By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
She had essentially been a designated practice goalie for RIT’s women’s hockey team, going through all the drills but never getting to play in a game.
Practice, practice, practice, practice, watch, watch. That’s a simplistic overview of how Jessi O’Leary’s week at the rink looked.
Such is life when one of the other goalies on the team, Terra Lanteigne, was College Hockey America’s Player of the Year in 2018-19 and was returning for her senior season.
O’Leary never started a game a year ago, her sophomore season. In fact, her only playing time was a 9-minute, 53-second relief stint in the second period of an 8-0 loss to Boston University on Dec. 8.
But while being the backup was her role, that didn’t mean the junior from Woodstock, New Brunswick, wouldn’t try to change it. She kept working hard, she stayed upbeat and she supported her teammates.
Her chance to finally start again came last Friday. With the Tigers winless (0-5-1) and Lanteigne not quite as sharp as necessary, coach Chad Davis played a hunch, in part based off O’Leary’s work in relief during a 6-0 loss at Mercyhurst on Oct. 19.
She entered in relief midway through the game and, though she allowed three goals on 16 shots, Davis liked what he saw.
“It wasn’t an easy situation and she really battled through it, and I could see the team really rallied around her,” Davis said.
As a result, O’Leary was given the start against Brown University and she responded, making 37 saves in a 6-0 victory at the Gene Polisseni Center. It was her first NCAA shutout.
“She’s really been working hard and we were seeking some success, and I just had a gut feeling that she was going to play well,” Davis said. “The thing she has been doing is bringing a lot of energy, and I thought we played off that.”
Brown was not as strong as the teams RIT had played the first three weekends. But the Tigers still needed to respond, and they did. So did O’Leary, who was told at Friday’s morning skate that she’d be starting for the first time since Feb. 9 of her freshman season.
“I was really excited,” she said. “A little nervous but fired up. And it was almost a new feeling because it had been a while.”
There obviously was pressure. But then again, the entire team was feeling the pressure of the 0-5-1 start.
“We knew going into the weekend that we needed the win,” O’Leary said, “and it takes a team to win a game, not just me.”
Indeed, the Tigers produced goals early — Hunter Barnett scored two and set up another — in building a 4-0 first-period lead.
At the other end, O’Leary faced plenty of shots, and traffic as the Bears went hard to the net.
“She earned her space and she has a presence in net,” Davis said. “She really played solid. Nothing went through her.”
O’Leary gave a great deal of credit to her teammates. But she also said her chats with a sports psychologist were important. She said she visits Craig Cypher of Pittsford once a week or once every two weeks.
“He’s taught me to focus on myself, on working hard and not worrying about things I can’t control,” O’Leary said.
She also said the support from Lanteigne and the team’s third goalie, freshman Taylor Liotta, meant a lot. “They’re such solid people to me. They’re rocks almost.”
Having posted a shutout, O’Leary obviously was given the start in the rematch on Saturday. She made 24 saves in a 4-2 victory.
This weekend, the Tigers have a home-and-home with Syracuse, playing on the road Friday and home at noon on Saturday.
You can already guess who’s starting on Friday.
“After getting two wins and seeing the team rally around her, I think she deserves the opportunity,” Davis said.
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