When Syracuse needed to get on the board, it turned to its humble goal scorer. With time winding down in Friday’s contest against Robert Morris and the Orange trailing by two goals, Margot Scharfe stepped up once again.

After a Caitlin Roach slap shot was turned away, Scharfe, with her back to the net, collected the puck and spun around in one motion to shoot at the cage for a highlight-reel goal.

It was arguably the most impressive goal of the season for Syracuse, but Scharfe didn’t think so.

‘Oh God, it was a pretty nice bounce I got,’ Scharfe said. ‘ … I don’t think any of my goals are pretty, so I just have to throw it on the net and hopefully something good happens.’

And that’s sums up Scharfe in a nutshell. The sophomore forward performs on the ice but deflects attention off it, minimizing her own accomplishments. Scharfe is tied for the team lead in points with 22, scoring 11 goals and giving out 11 assists. While SU head coach Paul Flanagan and teammates realize how valuable Scharfe has become in her second season, the viable scoring threat remains even-keeled, refusing to acknowledge how important she has been to Syracuse (9-18-3, 0-5-3 College Hockey America) this season.

‘I don’t know. I think I’ve helped out. I’ve been producing a little more this year, so that helps,’ Scharfe said. ‘But I think I could do a little better in terms of providing for the team.’

While Scharfe downplays her crucial role for the Orange this season, her teammates and coaches have no problem describing how much she has meant to the team.

Junior Holly Carrie-Mattimoe said without Scharfe’s production this season, the Orange’s results would be ‘devastating.’

Flanagan said Scharfe has exceeded his expectations after a freshman campaign in which she netted just seven goals and collected 15 points. Though Flanagan admits Scharfe isn’t the fastest, or most skilled, her intangibles take her a long way.

‘She was born with some real good hockey instincts,’ Flanagan said. ‘She does a good job of doing the best she can with what she has.’

Scharfe said because she isn’t blessed with a load of natural talent, she tries to anticipate what’s going to happen on the ice.

And Scharfe doesn’t just rely on her hockey smarts — she puts in long hours on the ice. She’s usually on the ice before and after practice, and no matter how long she’s out there, Scharfe never lets up.

Though Flanagan calls her the Orange’s best all-around player, another distinction she earned is most humble.

‘She won’t take credit for anything,’ Flanagan said.

Carrie-Mattimoe remembers one time earlier in the season when Scharfe scored on a two-on-one opportunity, and the first thing she did was apologize for not making an extra pass.

‘I like to apologize a lot, so I’m trying to stop that,’ Scharfe said.

As of late, Scharfe is apologizing less and gaining confidence as the Orange enters its final leg of the season. Her teammates have called her names like ‘superstar’ as a way to break her out of her timid shell. Another way has simply been the play Scharfe has shown on the ice. That’s when she’s most comfortable letting her performance do the talking.

And with every puck she deposits in the back of the net, Flanagan sees the confidence growing for a player who was a walk-on entering her freshman year.

Scharfe joined the team unheralded. And though her play might not be flashy and she apologizes even when she triumphs, Flanagan wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘You just open the door for her and let her play,’ Flanagan said. ‘You hope that the other players are paying attention to her work ethic and her humility as a player and just where it’s gotten her.’

dgproppe@syr.edu 

Published on February 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm