Freshman Icer Steals Spotlight

Freshman forward Catherine White demonstrated her swift skating capabilities and a reason why she is on the radar for opposing teams – she helped in five of the six goals in this past weekend’s games against Quinnipiac and Princeton, netting two goals and three assists.
“She is going to be scary for the opposition. She’s got good skills and I think she’s a very dangerous player. Other teams are going to have to pay a lot of attention to her in order to stop her,” head coach Doug Derraugh ’91 said.
Although it’s her first year at Cornell, White is no stranger to the competitive style of Division I hockey. Growing up in Brampton, Ontario, she played for Team Ontario in the Canadian Winter Games, where she led her team to a gold medal. Wining the gold in the U18 Nationals playing for the U18 Canadian National Team, she then continued and went on to win the silver medal at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship.
Before coming to Cornell, White continued her weight-training regimen and cardio program specific to hockey to ensure her endurance for collegiate hockey. In addition, she participated in the Team Canada U22 camp and hopes to get another invite this summer.[img_assist|nid=35034|title=Young star|desc=Freshman forward Catherine White has guided the Red to a strong regular season record.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
Upon joining the team, White knew that she wanted to make a big impact and continue her success on the ice. Translating the skills she learned playing for the Team Canada U18, White was able to make a big impact for the Red early on.
“I wanted to be able to put my best effort forward and just be able to help out the team in any way that I could. I wanted us to end up a lot better than we did last year,” White said. “Based on how the season is going so far, I think we are much better and hopefully we will keep improving since we’re such a young team.”
During her rookie season she has greatly impacted Cornell’s efforts in the ECAC, helping to guide the Red (11-10-4, 7-7-4 ECAC) to the playoffs. White is the second highest scorer for Cornell, maintaining 34 points from her 15 goals and a record 19 assists in her tally.
Playing in 25 games so far this season, she has scored approximately one goal in each of these 21 games, making her fifth in the country in scoring among freshman. This feat has also allowed her to lead ECAC Hockey with 1.36 points per game. Her prowess on the ice has won her three ECAC Rookie of the Week awards.
Not only do White’s points and accomplishments this season show that she stands out nationally, but her work ethic transcends the ice as she maintains a positive attitude and strengthens the bond of the team outside of Lynah.
“She is very willing to learn and wants to get better … works hard at her game and has been a good listener,” says Derraugh. “In addition, she has adapted to the things we have asked her to get better at and is a very effective player for us already as a freshman.”
Her high hopes for herself have spread throughout the team as she continues to motivate others to play their toughest and complete with a strong finish, as the Red plays its four remaining games of regular season before the playoffs.
“I hope we win the next four games. That will be huge and get into the playoffs and go as far as we can,” White said.
With so many successful games and plays under her belt, White isn’t able to narrow down her favorite moment so far since playing for Cornell. She has truly demonstrated her love for hockey and her loyalty and devotion for the Red as it battles its way through the end of the regular season and the post season.
“Going to hockey pretty much everyday is a lot of fun. I really enjoy it. The coaches, the players, they all make it special and I’m glad to be apart of it,” White said.