Photos courtesy of Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network and Quinnipiac Athletics
By Gabbi Riggi
Two of the key players in the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance are now the building blocks in a new league.
Chelsea Laden and Shiann Darkangelo, who graduated in May, are among the first signees with the Connecticut Whale of the National Women’s Hockey League.
In 88 starts in her career, Chelsea Laden dominated in net. She held a 55-22-12 record, a 1.56 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. In the 2014-15 season, Laden led all of Division I with 16 shutouts, one shy of the NCAA Division I record.
She holds the Quinnipiac program record for lowest single-season goals-against average, is tied for most shutouts in team history. She also owns the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s best single-season shutout record.
Darkangelo transferred from Syracuse University, playing her junior and senior seasons at Quinnipiac. In 74 games with the Bobcats, she scored 33 goals and totaled 60 points, ending her college career with 102 points. Darkangelo also represented the United States in the Four Nations Cup in November 2014.
“[Signing] means I am able to continue to chase my dream while being part of something bigger then myself, and continuing to help grow the sport doing what I love,” Darkangelo said in a press release.
Laden and Darkangelo were two of the five former Quinnipiac players to attend the Whale’s training camp in May, where they joined Morgan Fritz-Ward, Kelly Babstock and Elena Orlando.
Other players on the Whale include Sam Faber (New Hampshire), Hannah Brandt (Minnesota), Michelle Picard (Harvard), Milicia McMillan (Minnesota), Maryanne Menefee (Minnesota), and Cassandra Poudrier (Cornell).
General Manager Chris Ardito has already begun to form his team as the summer rolls on.
“I’m excited to get the signings underway. It’s another positive step towards October,” he said in a press release. “As the Whale forms, I think people are going realize we are going to be a hard team to play against each week.”
The National Women’s Hockey League launched in April 2015 as the first professional paid women’s hockey league in North America. Joining the Connecticut Whale as the league’s founding teams are the New York Riveters, Boston Pride and Buffalo Beauts.
Puck drop for the first season will begin October 17, where the Whale will play at home at Chelsea Piers Rink in Stamford, Connecticut, just fifty miles away from Quinnipiac.
