When the Syracuse ice hockey team dresses for its game Friday night at Robert Morris, the players will put on the same blue jerseys that they've donned for each of their previous eight road games.
But for the first time this year, the letter "A" will appear on four Orange players' sweaters.
Head coach Paul Flanagan announced Monday that seniors Lucy Schoedel and Brittaney Maschmeyer, junior Stefanie Marty and sophomore Janelle Malcolm will all serve as assistant captains for the remainder of the 2009-10 campaign. The news comes as a testament to the unique leadership each exhibited in the team's first month-plus of play.
Flanagan based his decision on a team vote that occurred several weeks ago. However, he yielded before finalizing the players' selections until he was confident that the chosen ones were ready for the new role. In 28 years of coaching, Flanagan said this was the latest into a season that one of his team's announced its captains. It also marks the first time in his days on the bench that his unit will have four assistant captains and no individual wearing a "C."
"We just wanted to make sure that the girls the team voted for were actually stepping up and being leaders," said Flanagan.
The coach's hesitancy comes a year after he thrust two second-year skaters - Marty and current-junior Julie Rising - into the difficult position of captaining the squad in its first ever season.
But for the second season of the Orange program, Flanagan has taken the approach of "strength in numbers."
"With the four personalities that we have (as captains this season)," Flanagan said, "I think we have the bases covered."
While each member of the foursome tries to set an example for teammates to follow, they also have distinctive traits.
Marty, who leads the team this season with 10 points, brings the experience of having been a co-captain before. And though the Swiss native's voice isn't a presence in the locker room like her counterparts, she lets her work ethic speak.
"I don't speak up on this team as much as I do back home," Marty said. "I just lead more by example."
Meanwhile, Schoedel, SU's goalie, prides herself on taking a vocal leadership role. She said she takes it upon herself to make sure the Orange always skate with intensity. Her position on the ice already makes her a leader by default. But for Schoedel, being officially named a captain still holds significance.
"It's a responsibility and an honor," Schoedel said. "It's something that I'm really proud of and I'm glad that my teammates recognized me."
And similar to Syracuse's goalie, Maschmeyer likes to talk a lot on the ice. Teammates appreciate her upbeat and positive attitude.
Malcolm's leadership style falls somewhere in-between that of SU's seniors and junior assistant captains. According to Flanagan, the sophomore, who has scored a team-best five goals on the year, displays maturity beyond her years. Though laidback, she's capable of stepping up to lead when necessary.
"We all really bring such a different piece to the puzzle," said Schoedel. "We're going to be able to feed off each other and work together."
Nevertheless, the four newly-named captains said their new titles won't impact their approach to how they play this weekend when Syracuse (4-5-1, 1-1-0 CHA) visits CHA-foe Robert Morris (4-7-1, 0-1-1 CHA) for a pair of 7 p.m. contests Friday and Saturday nights.
Despite their differences, the one thing that unites the four assistant captains is a team-first mentality.
"Any time you put the sweater on, whether there's a letter or not, you're representing the team," Malcolm said. "And that's what comes first."
jgnolan@syr.edu
Be the first to comment on this article!