With a flick of her wrist, Syracuse forward Margot Scharfe netted her 40th career goal to unseat Holly Carrie-Mattimoe as the all-time leading goal scorer in program history.

The goal by Scharfe — which came 15 minutes into the first period — tied the game at 1-1, but SU (18-13-3, 9-8-3 College Hockey America) ultimately fell to the Rochester Institute of Technology (16-15-3, 11-7-2) 3-1 on Friday, and lost again 2-1 in overtime on Saturday.

The bigger picture for Scharfe was trying to win the game — as it has been her entire collegiate career.

In fact, she wasn’t even aware of her feat until the next morning.

But still, she could not receive credit without delegating it.

“It feels nice to be recognized,” Scharfe says. “But there’s no way I could’ve done this without my teammates, so kudos to them as well.”

Head coach Paul Flanagan has been at the helm for Scharfe’s entire four-year career, and gave her high praise as someone who’s seen her develop as team captain both on and off the ice.

“She’s a constant team player and a very good captain,” Flanagan said, “She’s the last person who would get concerned or caught up in any sort of record.”

Her progression to reach the pinnacle of goal scorers in program history has been one filled with adversity and punctuated with hard work. Flanagan highlighted Scharfe’s strong desire to come to Syracuse, not just for hockey, but especially academics.

Scharfe came in hoping to “occupy the last locker in the clubhouse,” as Flanagan put it, and has worked her way up to the first line and captain of her squad.

“She came in knowing full well that (she’s) got to earn (her) stripes,” Flanagan said. “And through her four years she’s worked from fourth line to the first line.

“She’s one of those real good success stories that we love to talk about.”

Scharfe said her line has been essential to her success on the season and throughout her career. She’s put in a lot of work to have results out on the ice, but according to her, none of the results are achieved single-handedly.

“My line has always been really good for me,” Scharfe said. “We’re all gritty and are trying to get to the pucks floating around the net.”

Her teammates, especially those that have accompanied her the past four years, have attested to her diligence in putting extra work in and maximizing her potential.

Senior Orange defender Caitlin Roach has shared the ice with Scharfe since 2010, and said the four years together have created a bond and chemistry that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere.

“Margot is an extremely hard worker and always keeps her feet moving on the ice,” Roach said. “She’s a leader on the ice and girls follow what she does.”

Scharfe has tried to emulate her play after Stefanie Marty, a former Orange standout. Marty played for the Swiss Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team and played for SU when Scharfe was a freshman.

“She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever played with,” Scharfe said, “and I’ve just tried my best to follow in her footsteps.”

While Scharfe hasn’t reached Olympic glory like Marty has, her success playing for Flanagan and the program at SU is officially unprecedented.

“She has one of the most consistent and strong work ethics,” Flanagan said. “She’s been as consistent as anyone since the first day she came here.”

Published on February 24, 2014 at 12:34 am

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