When Emily Costales sprained her MCL before Syracuse went on its semester break, it forced her to miss six games. But when she came back in January, she said the time off — if anything — helped her.

As a result, her skating has gotten quicker and smoother, and the trainers have helped her play better than she did before the injury.

“It’s actually helped my skating,” Costales said. “I feel a lot stronger and I’m more confident skating out there.”

A healthy Costales now skates on the top line with Melissa Piacentini and Stephanie Grossi, who lead Syracuse in points with 29 and 28, respectively. Coastales has only improved as the season has progressed, tallying three points in the last five games of the regular season.

“Coming back and playing with Steph and Tini has really helped me because they are so quick,” Costales said. “I’ve had to keep up with their speed and I think that it not only forced me to readjust, but forced me to play better than I was before I got hurt.”

Less of a scorer than her linemates, Costales uses her aggressiveness and awareness to poach loose pucks.

Costales has thrived in Alysha Burriss’ spot as the third option on the front line. She’s been more active and picked up her game, elevating it to accompany that of Grossi and Piacentini.

“We made the decision to create more balance,” Flanagan said. “… I think after a while we started to become a one-dimensional team offensively. Emily brings different style and skills to that line and its worked.”

Flanagan called Costales “cerebral,” noting that the freshman forward seems to always be in the right spot at the right time. Senior captain Julie Knerr said Costales may have been unsure of herself at the beginning of the season, but has begun to make plays instinctively.

A lot of the drills the Orange run in practice are line based, so the cohesiveness of the unit has flourished. Grossi and Piacentini have played with each other for most of the year, but Costales needed practice to help build chemistry with the other two. The trio all play and skate quickly, which has helped them mesh well together.

The three-on-two drills in the offensive zone have helped Costales feel more comfortable cycling the puck and then crashing the net for rebounds when Grossi and Piacentini shoot. In a 3-1 win over Lindenwood on Feb. 14, Costales did just that, poking home a rebound off a blocked Piacentini shot.

Flanagan said he is asking Grossi and Piacentini to shoulder a large load for the team and if one of them is having an off night on the ice, someone is going to need to step in and help score goals.

“She’s a bit bigger than those two,” Knerr said. “… She compliments them well because she goes to the net hard. They put the puck on net a lot and Emily’s there for rebound chances.”

It’s not just playing with Piacentini and Grossi that makes Costales a good player. Flanagan said that she has done a good job this season contributing, regardless of the line she plays on.

She’ll be crucial as SU starts its playoff run next weekend.

“We need her to keep putting points on the board,” Knerr said. “… If she keeps playing like she has been, we’re going to be much better offensively and keep winning games.”

Published on February 24, 2015 at 12:07 am

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu