Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Phil Akre
For the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team, the line sheet remained nearly untouched for the first 10 games of the season. That is, until they faced off against Clarkson University, when a new face was listed on the second line.
The new Bobcat was Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout, the seemingly unknown freshman finally made her collegiate debut after missing the first 10 games of the season. The move came as a shock, as she had never played a second of college hockey, yet she found herself thrown right into the fire on the second line against Quinnipiac’s biggest rival in Clarkson.
Her introduction to the lineup bumped sophomore Kenzie Lancaster from the second to third line, even though Lancaster was coming off a two-goal weekend. Head coach Cassandra Turner, however, knew that she was well prepared, and of course, a bit nervous for her first game.
“She’s been training and practicing with the team. She was here for a few weeks in the summer training as well, so she has put in a lot of work, but she didn’t have the game time,” Turner said. “I’ve been really impressed with Sarah-Eve. I think she was nervous her first weekend.”
It was apparent that Coutu-Godbout, the Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec native, looked quick, fluid with the puck, and energized in her first two games. So why did it take so long for the highly touted prospect to finally earn play time? Coming from Canada, Coutu-Godbout’s main language is French, which caused the NCAA to take a longer time in examining how she would be able adjust to the United States.
“The education system is a little bit different there (Quebec), so there was a little bit of a holdup with NCAA and her eligibility. We were waiting for the process to play out,” Turner said.
For Turner, this is not the first time her and Coutu-Godbout have met, as Turner previously coached her in the Canadian national program. This prior relationship has been a huge benefit to Coutu-Godbout’s adjustment to the United States and the college game.
Assistant coach Amanda Mazzotta or, “Maz,” has also played a big role in helping the Quebec native ease into Quinnipiac hockey, as she has stressed the importance of the goalie-to-offense lessons that can be learned.
“Maz and I worked with Sarah-Eve. Maz is actually quite comfortable with her, there’s a lot that happens between a goalie coach and our forwards, in terms of how to shoot and how to score. So, they had built a good relationship as well,” Turner said.
Coutu-Godbout is the first member of the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey program to use French as her primary language. However, on her visit to Quinnipiac during the recruitment process she learned that current sophomore Randi Marcon uses French as her secondary language. Turner said that this was also a big reason Coutu-Godbout liked Quinnipiac.
During the 2015-2016 season, Coutu-Godbout played for the Cégep Limoilou Titans, which represents Quebec’s pre-university college in Quebec’s educational system. In 16 games, she tallied nine goals and 12 assists, good for 21 points overall. Turner saw a lot of things she liked from her during the recruitment process.
“She brings a different pace of play, one that we were wanting,” Turner said. “She has a knack for being around the net, she can finish there. She’s got tremendous offensive ability; she can really shoot the puck well. When she has time and space in transition, she finds a way.”
As of right now, she has five shots on goal, and no points to show for it in her two games. But don’t let these stats fool you, the Quebec native is being held to high expectations from teammates and coaches, as she could be one of the most talented prospects the Bobcats have had in a long time.
“I do expect pretty big things from her as we move forward,” Turner said.
