Senior Jessica DiGirolamo leads by example as SU’s top scorer

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Jessica DiGirolamo began the 2020-21 season on an uncharacteristic five-game scoring drought. The senior defender finished last season with eight goals and 23 total points, but she had only two assists through the first three weeks of the season.

But on Feb. 3, she scored twice in the same game against RIT, a feat she hadn’t achieved since December 2019. The captain should’ve had a hat trick after she clanked one off the crossbar, said head coach Paul Flanagan.

Days later, he praised DiGirolamo’s physicality, stick skills and ability to create scoring opportunities for her teammates. Her presence heightens her teammates play, too, he said.

“She can be dominating at times,” Flanagan said. “That just brings everyone else’s levels up.”

In the past three weeks, DiGirolamo has scored seven goals and notched 10 points. Her eight goals so far this season tie a career-high — and she’s played less than half as many games as each of her past three years. As her scoring increased throughout February, so has her confidence on the ice, Flanagan said, and that translates directly to how she fulfills her role as a fourth-year captain.

“She was rewarded,” Flanagan said of her uptick in scoring this month. “(We like) to see that she can be dominant when she really wants to be.”

She’s been key to navigating the Orange — and their seven freshmen — through a season marred by seven COVID-19 induced cancellations and postponements, Flanagan said.

Specifically, Flanagan noted that DiGirolamo sets a “great example” for the rest of the team.

When Lauren Bellefontaine was shoved to the ice by a Penn State forward, DiGirolamo quickly skated toward her injured teammate, knelt down and consoled her as she struggled to her feet. Even as the Orange’s trainer walked out, the defender stayed by her side, patting Bellefontaine on the back when she eventually rose and skated off the ice.

Freshman and fellow defenseman Hannah Johnson said DiGirolamo, along with the rest of the senior captains, have ensured that each player still has a sense of team comradery despite 2020-21 being one of the most difficult years to be a captain.

“I think that’s important, so it helps everyone feel like they’re part of something even when we’re away from the rink,” Johnson said.

DiGirolamo has embraced being the leader on the defensive unit opposite Mae Batherson, Johnson and fellow senior Kristen Siermachesky, who have all played in every game this season.

Midway through the second period on Dec. 11, DiGirolamo stole the puck away from Penn State and took off for Nittany Lion goalie Josie Bothun. Taking two defenders with her, she circled to the right behind the net. Instead of passing to an open skater in front of Bothun, she chose to keep the puck, cycling out to the top of the key. With a quick flick of the wrist, she fired her first goal of the season past the shoulder of PSU’s freshman goalie.

As the game headed to overtime, Flanagan tapped ‘Digi’ — as her teammates call her — as the only senior for a three-on-three. SU lost in overtime, but Flanagan showed overt trust and confidence in the captain, which has continued since.

Siermachesky highlighted the different — yet complementary — roles that she and DiGirolamo play on Syracuse’s backline. Digi’s the offensive one, while Siermachesky hangs back and does “all the little nitty-gritty things” on defense, such as blocking shots, she said.

“I think both of us do a great job at playing our roles, and that’s the thing that we’ve always strived on and strived for,” Siermachesky said. “That’s something that we’ve always harped on, especially for everyone on our team, is pursuing those roles.”

The team and the coaching staff views DiGirolamo’s confidence as the catalyst for SU’s success, Flanagan said. Looking forward to SU’s final games of the regular season, and the College Hockey America Tournament, she’ll be key to the Orange’s success, he emphasized.

As the final buzzer sounded in Tennity Ice Pavilion on Feb. 20, freshman goalie Amelia Van Vliet smiled. She had just secured her first collegiate shutout, defeating LIU 5-0. Syracuse’s bench cheered, and those on the ice — including DiGirolamo — quickly skated toward the freshman. The bench emptied and followed, all ready to give a hug to Van Vliet. The first in line to embrace the excited netminder — Jessica DiGirolamo.