Photo courtesy of Sam Rubin Yale Sports Publicity, Cornell Athletics
By Gabbi Riggi
Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team added two new assistant coaches Thursday. Eddie Ardito and Amanda Mazzotta will be joining head coach Cassandra Turner and assistant coach Paul Nemetz-Carlson behind the bench.
From Yale to Quinnipiac, Ardito is quite familiar with the Whitney Ave. rivalry, as he worked as a women’s assistant coach for Yale University from 2011-15. During his time with the team, the Bulldogs returned to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time since 2005.
He primarily served as the recruiting coordinator and video coach, and has also worked as an on-ice skills coach and evaluator with USA Hockey. Prior to Yale, he was with Connecticut College as Director of Hockey Operations and assistant coach for the men’s team.
Mazzotta, like Turner, is a former ECAC Hockey player. Graduating from Cornell after a standout goaltending career which included three Frozen Four appearances, Mazzotta went back to coaching in Canada immediately after graduation.
Last season she worked under Turner as the goaltending coach for the U18 Team Canada who brought home a silver medal. She will return to coach the team this season. She will work with the goaltenders as well as last year’s third rated team defense in the nation.
“I’m excited for her to be a role model for our student-athletes and continue to raise the standard in which we compete on a daily basis,” Turner said in a press release. “She’s a dynamic young coach with a very bright future ahead of her.
Quinnipiac excelled last year, going 26-9-3 overall with a 15-1-2 ECAC record. The team also made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, but was ousted by Harvard in the first round. For long stretches of the season, it was the top team in the conference climbing as high as No. 3 in the nation.
Cassandra Turner, former associate head coach, was promoted in April after Rick Seeley was dismissed from the team.
“We were searching to fill our staff with people of great character, a drive to improve every day, and a commitment to upholding the standards of representing Quinnipiac University,” Turner said in a statement. “Eddie and Amanda fit that description perfectly, bringing energy, expertise and experience that will complement our staff in a way that will undoubtedly continue to push our program to compete for championships.”
