Stephanie Grossi cut through the Cornell defense just 11 seconds into the third period. She got the puck from Megan Quinn and fired immediately for Syracuse’s first goal of the game.

The Orange, then down 3-1 with a full period remaining, was within striking distance. But the second goal didn’t come soon enough. Alysha Burriss scored with five minutes left to go, but Cornell had already upped its lead by that point.

Grossi’s goal, her fifth of the season, was another example of the first line’s ability to score. Her, Nicole Ferrara and Melissa Piacentini have accounted for nearly half of Syracuse’s total points, scoring 16 of the team’s 35 goals and tallying 25 of the Orange’s 60 assists.

“We’ll call them the little three (instead of the big three),” Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan said, referring to their heights. Grossi is 5-foot-2, Ferrara 5-foot-4 and Piacentini 5-foot-2.

Syracuse (5-7-1, 3-1-1 College Hockey America) is looking to improve its scoring depth against conference opponent Rochester Institute of Technology (3-10, 0-5) Wednesday night. The Orange scored seven goals against RIT on Oct. 21, its highest total this season. But the Orange has only scored five goals in its last five games, with four of them created by first-liners.

“We have to get that second and third line scoring,” Flanagan said. “We have to get more scoring from our defensemen.”

While the Orange is averaging just less than 30 shots per game, only nine percent make it into the net. Grossi’s biggest problem with the offense is the quality of shots, as most of Syracuse’s attempts on Saturday were effortless saves for the Big Red.

“We have to make sure we crash and take it to the net to challenge the goalie,” Grossi said. “It’s hard when you’re under pressure just to get it into those places, but sometimes it just goes right into the glove and it’s an easy save for the goalie.”

The offense’s biggest weakness may be the “little three’s” biggest strength: chemistry. Ferrara, Grossi and Piacentini seem to always be on the same page so that they don’t even have to talk on the ice, Flanagan said.

The trio has dominated games offensively before. In a 5-4 loss against then-No. 10 Northeastern on Oct. 9, the three combined for seven total points. Ferrara had a five-game goal streak in October. Grossi’s hat trick against RIT led the Orange to a blowout victory.

But when things go rough for those three, SU struggles to win. In Syracuse’s last four losses, they have been held to five points and three have come from Grossi.

“When they get shut down, it’s tough sledding for us,” Flanagan said. “Teams can key on them. We want to have secondary scoring. Maybe we rely too heavily on that line.”

Published on November 18, 2015 at 12:31 am

Contact Chris: cfthomse@syr.edu