Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey enters the 2025-26 season with big hopes for this Bobcat squad.
As of publication, the Bobcats are ranked No. 10 nationally in the USCHO Poll, and sit in the No. 4 spot in the ECAC preseason polls, tied with St. Lawrence. However, these rankings mean little to head coach Cass Turner, as she looks for her squad to exceed the expectations of others.
“For us it’s always taking pride in the process,” Turner said during ECAC Preseason Media Availability on Sept. 16. “It is really about being sure that we figure out what our identity is, that we play to our identity, that we define success based on what that looks like, and as a result hopefully wins will come as we play to our identity.”
Last season, Quinnipiac went 22-12-4 overall, with an 11-8-3 record in the ECAC, and hopes to carry its strong winning mentality into this season.
Analyzing the roster, the Bobcats enter the season with a team full of youth, with nine freshmen and seven sophomores this season. After saying goodbye to eight Bobcats at the conclusion of last season, across all positions, the addition of a big freshmen class, which also covers all positions, will help develop the team’s competitive longevity.
“For this group, we are young,” Turner said. “It’s exciting, I think the youth is bringing a lot of energy. I think the youth is bringing some real offensive fire to our group, and I think for us this season, I’m looking forward to having that.”
Quinnipiac also picked up two new Bobcats from the transfer portal over the offseason, senior netminder Calli Hogarth and junior forward Alex Law.
Hogarth is a transfer from Merrimack College, where she competed for the first three years of her collegiate career. Last season, the Barrie, Ontario native appeared in 25 games for the Warriors, where she got the start in 23 games. She posted an impressive .904 save percentage, with a 2.79 goals against average, while making 625 saves on the season.
“With Cali being a senior, she’s gonna bring a lot of depth and experience to the goaltending position,” Turner said. “We love our goaltending team, so we’re really excited about her.”
Law is a transfer from Boston University, where she competed for the first two years of her collegiate career. The Whitby, Ontario native played in all 38 games for the Terriers last season, finishing with nine points on three goals and six assists.
Law was further named a Hockey East top performer twice last season and set a career high in shots with 100. Prior to college hockey, she won gold at the 2022 and 2023 U18 World Championships with Team Canada, where she served as an assistant captain during the 2023 campaign.
“Alex has a ton of international experience, playing with Hockey Canada, and is someone who has such great vision and we’re really excited,” Turner said. “She’s gonna continue to add to our offense and create some offensive depth that we need.”
Before taking on ECAC opponents, the Bobcats will open up the season competing against various Hockey East programs, including the Univeristy of Conneticut, University of Maine, Providence College and Northeastern University. These matchups will allow Quinnipiac to test the waters and work on its team play before entering conference matchups.
“Those are all teams that are gonna push us in different ways and help us as we get ready for ECAC,” Turner said.
The Bobcats will then take on multiple ECAC opponents in the early slots of the season, including Yale University, Brown University and Union College.
Looking ahead at the schedule, Quinnipiac is given the unique experience of competing in the Friendship Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Jan. 2 and 3, 2026. Quinnipiac will be traveling to Ireland, alongside Boston University, Harvard University and University of Minnesota Duluth for the tournament.
“I’m excited to be apart of the first series…it was an unreal experience for these athletes who can’t do study abroad, they don’t get opportunities like that,” Turner said.
Quinnipiac women’s hockey traveled to Belfast five years ago and will have the opportunity to experience this trip once again. When the Bobcats first traveled to Belfast in 2020, they competed against the Merrimack Warriors, winning both games.
Going into this season, the Bobcats look to keep up their strong performance from last years campaign. Last season, Quinnipiac put up 2.6 goals per game and 35.4 shots per game.
Compared to their opponents, the Bobcats outscored their opponents 97 to 53, while also keeping penalties down to 92 compared to their opponents’ 108.
The Bobcats already hit the ground running on their promising season, with a shutout win against the cross-state rival, No. 12 UConn, shutting down the Huskies 3-0.
“Seeing all the work we’ve put in the past few months all of us together…I think really paid off,” Frenette said.
Quinnipiac dominated against UConn, with the veteran Bobcats coming out strong on the scoresheet, with goals from graduate student forward Laurence Frenette, senior defenseman Zoe Uens and junior forward Kahlen Lamarche.
In net, Turner chose to give three Bobcats netminders their moment to shine during the matchup. Sophomore netminder Felicia Frank would get the start between the pipes for Quinnipiac, making 11 saves during the first period.
Going into the second, senior goaltender Tatum Blacker would take the ice for the Bobcats, saving seven shots from the Huskies’ offense. To seal the game, Hogarth would step in the crease for Quinnipiac, making 14 crucial saves.
“All three of them made some big saves in big moments that we needed,” Turner said.
Quinnipiac’s goaltending performance demonstrates a promising future for its squad, with strong netminders to depend upon.
The Bobcats will open their season with a weekend series against the University of Maine on Sept. 26. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m.
