Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey was teetering on the edge of becoming a perennial powerhouse.
Two straight appearances in the NCAA Regional Finals in 2022 and 2023 made it seem like the Bobcats were primed to break through — last year’s team was set up to do it.
With a core made up of a sixth-year goaltender, five other graduate students and up-and-coming young talent — it was supposed to be the year to finally get over that hump.
But it wasn’t, falling short in the second round of the ECAC Hockey tournament against Cornell and missing out on a NCAA tournament berth.
And now Quinnipiac is standing smack-dab in a fork in the road of its program. Was its two-straight trips to the NCAA tournament just a good stretch, or will the 2023-24 season be just a blip in a future of success for women’s ice hockey?
The 2024-25 Bobcats have a chance to swing the pendulum back to the other side, returning to the NCAA tournament and staking their claim among the country’s best.
But it’s not going to be easy. After losing 13 players from last year’s squad, head coach Cass Turner and her staff had to dive into the transfer portal and bring in a mix of veterans as well as freshmen that could fill the gaps.
“It’s been a process,” junior forward Emerson Jarvis said. “At the end of last year it was a small group of girls, but I think we got really close from that. We have the ability to make something new this year with so many new people.”
No loss being bigger than that of goaltender Logan Angers, who was in the program for six years and suited up in 99 games between the pipes.
“Logan was awesome,” graduate student defender Kendall Cooper said. “She’s going to do great things in the PWHL.”
Coming in to try and replace Angers is graduate student Kaley Doyle. The transfer goaltender is coming to Hamden following four years at Brown where she posted a career 2.30 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.
“Logan of course is like the brick wall and just so reliable,” Jarvis said. “But we all feel the same way, of all the goalies we have, they’re doing amazing, and, we have full confidence in their talent and ability and all working hard, pushing each other, and I think it’s a really good goaltending core.”
Despite Quinnipiac losing a good amount of its production from last year, it still returns a talented group of players ready to slide into that leadership role.
“The culture that we have here, it’s really easy to be a leader,” Cooper said. “Even if you don’t have a letter, you’re still a leader in your own way.”
Cooper will be wearing the stitched “C” on her jersey this year, following up Kate Reilly and Sadie Peart who were captains last season.
“I’m really grateful to be in this position … sounds cheesy but I wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates and the people around me,” Cooper said. “I’ve been trying to step into being more vocal as a captain, and growing as a leader every day.”
The Bobcats return some valuable members in the goal-scoring department as well in sophomore forward Kahlen Lamarche, Jarvis and Cooper. The captain led all defenders on last years’ teams with 11 goals.
“(Jarvis) has been speeding around out there,” Cooper said. “She’s always had speed, but she looks a lot more confident with the puck.”
Jarvis’ performance during the Bobcats 2-1 overtime exhibition loss to UConn on Sept. 21, where she scored the team’s lone goal, may be a sign of things to come for the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, native.
“I’d say (I’m) a lot more comfortable,” Jarvis said. “When you get to a new spot, it can be a bit nerve racking, but another year older, another year in the league, I’m feeling more confident.”
Quinnipiac also has eight new freshmen on the squad. While they may not be game breakers right away, that doesn’t mean they won’t be impactful on the ice.
“I’ll shout out my Alberta girl, (freshman defender) Makayla Watson, from my province,” Jarvis said. “It’s been nice to have her around, she’s been awesome.”
Another key freshman for the future of the Bobcats will be goaltender Felicia Frank. While she’ll more than likely be watching behind Doyle for the season, Frank was named the best goaltender of the 2023 U18 World Championships. The Falkoping, Sweden, native will be a name to watch going forward.
Looking ahead to Quinnipiac’s competition, it doesn’t help that it plays in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. The Bobcats came in at No. 10 in the first USCHO preseason poll, behind fellow ECAC members No. 4 Clarkson, No. 5 Colgate, No. 6 Cornell and No. 8 St. Lawrence.
There’s not many breaks in a schedule like that.
“Everyone’s trying to win a national championship at the end of the day, but it’s a big process in getting there,” Jarvis said.
It’s too early to tell how Quinnipiac will fare against the best the country has to offer, let alone the conference. That said, the team has plenty of talent and Turner’s track record has proven that these Bobcats will compete with anyone.
“Ideally it would be to win the ECAC championship, go to the Frozen Four, win a national championship,” Cooper said. “Those are obviously end goals that every team has. If you don’t, then you’re not really playing for the right reasons.”
How far do they go? That’s up to them.
“I think we might surprise people, it’s a really good group, and I’m excited to see what we do,” Jarvis said.
Quinnipiac kicks off the regular season on the road against Maine on Sept. 27, and it opens up its home campaign on Oct. 8 against Providence.
