Three Senior Stars Pace Women's Icers

The women’s hockey team features a number of talented freshmen who have already contributed to the team’s early success. Perhaps even more important than the newcomers’ great on-ice play, though, is the stability and leadership provided by a trio of senior forwards, Brittany Forgues, Caleigh Beerworth and Brianne Schmidt.
Third-year head coach Doug Derraugh ’91 couldn’t emphasize enough the importance of having players who have been with the program for so long.
“The biggest thing you see when you come to the NCAA [as an incoming freshman], is that you don’t really understand the necessary work ethic,” Derraugh said. “I think that’s something you have to learn, and it’s nice to have players who have been around long enough to know what kind of work goes into college hockey.”
Derraugh pointed out that Forgues, Beerworth and Schmidt complement each other well, and that the freshmen class has responded positively to their collective influence. Forgues says that it’s a completely different feeling to be a senior on the team.
“You have a different role as a senior. … You’re now the leader, and the person that’s expected to show up every day,” Forgues said.
Forgues was second on the team in scoring (seven goals) and points (16) last year, and her nine assists were a team-best. Forgues is a member of the Red’s Canadian contingent, coming from Kemptville, Ont. She is one of the most outgoing players on the team, as well as one of the squad’s hardest workers. Forgues and Beerworth are the squad’s co-captains.
Beerworth, a Shrewsbury, Vt., native, has had an extremely productive career for the Red. As a freshman, she led the team in points and assists, sharing the team’s Rookie of the Year award with Schmidt. After a solid sophomore campaign, Beerworth was third on the team in scoring (five goals) and points (13) in her junior year.
Schmidt has led the team in scoring for two of her three seasons at Cornell. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, she is one of the most skilled players on the team.
Schmidt also led the team in points last year (17). She is final piece of the trio of seniors that hopes to guide a talented freshmen class to take the women’s hockey program to the proverbial next level.
“We’re trying to go into every game and put a competitive team forward, and just work as hard as we can,” Forgues said. “We don’t expect certain numbers or anything, but rather focus on playing well and hopefully getting some results.”
Each of the three seniors will play a key role in guiding the team over the course of the year. Derraugh is more than thrilled to have the small but talented group. When asked what its biggest shortcomings were, he struggled to find an answer.
“With those kids, it’s tough to find a weakness,” Derraugh said. “They’re great kids and they work really hard, and do everything I ask them to do — they’re great to coach.”