Piacentini scores 100th career point as Syracuse defeats Penn State

Senior right wing Melissa Piacentini scored her 100^th career point tonight in the 3-1 victory against Penn State. Jessica Sibley put Syracuse up 2-1 with 3:17 to go in regulation, and Piacentini reached the centennial milestone with an assist on the play. She is averaging one point per game so far this season.

“I can’t say enough about her,” head coach Paul Flanagan said following the victory. “She’s a fabulous kid, I’m very proud of her, and, if anything, that just shows consistency. When you’re 5’0” and you can play the way she plays, hopefully there’s a lot more where that came from.”

The Orange was undisciplined in the first period, taking three penalties. However, senior goaltender Jenn Gilligan stood tall, stopping all nine shots in the opening 20 minutes. Fellow senior Nicole Ferrara opened the scoring with 4:57 to go in the first frame, charging the net from the corner and beating Nittany Lions goaltender Celine Whitlanger stick side.

Syracuse held the lead until a misplay led to a Penn State breakaway. Gilligan sprawled in an attempt to cover the bottom of the net, but it wasn’t enough as Penn State junior Amy Petersen beat her five-hole to tie the game with 4:50 going into the second period.

“She came in with speed, you have to tip your hat to her,” Gilligan said about the goal after the game. "She made a nice move and put it in. Just got to stop the next one.”

With 35 seconds left and Penn State’s goaltender pulled, Sibley took a checking penalty and put the Orange down two players. But the penalty kill held strong and prevented any chances. With 10 seconds to go, sophomore left wing Emily Costales put the puck in the empty net, icing the game for the Orange.