HAMDEN, Conn. — Graduate student forward Sadie Peart is arguably one of the best players in Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey history. Her natural hat trick in its 7-1 win over Harvard plants her third all-time in goals scored in program history.
But the hat trick and win, although great for Peart, further emphasized the culture and selflessness of the team.
“You obviously want to do that in college, but it’s not something I’m playing for,” Peart said.
What she does play for is the 23 other women in the locker room.
She’s a part of a group of upperclassmen — that is juniors, seniors and graduate students — on Quinnipiac who have so far played a combined 1,242 games together throughout their Bobcat careers.
They’ve won together, embraced each other after hundreds of goals — including the seven today — gone to the NCAA Tournament twice together and lost many rough games together, two of which in the previous weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
They’ve established a culture together that was ever present in each goal Quinnipiac scored in Saturday’s win.
A culture of family, relentlessness, accountability, resilience and fun.
Blasting music — from Pop Smoke to EDM — in the weight room, running around the depths of M&T Bank Arena laughing and shouting and playing Sewer Ball pregame are what keeps the game fun and light.
“It’s a game,” head coach Cass Turner said. “We want them to enjoy it.”
In game, that culture shines even more.
A relentless battle in the crease between Peart and Crimson junior goaltender Alex Pellicci with Peart whacking shot after shot on net found its victor in junior forward Maya Labad, who edged the puck into the back of the net for an early 1-0 lead.
The culture shows when a Steigauf pass in front of the crease finds graduate student Julia Nearis’ stick and then twine for the Bobcats second goal of the game.
The culture shows when the hundreds if not thousands of hours this team, or what Steigauf referred to as “a family,” spends together translates fluidly on the ice with effortless stretch passes and two-on-one goals — like what Steigauf scored with nearly three minutes left in the first period to give Quinnipiac a three-goal lead.
It shows when lines work smoothly together, like when Peart found freshman forward Kahlen Lamarche — both members of the Bobcats’ second line — in front of the net to put Quinnipiac up by four at the end of the first period.
The culture shows in graduate student goaltender Logan Angers’ poised saves throughout the game, like when she stopped Crimson senior center Shannon Hollands on a breakaway.
Following Harvard sophomore forward Gwyn Lapp’s goal early in the second period, the bench stayed calm, holding themselves accountable for what went wrong instead of pointing fingers.
“We lift each other up after bad moments,” Steigauf said.
Peart did the lifting herself today, scoring three unanswered goals all in the third period.
The first was a wrister top shelf past Harvard junior goaltender Daisy Boynton — who was subbed on to start the second period. Then the Grand Rapids, Minnesota, native batted her own shot and second goal of the game in net and finally she nudged the frozen biscuit past the goal line off a rebound from graduate student Kate Reilly’s stick.
That closed the game with a Bobcats 7-1 win and a culture that does not stop.
“That relentlessness is going to serve well for them,” Turner said.
Quinnipiac takes a break from ECAC Hockey and plays on Wednesday, Nov. 8 against Waterbury, Connecticut,-based Post University. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m.
