points in her second season, only totaling seven goals and 10 assists. Flanagan considered Sibley a one-dimensional player before she returned to SU this fall.

“I knew coming into this year that I had to be better defensively,” Sibley said. “I had trouble staying with my men and knowing where my person was in the defensive zone.”

Sibley only had four points in her first seven games this season. Her offensive struggles continued until Flanagan bumped Sibley to the first line in November, where she blended well with Melissa Piacentini and Nicole Ferrara. Sibley has recorded seven goals and nine assists since Flanagan’s line change and has earned more total points than both Piacentini and Ferrara this season.

But Sibley credits her two linemates for her accomplishments this season, whose fast, smart play keeps the center on her toes.

“They’re always talking to you,” Sibley said. “You always know where they are. They communicate well. They push me every day.”

Sibley’s greatest strength may be her physical strength. She notes that most of her goals have come from creating space near the net or by pushing her opponents out of the way for rebounds. Sibley’s offensive prowess was so successful that Flanagan created his entire attacking scheme around her physicality.

Even her teammates, such as Nicole Renault, are overwhelmed by Sibley’s size in practice.

“She knocked me down today,” Renault said on Tuesday. “She’s a powerful girl. When she does stuff like that, everyone else feeds off it.”

Sibley’s offense has improved dramatically. And as Syracuse gears up for a postseason run, Flanagan recognizes her importance.

“I’d say that from a full, broad perspective, she’s been as good of a player as we’ve had this year,” Flanagan said.

Published on February 16, 2016 at 11:35 pm

Contact Chris: cfthomse@syr.edu