There was less than two minutes remaining in last year’s College Hockey America championship when Mercyhurst forward Ashley Cockell scored her second goal to break a 1-1 tie with Syracuse. Her goal ended the Orange’s upset bid and proved to be the difference as then-No. 1 Mercyhurst escaped with the conference title.

That game-winning goal would be Cockell’s last in a Mercyhurst uniform. She transferred to Syracuse for her senior season in August. SU head coach Paul Flanagan wonders if the outcome of that game would have been different with Cockell on his side.

‘It would have been nice for her to have been on our team a year ago,’ Flanagan said. ‘Basically, she scored the two goals that ended our season last year.’

Syracuse (11-13-4, 5-4-1 CHA) will have Cockell on its side when No. 5 Mercyhurst (24-5, 13-0) comes to town this weekend. The senior will play a pivotal role against her former team as SU’s enforcer on the ice. With Cockell leading the way, the Orange is hungry to beat Mercyhurst for the first time in program history.

And for Cockell, this weekend’s series is personal. She spent her first three years of college at Mercyhurst, helping the Lakers win two conference championships and reach two Frozen Fours.

But despite all the success, Cockell wasn’t happy. After thinking about it for a while, she decided to transfer over the summer. She said she didn’t like the atmosphere at Mercyhurst.

‘Even though we won a lot of games at Mercyhurst,’ Cockell said, ‘that doesn’t mean it was always a good atmosphere.’

Cockell lacked a personal connection with her teammates and coaches at Mercyhurst. It was all business all the time.

She came to Syracuse to play for Flanagan. Cockell said she only heard good things about the coach and his program. She said the team is like a family.

‘We get along really well,’ Cockell said. ‘Off the ice, we go and do extra things besides just coming to the rink to play, which also helps us on the ice.’

Though Cockell enjoys the camaraderie off the ice, she also knows when it’s time to focus on hockey. Freshman goaltender Kallie Billadeau said Cockell has brought confidence and leadership to the team.

‘She’s been tough on girls when she had to, but it’s a good thing,’ Billadeau said. ‘Everyone needs a little pick-me-up, and she’s definitely been that vocal leader.’

Flanagan said Cockell’s experience has provided a boost for a young Orange team. He has also taken advantage of her ability to play both offense and defense. She played primarily as a defender her first two years at Mercyhurst before switching to the forward position as a junior.

Syracuse needed help defensively this year, so Cockell returned to the blue line. She has kept a scorer’s mentality, though. Cockell is first in goals among defenders in the conference.

Flanagan recently moved her to offense for a few games for some extra punch up front. The head coach can shuffle her around based on the team’s need.

‘She’s been like a utility infielder,’ Flanagan said. ‘She’s versatile enough to be able to play both up front and the blue line.’

Cockell will transition back to defense for the Mercyhurst series. The Lakers boast a potent offense that has scored 153 goals this season — more than twice as many goals as Syracuse, which has 71. Cockell said she is ready for the challenge to stop her former team.

Flanagan said her physical presence was missing from last year’s team. With four Mercyhurst players who stand 5-foot-10 or taller, the Orange will need that physical presence to pull off the upset.

‘You want to fight fire with fire. Now we’ve got someone that’s a big strong defenseman,’ Flanagan said. ‘She’s not afraid to stand up for her teammates and make her presence known.’

Cockell spoiled Syracuse’s effort in that conference championship game a year ago. It was the closest SU has come to beating Mercyhurst in 11 tries. Now, with Cockell, the Orange hopes this series will be different.

‘We’ve been a little intimidated by them in the past, and I think enough’s enough,’ Flanagan said. ‘It’s about time we turn the tide here.’

rjgery@syr.edu

 

Published on February 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu