Women's Ice Hockey
Cassandra Turner

Cassandra Turner

Phone Number: (203) 582-5382
Email Address: cassandra.turner@quinnipiac.edu
Position: Associate Head Coach

In the summer of 2011, Cassandra Turner was promoted to the role of Associate Head Coach.   This year, she begins her fifth season with the Bobcats.   Her success in the game -- as a recruiter, teacher of defensive skills, and role model for the highly motivated female athlete -- has affirmed her place among the elite young coaches in the women’s game.    

Her leadership, championship playing experience, and innovative approach to development have played a vital role in the resurgence of the Quinnipiac program.

Together with Head Coach Rick Seeley, Coach Turner has re-energized the program’s team culture around an attitude that emphasizes team play, hard work, and a commitment to defensive hockey.   Under their leadership, the Bobcats established new lows for goals against, leading the nation in Scoring Defense in 2009-10 by holding opponents to 1.38 goals per game.   The team went from the most penalized team in the nation in 2007-2008 to the least penalized team in Division I women’s ice hockey the past three seasons under the current staff.   Additionally, her attention to detail on special teams and with the defensemen has helped many members of team realize new lofty personal and team goals.

This past summer, Hockey Canada named Coach Turner an Assistant Coach for Team Canada’s National Under 22/Development Team.   In addition to serving as a coach during the selection camp and a three-game series with the USA, Turner will help guide Canada during the MLP Cup, an International event held in Fussen, Germany in January 2013.  She previously represented Canada as an Assistant Coach with the Under-18 National Team, earning a silver medal at the 2011 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, and three times as a player on the U-22 National Team from 2001-2003, highlighted by a Gold Medal finish at the 2003 Air Canada Cup. 

Turner’s success in the coaching arena, reflects her ability to share many of the valuable lessons learned in her playing career with a demonstrated history of excellence at the club, university, and international level.  She served as an assistant captain for Team Ontario’s gold medal winning 1999 Canada Games team.  From there, Turner put together a decorated playing career at Brown University where she was a two-time captain.   A steady, disciplined defenseman she played a key role in some of the most successful seasons in Brown Women’s Hockey history.   During her four-year career, she led the Bears to two Ivy League and two ECAC Hockey Championships, as well as two appearances in the National Championship final.  ECAC Coaches voted her to All-League Teams twice (First Team 2002, Second Team 2003).   The New England Hockey Writers named her to their Division I All-Star team following the 2001-2002 season.  She also earned First Team All-Ivy honors in 2002.
 After Brown, she played two seasons in the NWHL for the Toronto Aeros Sr. Women’s Hockey Team.  In 2003-2004, Turner helped lead the Aeros to the NWHL Regular Season Championship and the ESSO Women’s National Championship.    The Aeros repeated their success at the 2005 ESSO Championship with Turner being named the event’s Most Sportsmanlike Player.

Turner graduated from Brown University in 2003 with a degree in psychology, and earned a master’s degree in education from Elmira College in 2007.   She lives in Wallingford, Conn. with her husband Paul.
 
The Cassandra Turner File
  • Third season as assistant coach for Quinnipiac women's ice hockey
  • Previously served as an assistant at Colgate University
  • As Colgate's women's ice hockey academic monitor, Turner guided 12 players to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team
  • Spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Elmira College
  • Helped guide the 2006-07 Elmira team to a 19-5-3 overall record as it finished the season ranked fifth in the national coaches poll
  • Was a two-time All-ECAC and All-Ivy League selection as a player at Brown University
  • Played for the Team Canada Under-22 Team in the Air Canada Cup Championship in 2003
  • Helped the Toronto Aeros of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) to a regular-season championship and the Esso Women's National Championship
  • Earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brown University in 2003 and a master's degree in education in 2007