Turnquist Adds Championship Experience to Whitecaps
March 13, 2022 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Minnesota Whitecaps News Release
The Isobel Cup will be awarded in two weeks and all six Premier Hockey Federation teams have their eyes on the prize.
Anything can happen in the single-elimination format, scheduled for March 25-28 in Florida, but if championship experience is a factor then watch out for the Minnesota Whitecaps.
This year's group has 14 Isobel Cup titles and 18 NCAA national wins to their credit with Taylor Turnquist one of just four players on the team and five across the PHF who have experienced both.
"When you get to this league it's great to have some championship experience," said Turnquist. "Playoff hockey is a lot tougher, a lot grittier than I would say regular-season games. I think to have this many girls on our roster having that championship experience is going to really help us. We haven't had the season we really wanted to, but we can kind of throw away everything that has happened this season and just take that gritty hardnosed hockey into the playoffs. You just have to win three games and I think we have that experience and can totally do it."
Turnquist won back-to-back national titles with Clarkson University in 2017 and 2018, then became a fourth-round pick by Boston in 2020. The 24-year-old celebrated an Isobel Cup with the Pride her rookie season and joined the Whitecaps this summer. She sees similarities between last years' experience and what lies ahead.
"Last year in Boston, if you look at our record in Lake Placid, we were not doing well," she said. "We had so much confidence going in and then were just not performing well. All in all, we came together as a group and we won those last two games. We believe we can still do it here in Minnesota because it's kind of similar to how we did it in Boston last year. There's nothing better than winning a championship and celebrating it with your team. It was the most fun I had all year in Boston and would love to do that here in Minnesota."
The opportunity to return to her home state and play professionally was something Turnquist couldn't refuse. The Blaine, MN native got accepted to a graduate program studying special education at the University of Minnesota.
"I decided it was time to come home, and all of the pieces really fell into place," she said. "Having my family here is great after being away for five years."
The homecoming also brought Turnquist and boyfriend Nico Sturm, a forward with the Minnesota Wild, back together in the same city after maintaining a long distance relationship for two years. While schedules make it challenging to always watch each other in action, the hockey driven couple can certainly relate to what the other is going through.
"I really understand the game from a different perspective and so I think it's great for him (Nico) when things aren't going his way that I understand it all," she said. "He also totally understands that everything I'm going through is a lot of work. We're here to support each other and it's been really great having each other and understanding the game and everything that comes with it."
On the ice, Turnquist is among the PHF's top scoring defenders with 10 points including two goals through 18 games played. She recorded two-straight three-point performances against Buffalo, scoring her first two career goals on February 5.
"It's different coming from Boston and stepping into the Whitecaps, you never really know what your role is going to be on the new team," she said. "The first couple of months you try to prove yourself and show what you can bring to the table to help the team. I think I proved to our coaching staff that I'm here to win and do whatever they need me to do to win. It really allowed me to be that offensive defenceman and try to be that extra layer of attack."
Given various injuries and the re-signing of defender Sydney Baldwin to the Whitecaps lineup, Turnquist could become a versatile asset up front. She played some forward in high school and a little bit during her junior and senior year at Clarkson, and knows her skating ability could help make her effective.
"Hopefully I can add to the scoring," she said. "Everybody that I have ever played for, they see my ability to skate, how fast I am, but sometimes as a defender you don't really get to showcase that because you're staying behind the play. I just want to be on the ice and contribute however I can to help the team."
This week Turnquist had some fun with her teammates following first round action of the NCAA women's tournament, even though she and Jenna Brenneman's former Golden Knights suffered a 3-1 loss to the University of Wisconsin, alma mater of Breanne Blesi and Maddie Rowe. It's that kind of togetherness that Turnquist believes has helped keep the Whitecaps together throughout the season and will benefit them as the stakes are higher.
"We really have shined through our adversity," she said. "With Lev (Amanda Leveille) getting hurt, it could have put some uneasy feelings into the team but we haven't allowed that. We've trusted our teammates. The outside world doesn't get to see that but we're so accepting of the new players coming in and having an open mind that they're here to also help us win and help us move forward as a team. We're really excited that we have the group that we do and trust each other that no matter what happens or has happened we're all here to help support each other and win that championship. We've had a lot of losses and it's easy to throw in the towel but that's not what we've done."
Heading into Sunday's season finale, Minnesota has an even 6-12-1 record with their opponent Metropolitan. The Whitecaps are going to need three wins in Tampa Bay to achieve their ultimate goal and it's looking more and more likely that road will have to go through the Riveters.
"I like that we get the chance to play them this weekend and gives us the opportunity to send a message," Turnquist said. "We're not an easy opponent and they aren't going to have an easy first round. We need to send a message that we can beat them. I think playing them this weekend and then heading into playoffs is a great position to be in."
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Premier Hockey Federation Stories from March 13, 2022
- Turnquist Adds Championship Experience to Whitecaps - Minnesota Whitecaps
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