Former RIT women’s player Kristine Pierce-Brassie has passed away after battling cancer.
She was part of the class of 1999 and was inducted into the RIT Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
Pierce-Brassie scored 16 goals and added 20 assists for 36 points in her career with the Tigers.
Her career was interrupted for nearly a year when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease the day before Thanksgiving in 1997. She underwent six months of treatment and beat the disease. She returned to the ice, and was a three-year team captain.
She was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Today the world lost an amazing person, Kristine Pierce Brassie. She was the recipient of the hockey humanitarian award 1999. I remember a childhood friend who I skated w on the ponds of WNY, a smile that lit up every room! Prayers 4 her children and family. @Buccigross @RITWHKY
— Sean Ritchlin (@RitchlinSean) April 4, 2019
Pierce-Brassie graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Resort Management in 1999.
When she returned to the game, “it was with more appreciation and passion for life,” according to the RIT athletics website. “She immersed herself in hockey, education, but more importantly, helping others in the community. During and after her illness, she volunteered for more than 23 different causes. And each year she set up community service projects for her teammates to participate in.”
In 1999, she became the first woman and the first person in Division III to win the Hockey Humanitarian Award.
