Stefanie Marty sat on an exercise bike outside the locker room as the Syracuse ice hockey team practiced Monday and Tuesday.

The scene could be a sign of trouble for the Orange as it prepares for a rematch with Clarkson Friday. Senior captain Marty, a gifted scorer and team leader, remains questionable this weekend with a right shoulder injury.

She injured the shoulder after taking a hit on the boards in the second period of last week’s loss to Clarkson. Marty went to the bench in pain to be examined by the trainers and returned to play the remainder of the game.

Marty learned later the injury might be more serious. She suffered a subluxation, or partial dislocation, of the shoulder, and she is not sure if she can play this weekend.

‘I don’t know yet,’ Marty said. ‘I really don’t know. We’ll see how it goes during the week and then we’ll decide on Friday.’

Without Marty, the Orange would face an even taller task in trying to avenge its loss to Clarkson.

Marty tied for the team lead with 16 goals last season despite missing time to compete in the Olympics for Switzerland. In Vancouver, she set an Olympic record with nine goals to lead her team to a fifth-place finish. She is a prolific goal scorer on the ice.

And goal scorers are what the Orange need to snap its three-game losing streak, especially against a suffocating Clarkson defense.

SU head coach Paul Flanagan said more players need to have a scorer’s mentality if Marty cannot go.

‘We have to get some players that just have to think, ‘I have to score however, whatever way I have to do it,” Flanagan said. ‘Get some ugly goals.’

Flanagan thinks his team has been trying to make the pretty play rather than the right one. Precision is nice, but this team isn’t going to win games that way.

‘Those beautiful tic-tac-toe plays, if they’re there and they happen that’s great, but I don’t think that’s what we’re looking for,’ Flanagan said. ‘And I don’t see where we’re that kind of a team.’

Flanagan said the ugly goals that come off rebounds win games. The team has to keep things simple and get pucks on net to get those goals.

That combination worked well for SU early in the season. A balanced offensive attack keyed a three-game winning streak that preceded the recent slide. The Orange needs to find that balance again.

Syracuse has been relying on sophomore and team points leader Isabel Menard too much lately. Menard scored both SU goals last weekend to keep the Orange in the game.

‘It’s almost like we’re looking to Isabel to be our savior,’ Flanagan said. ‘If this continues much longer, teams can key on Isabel and that will make it tough on us, so we have to spread the wealth here offensively.’

With Marty hurting, the whole team needs to step up. Flanagan said Marty will be evaluated Thursday and they will make a decision Thursday night or Friday morning. If she can’t play, the Clarkson game could be an opportunity for more players to contribute.

Senior Julie Rising believes SU is prepared to play without Marty if it has to.

‘She’s definitely a key player so it would be a little rough,’ Rising said. ‘I think we have people that can jump into her spot and definitely have a chance to getting more ice time and making a difference.’

Flanagan knows he can’t replace Marty with one player. He said he would ask the entire team to do a little more to make up for the loss.

‘You can’t just pencil one person in,’ Flanagan said. ‘We’ll ask everyone to try to make up for the fact that she’s not here.’

With or without Marty, Rising said SU is ready to make this weekend’s game different than the last.

Said Rising: ‘Now we’ve got a chip on our shoulder, so we’re going to definitely go at them on Friday and play like we can.’

rjgery@syr.edu

 

Published on November 10, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu