Adventures in China: Two Former Bobcats Help Lead a Professional Women’s Hockey Revolution
1/11/2018 5:59:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
An old adage says, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." In this case, perhaps the story should be titled, "if you can't beat 'em, ask them to join you." On September 20, 2014, Quinnipiac defeated the Chinese Women's National Team 8-0 at the TD Bank Sports Center.
This fall, two members of that Quinnipiac team, Shiann Darkangelo '15 (Brighton, Michigan) and Emma Woods '17 (Burford, Ontario), have moved to China as part of a small group of North American and European players, joining members of the Chinese National Team, in establishing two professional hockey teams based in Shenzhen that compete in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The former Bobcats each play on one of the teams and serve as hockey ambassadors tasked with helping raise the level of play and grow the game in China.
Visit our Facebook for the full Sights and Sounds of our amazing opening day vs @TorontoCWHL https://t.co/lsT6NWhcGt pic.twitter.com/EGxzeDRjSn
— Kunlun Red Star (@KunlunCWHL) November 21, 2017
As part of an ambitious program to field a medal winning team as the host of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the Chinese Ice Hockey Association drastically changed their approach. In a country of roughly 1.4 billion, the women's national team traditionally drew from a pool of only 40 female athletes who played ice hockey. The limited player pool negatively impacted training, competition, and development opportunities that in turn affected on ice performance and results. After a fourth place finish in the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games, the national team has consistently fallen in the IIHF World Rankings. In April, a 4th Place finish in the IIHF Division I Group B World Championship dropped them to 18th in the world, their lowest ranking ever.
In need of a boost, driven by cultural pride and motivated by the opportunity to host the 2022 Winter Olympic games, the country and individual investors have made a significant financial commitment over the next five years. Funding two teams to play in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) - including a commitment to pay all associated costs to fly league opponents located in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, and Boston to China for home contests - the investment expanded opportunities for competition, strengthened training opportunities for the player pool, and built an improved platform for development.
An amazing experience had by all. Great introduction to @VankeCWHL @TheCWHL Women's Professional Hockey in #Shenzhen???? Great #Fans & the #PregameShow is pretty special too! pic.twitter.com/TOqW0ByBzX
— Rob Morgan (@Rdmorgs) November 18, 2017
As a central component to the plan, the investment included a commitment to an enhanced coaching and the recruitment of foreign players to artificially grow the player pool. Kunlun Red Star hired long-time Brown University coach and Clarkson Cup Champion Digit Murphy to lead the initiative. Murphy, one of the sports' most energetic, passionate advocates and also Quinnipiac Head Coach Cassandra Turner's college coach, brought former Yale University Associate Head Coach Rob Morgan aboard to lead the second team. Together, they recruited a blend North American and Finnish imports as well as select foreign players of Chinese descent to combine with members of the Chinese National Team in forming Kunlun Red Star and the Vanke Rays.
To build a cohesive group, the coaches targeted elite level players of high skill level and high character to serve as hockey ambassadors making a positive impact on the future of China Hockey. The foreign players immediately raise the level of play, work individually with Chinese Nationals on skill development, and make public appearances. As professionals, the imports earn highly competitive salaries, housing and food allotments, and performance bonuses.
Shiann Darkangelo '15 and Emma Woods '17
And with that background, this becomes the story of how two Quinnipiac graduates ended up moving to China to help lead a hockey revolution and become part of the Beijing 2022 mission. Both captains and 100-point scorers, Shiann Darkangelo and Emma Woods are two of the most decorated players to ever wear the Bobcat jersey. They are key players in some of the program's biggest moments. Darkangelo's last minute goal vs. BC to secure victory and Woods' double overtime game winner vs. RPI in the ECAC playoffs are firmly etched into Bobcat fan memories.
Woods graduated this past May with 106 career points as the leader of the winningnest class in Quinnipiac history. Since her graduation in 2015, Darkangelo has won a World Championship with the US National Team and this past September was named the 14th best player under 25 years of age by The Ice Garden on their Top 25 Under 25 list.
Highlights
The amazing adventures in China extend well beyond the rink. Living in a new place, overcoming language barriers, and adapting to various cultural norms and expectations, the two players continue to learn new things every day about China and themselves. As tourists, Woods and Darkangelo have visited the Forbidden City, scaled the Great Wall of China, and attended the 2nd-ever NHL game played between the Vancouver Canucks and L.A. Kings. As locals, they've been immersed in daily life in Beijing and Shenzhen meeting the expectations of a dream profession.
Darkangelo on the Great Wall
Both teams and players have found early success in the league. They've had crowds of over 4,000 cheering fans enthusiastically learning the game on the fly at their home games. Pre-game shows and promotional events rivaled any pro team in hockey. Through 14 games, both Kunlun Red Star and the Vanke Rays have found measurable success in their first season in the league. KRS currently sits in 3rd place with an 11-4-0-0 record while Vanke's 10-3-0-1 record has them one point behind in the seven team league. Darkangelo stands tied for the league league in game-winning goals with 3. Woods, named one of the Vanke's captains, plays in all key situations and has taken on an important leadership role on and off the ice.
Growing Pains
With any new venture, the group has encountered some missteps and growing pains. Many of those involve entering a new world unprepared for the logistics of moving two teams across continents and establishing a professional quality experience in a country unfamiliar with the game. From having travel booked to North America one day before departure, issues getting through customs, and ice quality problems, the players have learned to roll with the unexpected.
Woods with Vanke Rays teammates
Woods' wildest moment occurred when they initially arrived in Shenzhen and the ice wasn't ready. She shares, "we were told to back our bags in Shenzhen, because we were going to fly to Beijing the next day and we wouldn't be back for 6 weeks!!… We ended up staying in Beijing for two weeks, which was a very cool experience, skating in two different rinks (one being an "ice dome") and continuing on to Vancouver for our first North American tour."
Culture Shock
Some of the biggest challenges surround food, fueling for performance, and the differing cultural philosophies around nutrition. Expecting a variation of Panda Express, both players remarked that the reality falls far outside their previous knowledge of "Chinese Food." Being a vegetarian, Darkangelo has faced difficult adjustments. She shared the challenges of meals without water and the need for hydration, being introduced to chicken feet and heads as a snack, and discovering that soy sauce is not really a thing in China. However, she said, "it's not always easy but I've found foods I like and white rice is my best friend."
Woods and Darkangelo on the Great Wall
Woods mentioned the driving. "It is crazy how people drive here, no one yields to pedestrians, more people are biking and walking than driving, and I've never seen so many people run red lights."
Competing With and Against Former Rivals
With over half of the import players having played in the ECAC Hockey League, a large group of rivals now take the ice as teammates. Woods plays alongside three recent graduates in St. Lawrence's Brooke Webster, Clarkson's Cayley Mercer, and Cornell's Hannah Bunton. She says it's fun to hear how they always "hated" playing Quinnipiac and knew every game was going to be a battle, but also knows familiarity has been beneficial helping them all adapt quickly in their new environment.
The Chinese National Team players on Darkangelo's KRS team still bring up the challenge of playing against her and the three weeks they spent training at Quinnipiac in the fall of 2014. A shared past has helped the group come together and embrace their roles as professionals, teachers, and ambassadors of the game.
Darkangelo in Kunlun Red Star gear
"All my past experiences and teams have molded me into who I am and have helped me grow as a player and person on and off the ice which helps tremendously now being a sports ambassador," said Darkangelo.
In recounting the value of her college hockey experience and how it translates, Woods said, "playing four years for Quinnipiac has helped me so much with my transition to pro hockey, the attention to details and ability to compete in all aspects of my game, has allowed me to be a leader on my team and set a good example. Getting the opportunity to play alongside the Chinese National Players, playing a role in their development, and a mission to medal in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is incredible."
Woods and Darkangelo speak proudly of their role in shaping China Hockey's future, savoring this once in a lifetime experience, enjoying the moments, and awaiting whatever the new journey throws at them.
The adventure continues with another Bobcat reunion this weekend as both teams face off against the Markham Thunder featuring former teammates Nicole Kosta '16 and Nicole Brown '16.
