Quinnipiac recently received a commitment from forward Mallory Mauracher, who is an Ohio native that has experience playing prep hockey at The Kent School as well as Tier I hockey with the Pittsburgh Pens organization.
Projected to arrive in 2021 for the Bobcats, Mauracher is currently playing for the Penguins U16 team.
“Mauracher is a physical player with good hands and a solid net presence,” our scouts said. “She wins faceoffs cleanly and makes accurate passes.”
NZ: How did you first get into with hockey as a kid?
Mauracher: “I first became interested in hockey as a kid because of my dad. My dad is originally from Thunder Bay, Canada and grew up playing hockey his whole life. He eventually went on to play in the OHL. I was about 4 years old the very first time I picked up skates and went out on the ice. It took me some time but about a year later I suited up in full gear for my first hockey season.”
NZ: Where do you feel your strengths are as a player?
Mauracher: “As a player I feel my strengths are my skating, passing, and my defensive responsibility. I feel I win the majority of my face offs and I am reliable on both the penalty kill and well as power play.”
NZ: At the same time, what are some areas you’re looking to improve this year?
Mauracher: “Of course, at my age I need to improve on all aspects of my game. However this year I hope to improve my creativity with the puck and keeping better control in tight spaces. Also, I would like to work on my shot, not only making it harder but more accurate.”
NZ: Tell us about Quinnipiac. What was it about that program that made it the place you wanted to play your college hockey?
Mauracher: “Ever since I have attended The Kent School in Connecticut I have really enjoyed the location, the great hockey, as well as the strong academics. Because of this I knew for sure that I wanted to go to a college somewhere on the East coast.
“When I first stepped foot into the rink at Quinnipiac and walked around the campus, it really felt like a place I could see myself going to. It is a smaller school with a very distinct campus like the Kent school. The hockey program itself is what really closed the deal for me because their playing philosophy matches up very well with how I like to play the game. While playing for my club team, Pittsburgh Pens Elite, and at Kent, I have always prided myself on being strong defensively and competing hard. Finally, the coaching staff at Quinnipiac are such great people, I immediately felt at home, enjoyed being around them, and am very excited to be playing under them in a few years.”
NZ: What was your recruiting process like? Were you talking to a lot of teams?
Mauracher: “My recruiting process started in my freshman year and that’s when I talked to my first college coaches on the phone and then from there it kind of slowed during my sophomore year. I just stayed positive and worked hard on improving my game. Like all kids I marketed myself to schools I was interested in attending. Things picked up again a lot at the start of my junior year as there was interest being communicated from a few DI and DIII schools. Quinnipiac was always a school on my short list because of their history of success and great facility. When they reached out, I was really excited to see where it would go. After meeting the coaching staff, I felt it was the place for me. So it was an easy decision.
NZ: What was the experience like last season winning a championship at Kent?
Mauracher: “My experience last year at Kent was one of a kind and I could not have asked for anything better. It was my first year playing in NEPSAC DI league and the hockey was intense. While there, one of the biggest things I learned was how to adapt to play a different team role than what I was used to. Coach Rousseau is very demanding and expects us to be at our best. The team got along really well and winning it all was very rewarding. I felt proud of helping my team win the championship. Up to this point I would say that it was one of the greatest moments in my hockey career.
NZ: What are some of your best hockey memories?
Mauracher: “Since I started playing so long ago I have had the chance to have some great memories. One of them is obviously winning the championship last year with Kent. Earlier memories are me being captain of my boy’s team, going into double overtime with my Pittsburgh Pens U14 team during the 2018 USA National Championships. I also have great memories from attending the USA Hockey Player Development camps in the summer of 2018 and 2019. While there I learned a lot but more importantly made many great friends.
NZ: You have a lot of experience with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program; where has that program helped you grow your game the most? I know it has a history of sending a lot of players to D1.
Mauracher: “I first decided to go to Pens because there is no Tier I Girls hockey team in my hometown of Columbus. Once I turned of Midget age my dad felt it was best for me to stop playing boys hockey and move to girls full time. The Pittsburgh Pens organization was the one we wanted to try. During my first year at Pens I grew a lot with the faster pace of the game. They play a tough schedule so we were always playing good competition. They are very organized, provide a lot of support both on and off ice and focus a lot on skill development. Over the past 4 years while at Pens I have improved my skating, hockey IQ, and hands the most. Without having the opportunity to play and grow with them I’m not sure I would have been able to realize my dream of playing DI hockey.”