BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Abby Roque has spent her entire life listening to the beat of a different drum set. That she always seems to locate it is part of her enduring charm.
"I'm definitely not a cookie-cutter-type of person," she said.
The first signs appeared long before Roque became a headline-making senior center for the Wisconsin women's hockey team, an All-American, U.S. College Hockey Online Player of the Year and a finalist for the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
She was in kindergarten, growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, when her mother, Julia, made note of her youngest child's unique sense of rhythm. Julia recalled laying out a cute, girly ensemble for Abby only see her step out wearing a hockey jersey touting the Lake Superior State Lakers, the local NCAA Division I men's program coached by her father, Jim.
"Some kids would listen to their mom about something like that," Julia said. "Abby? Never."
John Ferroni, who coached Roque for four years on the boys' team at Sault High School and was a critical figure in her development, recalls running into her on the local golf course a couple summers ago. She was playing without socks or shoes.
"She does her own thing," Ferroni said. "I hope that never changes about her."
Annie Pankowski, who played three seasons with Roque at UW, remembered it was Roque who showed up to a summer conditioning session wearing a baseball cap as a freshman. Until that moment, hats were frowned upon in that setting.
"She's one of those girls that kind of does whatever she wants," Pankowski said. "She's got a swagger about her."
That Roque was a 4.0 student through high school, is beloved by her hometown and college teammates, was a team captain for both programs and is scheduled to graduate from UW in May with a degree in marketing suggests the percussion she hears is worth a listen.
"She just wants what's best for the people around her," former UW teammate and Canadian Olympian Emily Clark said of Roque. "She'd go through a wall for anyone."
Roque laughed softly when the topic of her unique reputation is broached. Yes, she's aware.
"Obviously I care what my friends and my family think of me as being a good person and things like that," she said. "But I'm never not going to be myself and do whatever makes me happy and things like that. That's been kind of my thing.
"People always say that you don't really care what people think of you as long as you're living your best life. That's kind of a key to me, I guess."
Roque has been an uncommon presence in the Wisconsin lineup ever since she arrived on campus in 2016. Strong, creative and willful, she has developed into one of the best all-around players in program history.
"She's just so smart with the puck," Pankowski said of Roque.
"She leads with her competitiveness," Clark said. "That's something that's unmatched."
Roque began her career as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year. She finished it as WCHA Player of the Year. Two other Badgers in school history to manage that feat won the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is given to the best women's player at the college level: center Sara Bauer in 2006 and winger Meghan Duggan in 2011.
Roque has twice been named WCHA Offensive Player of the Year, joining Bauer as the only two-time winners in program history.
Roque has led the Badgers in overall scoring (2018), assists ('19), power-play goals ('19 and '20) and plus-minus ('19 and '20).
Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson compares Roque's versatile game and tenacity to that of another Patty Kazmaier winner, Brianna Decker, who won it in 2012.
"They're not afraid of physical contact," Johnson said.
Factor in Roque's amazing face-off success — a ridiculous .625 winning percentage for her career — with her overall plus-minus rating — goals scored vs. goals allowed while the player is on the ice — and you can see she's regarded by many as the best two-way player in the country.
Roque finished in the top-10 in five UW career statistical categories, including points (170, ninth), assists (114, seventh), plus-minus (+136, seventh), power-play goals (21, seventh) and game-winning goals (15, eighth).
Most importantly, Roque has played in three NCAA Frozen Fours and owns a national championship ring from 2019, the fifth in program history.
The Badgers were denied an opportunity to win back-to-back titles because of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the NCAA to cancel all remaining winter and spring sports.
Roque and her teammates got the word March 12, two days before they were to host Clarkson in an NCAA quarterfinal game at LaBahn Arena.
"Pretty devastated," is how Roque described the mood. "Obviously there's nothing we can do about it given the circumstances. But it's hard to get your head around it."
As part of the Frozen Four in Boston, Roque would have been in the Patty Kazmaier spotlight along with forwards Elizabeth Giguere of Clarkson and Alina Mueller of Northeastern. But instead of an elaborate banquet for the trio, USA Hockey officials will announce the winner via their Facebook and YouTube channels on Friday at 12:30 p.m. central time.
Roque has taped an acceptance speech in the event she becomes the sixth Wisconsin product to receive the award.
"With all that's happened, it's kind of been put in the back of my mind," she said.
The path Roque followed to this point is fascinating, revealing and uplifting. Ferroni was asked for the first thing that came to his mind about Abby.
"Joy and satisfaction for her because of the journey she had in boys' hockey in a small town," he said.
Abby fell in love with hockey at an early age, routinely hanging out with her dad, who played at Lake Superior State from 1983 to '87 and subsequently coached there for 17 seasons.
Sault Ste. Marie is isolated in the Upper Peninsula, a town of 15,000 on the shores of Lake Superior that loves its hockey. In addition to the Lakers, a Division I men's program, there's a Junior A club, the Soo Lakers, midget teams and a well-regarded high school club.
With no girls' teams, Abby tried out for boys' squads coming up through the ranks.
"Every other year she'd get cut," her mother said, wondering aloud if it happened sometimes because the coach didn't want the hassle of going forward with a girl on his team.
Roque's father, now an NHL scout, had a simple message. "If you love to play, keep playing," Jim told Abby. "That's all that matters."
When Abby did make the roster, she became a target for opposing players and parents. Julia said some players would try to run her into the boards. Others would harass her verbally.
"It's fine, mom," Abby would say. "I chirped them back."
Abby never went to a hockey clinic, according to her mother, but, thanks to her father, Abby did get to attend summertime training sessions with NHL veterans Doug Weight and John Tavaras.
Abby had a different coach every year until she got to Sault High. Ferroni admired her pluck and talent, putting her on his roster as a freshman. He made sure all his other players were dressed in time for Abby to utilize the locker room space. She was Ferroni's first — and still only — girl player.
"She definitely deserved to be on every team she played on," Ferroni said.
People challenged Ferroni, who twice took Sault High to the state championship game, about Roque's worthiness to be on the team.
"If you have any doubts, come watch her play if you've never watched her," he told them. "Then, if you have any questions, you call me."
No one called.
"She had that (weight) on her back, I think, growing up," Ferroni said. "She probably didn't really know it, but it was there. The criticism was out there.
"Her strength was determination and understanding what she was capable of as a player versus just being a girl in a boys' game. I think that was a huge attribute because she could have quit at any time and told her parents she wanted to go to Canada and play girls' hockey.
"But she loved the competition so much she wanted to compete in the boys' game."
Abby saw time on the power play as a sophomore and was one of the top six forwards as a junior and senior. Her line-mates at Sault High included three Division I-caliber players in Brenden MacLaren, now at Ferris State, and Ashton Calder and Chase Gamelin, who play at Lake Superior State.
According to Ferroni, who retired from his high school coaching post two years ago after 17 seasons, Roque was always among the first on the ice for practice and last to leave. He said he never heard her say a negative word about a player. He said she was low maintenance.
"Just a great kid," Ferroni said. "Definitely one of the best things that ever happened to our high school hockey program is Abby Roque coming through the door. She broadened everybody's mind. She enhanced their lives. She spoiled me. How lucky we were to have her around.
"Kudos to all the boys she's ever played with since she was little. They've always accepted her on the team. It was easy for them to do that because she's such a hard worker and a good little player and she was just so much fun to be around and always happy."
In addition to winning an NCAA title, playing for the U.S. women's national team was a goal of Roque's, something she achieved late last year in a series with Team Canada. Not only did Roque score some big goals, she caused some consternation for Clark, her former Badgers teammate on the other bench.
Clark said she had a "weird internal battle" going over whether to be happy that Roque was doing such good things against her and her teammates.
"I remember being so proud of her for not only making that roster, but doing so well," Clark said.
Roque immediately felt comfortable with the vibe in the UW dressing room.
"I remember dropping her off at school," her mother recalled. "I expected it to be sad, but Jim calls me and asks if everything is all right. I said, 'I just can't stop smiling. She's one of the luckiest kids around.'
"She had all this opportunity ahead of her. Our advice was to enjoy every day and never take it for granted. I think she's done a really good job of that."
Ferroni made a special trip to Madison to watch Roque play against Bemidji State.
"Just a wonderful experience," he said.
That's usually the outcome when you hang out with Roque.
"If you know anything about Abby," her mother said, "she enjoys every day."
