For head coach Paul Flanagan, it seemed like freshman Julie Knerr was making a hustle play every time he looked up.

‘I thought Julie was our best player, it wasn’t even close,’ Flanagan said. ‘I have some flashes of when I saw her tonight, of crossing the blue line and taking it to the net. She probably had two or three good chances where she took an opportunity to shoot the puck.’

Knerr led the offensive attack for the Orange (2-5, 0-0 College Hockey America) with a full head of steam on Wednesday night against in-state rival Colgate (3-2, 0-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference). The freshman forward recorded five shots — tied for the team lead — and played with plenty of energy on a night when Flanagan and his team didn’t have much to be proud of in a 3-1 loss to the Raiders.

The Orange came out flat and seemed overmatched by Raiders’ forward Brittany Phillips, who leads the team through five games with 11 points. Despite SU’s lack of focus against the Raiders, Flanagan highlighted Knerr’s aggressive play. She kept the Colgate defense in check for the first two periods while Phillips dominated offensively for the Raiders.

Knerr tallied three shots in the first period alone, consistently pushing the puck up the ice and allowing her team to get opportunities on the offensive end.

At 5 feet 2 inches, Knerr is the shortest player on the Syracuse ice hockey team. But she didn’t let her height affect the way she played against Colgate. Though her diminutive frame puts her at a disadvantage, Knerr plays daringly physical against the bigger opposition.

She was getting pushed around early in the game, but refused to back down against a feisty Raiders defense.

‘I have to focus on going hard all the time and winning those battles,’ Knerr said. ‘I’m a short kid, but I always want to win those battles.’

After shaking up the lines before an away game against Northeastern back on Oct. 7, Flanagan gave Knerr the opportunity to prove herself on the ice. She responded, scoring her first career goal the very next day against New Hampshire. She understands the importance of seizing the opportunity whenever Flanagan calls her number.

The increased ice time will benefit the freshman’s progression as a player this season. Knerr said that more playing time has positively affected the confidence she has in her abilities to make plays.

She also placed a large emphasis on support from her teammates, whether in practice or during a game.

‘To have support from the team, just saying, ‘Come on Knerr you got it,’ that helps a lot and it keeps me going,’ Knerr said.

Knerr wasn’t the only freshman that made her presence felt on Wednesday night. Forward Shiann Darkangelo was very aggressive against Colgate’s defensive zone, using her size advantage to get a step ahead of the defender.

The 5-foot-9-inch Darkangelo’s best chance of the night came early in the second period when she raced past a Colgate defender and had a wrist shot saved by goaltender Kimberly Sass. Darkangelo grabbed her own rebound, but was once again stuffed by Sass.

The intensity displayed by Darkangelo and Knerr was one of the lone bright spots Syracuse could take away from Wednesday’s game. They combined for 10 of the team’s 29 total shots.

Syracuse outshot the Raiders 29-22, but it couldn’t put together enough goals to get the win.

Still, without the strong effort by Knerr, SU’s two-goal defeat might have been much worse. And their strong play can only help the Orange going forward.

‘I thought Knerr had as much going for her tonight as anybody,’ Flanagan said. ‘Now, just the fact that she’s getting on the ice more and more and playing at a higher level, her skills are coming out. She still has some things to learn, but boy, she wants to learn. She is eager to learn.’

awmirmin@syr.edu

Published on October 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm