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P R E S E N T E D B Y Russo's Rants 30 CLARKSON CONNECTION Turnquist ended up getting a scholarship to Clarkson University, where she won two national championships as a defenseman who at times played shifts as a for ward. She'd go on to win an Isobel Cup with the 2020-21 Boston Pride and this season plays for the W hitecaps in the now-named Premier Hockey Federation. Most cool? In college, she met the love of her life, now-Minnesota Wild center Nico Sturm. "She's a little bit ahead of me when it comes to championships," Sturm said, laughing. "She's a great, great hockey player. One of the best skaters I've ever seen, and not just on the women's side." Sturm, 26, hails from Augsburg, Germany. He played part of his junior hockey for the NA HL Austin Bruins, so he was familiar with Minnesota when he signed as a highly sought free agent out of Clarkson in 2018 after assist- ing on 31 goals his final season in college. That was the most by a Clarkson player since former Wild player Todd W hite. Sturm also became the first Clarkson junior to reach 100 career points since former NHLer Erik Cole. He has played parts of four seasons for the Wild and is one of their hardest working, most physically fit players. Playing largely a fourth line and penalty kill role, Sturm had scored 19 goals and 35 points in 97 career games heading into this year's A ll-Star break. Signing with Minnesota was made even more attractive because that 's where his girl- friend was from. Sturm met Turnquist during their freshman years at Clarkson. Sturm would find himself bumping into Turnquist a couple times a day on the small Potsdam, N.Y., campus. They each started in the business pro- gram, so they took some class- es together before Turnquist changed majors. But the men's and women's teams shared a weight room, a training room and a hallway to their respective locker rooms, so Sturm started doing homework with Turnquist, and as Turnquist said with a laugh, "we hit it off, and here we are." GOING PRO Turnquist, 24, who scored 37 goals and 68 points in 25 games mostly as a for ward during her senior season at Spring Lake Park, left Clarkson with 40 points in 158 games before winning the National Women's Hockey League title with the Pride. Last season, with Turnquist liv- ing in Boston and Sturm playing in Minnesota, Sturm lived with Turnquist 's parents and twin brother in Blaine. He couldn't have been more thankful to have a family to come home to everyday during his first full season in the NHL because of how lonely he got at times playing for the Iowa Wild. This season, Turnquist sign- ing with the W hitecaps allowed the couple to get an apartment together in the Twin Cities. She sustained an injury early in the season, but she has since returned Minnesota Wild forward Nico Sturm met Taylor at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, where they both starred for the Division I men's and women's hockey programs. They've been together ever since. M H J ON L I N E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 2 2 Photos / Steph Chambers/Getty Images, Clarkson Athletics, Taylor Turnquist