On February 5, Barbirati’s Bobcat teammates and Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey head coach Cassandra Turner helped fill the Winter Olympics Watch Party for Barbirati in the Carl Hansen Student Center.

The watch party on the Mount Carmel Campus was organized by the Office of International Students & Scholars. A native of Savoie, France, Barbirati is a first-year student at Quinnipiac.

Sarah Driscoll, director of International Students & Scholars, said Barbirati took the ice in the Italy versus France game knowing her Quinnipiac community would be watching.

“We have been promoting it for the past week on our social media, and she responded and said, ‘This is amazing; thank you so much,’” said Driscoll.

In honor of Barbirati and Team France, the watch party room was decked out in France’s national colors of blue, red and white and France’s flag, Le Drapeau Tricolore. Watch party guests were treated to croissants, éclairs, baguettes, French cheeses and coffee to enjoy during the game’s morning broadcast.

At 8:40 a.m., all eyes were on the big screen as Barbirati skated out for her first shift. Wearing jersey No. 8, Barbirati attempted Team France’s first shot on goal just seconds into the first period.

Turner said she wasn’t surprised to see Barbirati come out strong and go to the net.

“She is one of their go-to offensive players. She’s super crafty with the puck and she syncs the game incredibly well. She has been one of their important offensive players throughout the years,” said Turner.

Barbirati also has the honor of being an inaugural member of the first Team France women’s ice hockey team to qualify for the Winter Olympics.

“For France to make it to the Olympics and qualify is a dream for them, so she’s just soaking it all in and loving the moments,” said Turner. “This is the thing that you dream of when you’re a little kid — being at the absolute pinnacle of your sport and the opportunity to compete.”

Turner said Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey shares an extreme sense of pride and excitement to see Barbirati display her talent on the world stage.

“We’re just incredibly proud to have her as part of our program. We think it’s going to be really neat, too, when she comes back, to understand what that experience was for her. I think that’s really a great opportunity for our athletes,” Turner said.

“I think it’s really cool to be able to cheer her on today and to learn from her, in a sense, when she comes back,” agreed Bobcat goaltender Calli Hogarth ’26.

Quinnipiac defensive player Brynne West ’27 said Barbirati has been texting team members from Italy with updates.

“I think the experience is super cool for her, and being able to represent her country is amazing,” said West.

“It seems like she’s having lots of fun and learning lots, so it’s pretty cool,” added Bobcat defensive player Makayla Watson ’28.

Teammate Taylor Brueske ’28 said having an Olympic athlete on the Bobcat women’s ice hockey roster further elevates team pride.

“We’re super glad to have her as part of our team,” said Brueske. “We have a really good freshman class this year that’s been contributing a lot, and it’s just been super fun.”

The chance to relax and gather with the broader Quinnipiac community at the Winter Olympics Watch Party, and to see their teammate take the ice with Team France, was a great experience for the team, said Bobcat forward Emerson Jarvis ’26.

“I think it’s always so exciting to watch the Olympics, and to have a teammate playing over there is so cool. To be able to cheer her on means a lot to our team and we’re super proud of her,” said Jarvis.

Driscoll said the Winter Olympics Watch Party was a special way to celebrate the remarkable fact that a current Quinnipiac international student is competing on the world stage as an Olympic athlete.

“I think it’s a really unique and exciting opportunity that Jade is representing France, but also Quinnipiac, at the Olympics. We’re so proud of her. This is her first game of the Olympics, so we’re excited to kick it off and follow her through this journey,” said Driscoll.

Italy ultimately won with a 4-1 score over France. The Women's Preliminary Round - Group B continues February 6 through February 9, when Team France competes against Japan, Sweden and Germany.