When the ISU women’s hockey team started the season practicing on dry land last fall, the Cyclones were without their leading scorer from the previous season.

It was a shock to head coach Blake Marshall that Toni Guidarelli didn’t attend the team workouts. He later found out that Guidarelli, now a senior, wouldn’t be with the team fall semester.

“Right before dry land, I still to my knowledge thought that we were still going to have her,” Marshall said. “So it was kind of a surprise. She’s an asset and continues to be an asset to this program and it was not a good deal not to have her at the beginning of the season.”

Hockey had always been a big part of Guidarelli’s life. Her family was connected with hockey through the participation of her brothers and cousins. Her mother also played in high school and had a big influence on Guidarelli’s decision to try the sport.

“I came here to Iowa State for the engineering program and I played hockey in high school. I was looking for a team here and there were signs so I went to the meeting,” said Guidarelli, who is from Eden Prairie, Minn. “Being from Minnesota, there were girls playing hockey everywhere, so I kind of expected a team here.”

But Guidarelli said a variety of factors led her to make a tough decision. A three-year veteran on the team, Guidarelli said she needed to step away from the sport.

“I wasn’t going to play this whole year just because it’s my senior year. I had to find a job and concentrate on graduating so I decided to take a break,” Guidarelli said. “I missed it too much, so I decided to come back.”

Marshall said he welcomed Guidarelli back with open arms.

“We were in contact the month before the holiday break and she indicated that she was interested in coming back,” said Marshall, who has been Guidarelli’s head coach for the duration of her collegiate hockey career. “When she came back, she was in pretty good shape. Obviously not in game shape.”

Marshall said Guidarelli fit in with the team right away when she came back to the team.

“I think it’s a testament to the kind of person she is to be able to jump into a team that is completely new to her. There were only a couple of girls that she knew on this team from last season,” Marshall said. “She’s been able to click right away and it has shown in the locker room. She has been able to score goals, assist on some plays and has been on our power-play killing units.”

While Marshall looked forward to Guidarelli’s return, many of her former teammates had moved on. After just a semester off, it was a challenge for Guidarelli to play with the new players.

“It was a little creepy at first when I came back on the ice but it comes back pretty naturally,” Guidarelli said. “Right away, I could tell that the team was a lot more different and I could see a lot of improvement in the program.”

Guidarelli faced a similar situation her freshman season when she joined a group of largely inexperienced players.

“It was a lot different than playing in high school. I came here and my high school team could have beat our team,” Guidarelli said. “It was a learning experience being with many people in different skill levels because the program was in one of its first years, so there were a lot of people who were learning. You had to try out to be on the team.”

The team gained popularity during Guidarelli’s sophomore season and with that came a more experienced roster. Guidarelli led the team in goals last season and led the team on the ice as well.

“We were a lot more inexperienced last year than we are this year. She had by far more experience than anybody on the team,” Marshall said. “She decided that she wanted to take a leadership role. It gave her a lot of confidence. The team really liked her and I think when you have that type of chemistry with everybody else and that talent she has, she was able to put the puck past the net last year.”

Playing in only eight games, Guidarelli has three goals and seven assists this season. She said she enjoys playing on a winning team.

“We have a lot of fun together on and off the ice so I think it helps us play better on the ice,” Guidarelli said. “Everybody is more on the same level so it’s easier to play with everyone.”