Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
One week removed from head coach Rick Seeley’s resignation, the Quinnipiac University’s athletic department announced the appointment of Cassandra Turner as women’s ice hockey interim head coach.
In an official statement from the university, Jack McDonald, the Director of Athletics and Recreation, said, “We are pleased that Cassie Turner will lead our women’s ice hockey program and continue to mentor our student-athletes. Cassie has been a key part of Quinnipiac’s NCAA and ECAC Hockey success.”
Turner arrived in Hamden as an assistant coach in 2008 and despite just three wins in the 2008-2009 season, she has helped lead the Bobcats to at least 19 wins in the past six years. This past season, she guided the program to new heights. Quinnipiac recorded 26 wins, the most it has ever seen, and solidified a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Turner, a former standout at Brown University, also has a plethora of coaching experience outside of the NCAA. Most notably, she is the head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for the 2014-15 season.
“I’m honored to be able to continue my coaching career at Quinnipiac, working alongside fantastic people and guiding a group of student-athletes with tremendous character,” Turner said. “I look forward to continuing to support the drive for excellence on the ice, in the classroom and in the community.”
Turner assumes the head coaching job of a program on the rise. Despite an NCAA Tournament first round exit, Quinnipiac returns the majority of its roster including its entire defensive unit. The team gave up the third fewest goals in the country with 1.18 per game. The team also had the sixth-best penalty kill, with 89.5 percent success rate.
Earlier this week, Q30 Sports reported on allegations of abuse by Rick Seeley during his tenure as head coach at Clarkson University.
