Before Syracuse’s game against Niagara on Saturday, SU forward Ashley Cockell was accompanied on the ice by her mother and father in a ceremony that featured national anthems from Alaska, Alberta and Switzerland. The hymns were part of a Senior Day celebration for Syracuse’s most veteran members.

The American and Canadian anthems were sung by junior teammate Taylor Metcalfe to the surprise of the crowd.

Metcalfe nailed her performance. After a 4-2 victory on Saturday, completing a series sweep over Niagara, Syracuse nailed its performance as well.

‘I kind of heard through the grapevine that she was going to do it,’ Cockell said after the game. ‘It made me really glad, and it made me excited to play.’

The win marked the first time since mid-January that SU scored as many as four goals and punctuated a senior weekend Syracuse so desperately needed. It also officially marked the start of a final postseason run for three players — Julie Rising, Ashley Cockell and Stefanie Marty — who all transferred into the program looking to build a winner.

‘I think individually they all bring different things to the plate,’ SU head coach Paul Flanagan said. ‘And collectively it’s pretty neat for our younger players to be able to identify with them and just see the way they play.’

Flanagan specifically points to Julie Rising as a player who has shown the rest of the team what it’s like to be a college hockey player. On a team featuring 10 freshmen and seven sophomores, any and all veteran leadership is encouraged. On a team that came into the weekend winning just one of its past eight, it might be necessary.

Rising was joined by family from California and Alaska in the pregame ceremony. Saturday afternoon was the first time her extended family was able to see her play this year.

The forward didn’t score or assist any of Syracuse’s six goals in the Orange’s two wins, but she noticed a better Syracuse team on the ice this weekend, as opposed to the past few weeks.

‘We’re definitely peaking right now — everyone’s working together,’ Rising said. ‘I just want this team to live up to its potential. We have a lot of potential, and I think if we put it all there, we’ll have a great tournament.’

Part of this season’s potential arrived alongside transfer Cockell. In her first and only season in the program, Cockell has introduced a physical, boisterous dimension to the team. She was called for four penalties during the Niagara series, and her 41 on the season leads the team. Every squad needs an enforcer.

But in terms of being with a Frozen Four-caliber school, Cockell brings an uncharted perspective to a school that has yet to reach that type of success.

However, for the third part of the Syracuse trio, Marty, the two games this weekend were good indications.

‘We know how to win again,’ Marty said.

Marty was not accompanied by friends or family on Senior Day. A University of New Hampshire transfer and native of Nussbaumen, Switzerland, Marty is the most seasoned of the three Syracuse seniors. In fact, regular-season-ending conference games hardly seem as though they could faze a veteran hockey player who has been member of the Swiss national team since 2003.

But after Saturday’s game, the visibly contemplative co-captain took an extra moment to mull her final postseason with the Orange.

‘It’s the whole team playing out there. We know this program has never beaten (Mercyhurst), but if we get there, it would be a great playoff finish,’ Marty said. ‘It’s a nice way to end anything — whether it’s your season or your career.’

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Published on February 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm