2013-14 OUA Women's Hockey Season Preview

In this edition Brock .

Guelph .

Laurentian .

Laurier .

Nipissing .

Queen’s .

Ryerson .

Toronto .

UOIT .

Waterloo .

Western .

Windsor .

York .

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Brock

By Shawn Whiteley, Photos courtesy of Brock Athletics

After finishing with a 5-20 record last season, the Brock women’s hockey team underwent an offseason rebuild with the hopes of returning to the playoffs this season.

Head coach Jim Denham has brought in a strong recruiting class, which includes 13 newcomers and two transfers, as they look to build for the future.

“We have a strong core of returnees and a talented incoming class,” Denham said. “With some added size and skill both up front and on the blueline, along with stronger goaltending we have a goal of not only making the playoffs, but getting home ice advantage.”

The Badgers are led by the duo of seniors Jessica Fickel (Fort Erie, Ont.) and Leigh Vanderveen (Niagara on the Lake, Ont.), who look to lead the Badgers back to the postseason. In their first three seasons, Fickel has recorded 32 goals and 40 assists in 78 career games while Vanderveen has registered 28 goals and 38 assists in 79 career games.

In order for some success, the Badgers will look to get some much needed production from returnees Katie Howlett (Burlington, Ont.), Brianne Veale (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.), Laura Neu (Ayr, Ont.) and 2012-13 Brock Rookie of the Year Sarah Dolden (Brampton, Ont.).

On the blueline, Brock returns four talented defencemen in Kaiti Phelan (Kitchener, Ont.), Brittney Cabral (Hamilton, Ont.), Samantha Green (Georgetown, Ont.) and Ally Graham (Thamesford, Ont.).

Key newcomers that will look to make an immediate impact for the Badgers are NCAA transfer Nicole Court (Elmira College) along with freshmen Sophie Herbert (Great Britain National Team) and Melissa Hurrell (Brampton Midget AA).

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In goal the Badgers have two newcomers with Windsor transfer Julia Ouroumis (Pickering, Ont.) and true freshman Jenna Sosnoski (New Dundee, Ont.), a PWHL graduate.

Regular Season Jessica Fickel Leigh Vanderveen Katie Howlett Jaclyn Conacher Sarah Dolden

GP 25 26 26 24 22

G 10 8 5 6 3

A 11 10 8 6 7

PTS 21 18 13 12 10

PIM 28 16 32 14 6

PPG 2 5 1 1 2

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Guelph

By Michelle Pino, Photos Courtesy of the University of Guelph

After an incredible 14-game win-streak to round out the 2012-13 regular season, the Gryphons women’s hockey team finished 21-3-2 claiming the number two seed heading into the postseason.

They swept the UOIT Ridgebacks in the quarter-finals, but were upset by the eventual champion Queens Gaels in the semifinal series.

The Gryphons are looking to rebound from last season’s early playoff exit and rekindle that late season magic in 2013-14.

“We are a ‘team-first’ kind of team this year and we are deeper than ever from top to bottom,” said head coach Rachel Flanagan. “We expect to build on last years’ positives and compete for a spot at the National tournament this year.”

Gone from the team this year are graduated players Jenna Lanzarotta and former three-year team captain Tam Bell. The duo will be greatly missed, as both were 20+ point scorers per year and leaders in the locker room.

Despite the loss of those two key players the Gryphons return plenty of talented players at both ends of the ice and are once again favoured in the OUA. The Gryphs opened the season as the CIS No. 9 ranked team.

The Gryphons find themselves deepest at the forward position with a mix of capable players skating up front. Top scorers like Amanda Parkins, Jessica Pinkerton and Christine Grant will be a key to success this season. The trio was first, second and fourth in OUA scoring last year.

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Parkins stole the limelight in her rookie year scoring a league-high 19 goals en route to 43 points and the OUA Player of the Year award. Meanwhile Pinkerton was named a second team-all star with 37 points while Grant was named the OUA Rookie of the Year after a 32-point season.

Second-year centre Averi Nooren is looking to build on her second semester success last year and walk-on Rachael Cassidy to provide an offensive spark deeper in the lineup.

Rookie forwards Kelly Gribbons, Marcie Landman and Cara Sayles will be counted on to make an immediate impact this season on the score sheet. The trio adds a lot of size up front. Sayles is a very skilled puck handler, while Landman and Gribbons are very strong and hard to play against.

Two fifth-year seniors, Emily Corbett and Kimerbely Wong, anchor the Guelph defence. Fourthyear Brittney Crawford, a defensive and shot blocking expert, will also play a vital role. She is one of the hardest skaters for opponents to match up against in the back end. Rookie Jessica Pellegrino will also be in the mix and pushing the returning defence for a spot in the line-up every week.

The Gryphons are extremely confident with their netminding. Stephanie Nehring is healthy and looked very comfortable in exhibition play. After an injury last season that saw Nehring play in only nine regular season games the third-year will be looking to prove her all-star status this season and carry the team in the playoffs. Fourth-year Brooke Siddall stepped up for the team last year playing 17 games with a 0.89 goals against average and record of 12 wins and five losses.

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Amanda Parkins 26 19 24 43 24 5 Jessica Pinkerton 26 11 26 37 20 6 Christine Grant 26 14 18 32 8 2 Jenna Lanzarotta 26 12 12 24 30 7 Kaitlyn Mora 23 7 16 23 20 3

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Amanda Parkins 4 2 4 6 2 0 Christine Grant 4 2 3 5 15 1 Jessica Pinkerton 4 2 2 4 2 0 Kaitlyn Mora 4 2 0 2 6 0 Averi Noorent 4 1 0 1 0 0

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Laurentian

By Bryan Carruthers, Photos courtesy of Laurentian Athletics

For the first time in school history, the Laurentian Voyageurs are icing a women’s hockey team and both the university and the Greater Sudbury community could not be more excited. After more than a year of preparation head coach Stacey Colarossi, and her troops have hit the ice and are under way.

Colarossi spent all of last season criss-crossing the province looking for top recruits to join the first edition of the Laurentian Voyageurs. The group she assembled is not satisfied with just being a member of the OUA; they have plans to serve the league notice that they are here to compete.

“When you come and see the Voyageurs play, it’s going to be exciting,” Colarossi said. “You are going to see a group of girls who have tons of grit and determination.”

The Voyageurs are sending out a very young squad with only three players on the roster having post-secondary experience. Aoife Cox (Hamilton, Ont.) skated for three seasons with the Western Mustangs before heading to the Nickel City to play her final year of eligibility with the Voyageurs.

She’ll also be completing her masters degree.

Stephanie Bonin (Sudbury, Ont.), who is a key piece to the Voyageurs’ offence, skated for Neumann University, a division III school in Pennsylvania. The first captain in program history, Julie Hebert (Chelmsford, Ont.), played two seasons at Wayne State University, a division II school in Detroit. Her experience and leadership will be vital in the Voyageurs’ successes this year.

That success largely depends on the strength of the Voyageurs goaltending duo. Tandem Laura Deller (Woodstock, Ont.) and Emily Toffoli-Henderson (Sudbury, Ont.) come in as true freshmen, but both have proven early that they are willing to take on an increased workload this season. Toffoli-Henderson faced a barrage of 39 shots in the season opener, while Deller was peppered with 52 shots, stopping 51 of them, the next night.

Colarossi recognizes that her squad is young and may not have the finesse that many of

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the more established teams, but the coach isn’t worried.

“We aren’t going to go out there and win games on skill alone… not yet anyway,” Colarossi said.

“What we are going to do is try and outwork every other team in the league. We have a group of girls who, for the most part, are naive in the sense that they have no idea what to expect at this level and that’s fantastic. We get to develop our own culture, style of play and there are no pre-conceived ideas in terms of roles, responsibilities or expectations. Everyone is on a level playing field and everyone is buying in to the same system because, frankly, it is a system that is still developing.”

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Laurier

ByJamie Howieson

After falling short of an OUA Championship for just the second time in the last 10 years, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women’s hockey team has their sights set on recapturing the conference banner in the 2013-14 season.

The 2012-13 season ended in heartbreak for Laurier, but the purple and gold still captured top spot in the OUA after the regular season. However, the Hawks found that there was increased competition in the league’s upper tier. Three other teams finished within five points of the Hawks, including the Western Mustangs who eliminated Laurier in a tough three-game series last February.

Following the season, graduation hit the Hawks hard. Five players left the program after earning their degrees includnig captain Fiona Lester, fellow defenceman Maureen Mommersteeg and forwards Brittany Crago, Paula Lagamba and Caitlin Muirhead. The loss of much of their veteran leadership left a hole in Laurier’s lineup, but head coach Rick Osborne was prepared. The Hawks’ bench boss added eight recruits to his squad, a group he hopes will help Laurier not only recapture the provincial championship, but once again compete for a national title.

Joining Laurier for this year are four forwards, three defencemen and a goaltender. Up front, Dollee Meigs of Owen Sounds, Ont., Heather Platt of Mississauga, Ont., Jessica Prevette of Mississauga, Ont., and Michelle Quick of Bradford, Ont., will provide a nice mixture of size and skill to the Hawks. On the blueline, Montana Merante of Orangeville, Ont., Jacky Normandeau of Uxbridge, Ont., and Catie Thomson of St. Catharines, Ont., will help anchor a strong defensive core while goaltender Amanda Smith of Burlington, Ont., will challenge for playing time all season long.

These eight players join a talented roster, starting off with new team captain Laura Brooker (Fergus, Ont.). Brooker, who last season became just the fourth Golden Hawk to score 50 goals in their career, has never scored fewer than 14 goals in a season and is consistently among the league-leaders in offensive production. Look for her to once again leader Laurier’s offence and demonstrate why she was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2013 FISU Winter Games in Italy.

Other players to watch among the returning forwards are Tammy Freiburger of Wingham, Ont., and Devon Skeats of Whitby, Ont. Freiburger has been a point per game player over her last two seasons while Skeats has seen her offensive numbers increase each of her first four seasons, culminating with a 12 goal and 20 point effort last year.

One recruit with high-impact potential this season is transfer Megan Howe of Stratford, Ont. A red-shirt in 2012-13 after leaving Oswego State in the NCAA, Howe was the

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leading scorer in the preseason (3G, 3A) and could be a difference maker during the course of the year.

On the back end, Candice Styles of Orangeville, Ont., returns for her fifth and final season and will be expected to lead Laurier’s defencemen with the help of third-year defender Haley Baxter of Waterloo, Ont. However, they will have more veteran help thanks to the return of third year blueliner Blair Connelly of Amherstburg, Ont. Connelly rejoins Laurier after taking the year off last season and those three will combine to provide veteran leadership to the young defencemen.

In goal, Smith, a rookie, earned the starting job out of camp thanks to a strong performance that saw her post a 1.00 goals against average and a 0.970 save percentage.

However, incumbent Kayla Brown of Lively, Ont., will push for playing time after posting strong numbers (2.01 GAA and 0.915 SV%) in her rookie season.

Photo by Trevor Mahoney

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Brittany Crago 26 6 19 25 26 3 Laura Brooker 26 14 10 24 12 3 Caitlin Muirhead 26 9 13 22 14 2 Tammy Freiburger 22 9 12 21 4 3 Devon Skeats 26 12 8 20 50 5

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Jessie Hurrell 5 2 2 4 0 0 Devon Skeats 5 2 2 4 16 0 Brittany Crago 5 1 2 3 12 1 Robyn Degagne 5 1 1 2 4 0 Tammy Freiburger 5 1 1 2 6 0 Photo byAdam Gagnon

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Nipissing

By Robb Fenton, Photo: Courtesy of Brian Doherty

The wait is over! After all of the hype, excitement, anticipation (and a lot of waiting) the Nipissing women’s hockey team finally hopped the boards and made their OUA debut.

Lakers The fans in North Bay didn’t have to wait long for Nipissing’s first win, as the Lakers upended the Brock Badgers 3-2 in their season opener. The Lakers were powered by first-year goaltender Jacqueline Rochefort, who made 42 saves in the win and first-year defenceman Jade Gauthier, who scored two goals including the game-winner.

Lakers head coach Darren Turcotte said he has seen his young team grow over the past month, but now it’s time to see how they do against OUA calibre teams all season.

“We have solid recruits who have been here for five weeks and they’ve grown,” Turcotte said.

“Now we see what they’re like against teams who have played at this level before.”

The coach added that having an OUA calibre team in North Bay is great for the city, the University and women’s hockey in the area. “This will give North Bay the opportunity to see high level women’s hockey.”

Turcotte said because it’s his team’s first year in the league, it’s tough to say what’s going to be the key to their success, but like any team in any league, success often starts from the net out.

“Our goalies out, we’re confident in what we have. Both goalies we’re confident in what they can do and how they can play,” he said. “We want them to battle for the number one spot, we want them to push each other.”

It should be a friendly competition for the starters’ role. Coach Turcotte wants his goalies to, “Battle, but be friends and support each other.”

Being a first year team, full of young players, the Lakers will count on the few veterans they do have.

The Lakers will be led by captain Carly Marchment as well as veterans Kristen Dewsbury and Erin Weber, who will be assistant captains.

Alexane Papineau and Laura McKenzie will also wear letters on their jerseys.

“We’ll rely on girls with experience. We have two girls with four years of experience, they’ll be our

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leaders,” Turcotte explained. “And girls like Carly Marchment and Brooklyn Irwin just have to play their style to be successful.”

Turcotte referred to his goalies again as being key for the success the team hopes to have, but as well as their goaltending, the Lakers will use hard work and determination to find the win column.

“A lot of the success of the team will come because of our goalies. They were both successful last year and we’re confident in them. Everyone has to do their job and limit the opportunities the other teams have,” he said. “We won’t be playing a run-and-gun style. We have to be solid defensively, get timely goaltending and work for our goals. We’ll have to get dirty goals, drive to the net and work close to the net to score.”

Turcotte said he can study stats from last year all he wants, but it won’t matter when they hit the ice this season.

“We’re not really sure what to expect. We can look at last year’s teams and stats, but last year doesn’t really matter. We’re going to play different teams, with different styles, all at a high level,” he said. “We’ll work on what we can control – the work ethic, the desire and the drive to win and play our best.”

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Queen’s

By Shawn MacDonald, Photos Courtesy of Queen’s University

The 2012-13 Queen’s Gaels played one of the best seasons in school history, setting a new school record with 20 regular season wins en route to an OUA Championship. The Gaels finished third in the OUA with a 20-4-2 record and were ranked in the CIS Top 10 rankings for all 16 weeks, being ranked as high as fourth. This year, they open the season at No. 6.

After beating Windsor and sweeping Guelph in the first two playoff rounds, Queen’s faced Western in the OUA Championship. The Gaels continued their strong play sweeping the best-ofthree series with a 4-0 win on the road and a 5-4 win at home to ice capture the OUA Championship.

The Gaels advanced to the CIS Championships, but lost their first two games in overtime to StFX and Calgary. Against Calgary, Queen’s rallied from a 4-1 third period deficit to force overtime. The Gaels closed out the tournament narrowly losing 2-1 to UBC. Morgan McHaffie (Guelph, Ont.) led the team in scoring with 33 points (12G, 21A) and was named a CIS all-Canadian and OUA all-star last season. Katie Duncan was also named to the OUA all-star team while Alisha Sealey was named an OUA all-rookie.

Despite losing a large group of veterans to graduation, the team still has core pieces from those championship teams throughout the lineup.

“With a larger than normal rookie class the on and off ice leadership from our vets becomes even more important,” said head coach Matt Holmberg earlier this week. “McHaffie, Griffin and Dodd-Moher have now won two OUA championships each and know exactly what it takes to succeed in the extremely competitive OUA conference. The balance of the returning players also have championship experience, and will be looked upon to provide leadership as well.”

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Adding to the talent is a strong group of recruits that join the team with a lot of character and excitement. The group scored exhibition wins over Montreal and St.FX. Montreal was last year’s CIS and RSEQ Champions while St. FX was the top team from the AUS. “Knowing that we would have a big rookie class we sought to play as many top teams as we could in order to provide them with a taste of high level CIS hockey. While there has been an adjustment period, the new group has developed nicely and is advancing at a fairly quick rate. That being said, we also did our best to recruit players that we hoped would be able to step in relatively quickly and so far they have not disappointed.”

McHaffie and Mel Dodd-Moher (Stittsville, Ont.) are the keys to success for the Gaels this season.

McHaffie (in addition to her all-Canadian status) is a three-time OUA all-star, an OUA all-rookie as well and the 2011-12 scoring leader and conference MVP. She was named a member of the Canadian women’s hockey roster and will represent Canada at the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy.

Dodd-Moher is as solid and decorated as they come in the crease. She was the 2009-10 CIS allrookie goaltender, a CIS Tournament all-star in 2010-11 and has an OUA Championship on her resume.

Both student-athletes have played in a ton of big games and will bring that experience and leadership to the Gaels locker room. This is the final season for both players, as they are entering their fifth and final year with the Gaels and OUA eligibility.

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Morgan McHaffie 26 12 21 33 56 4 Taryn Pilon 26 12 15 27 0 5 Katie Duncan 26 5 17 22 28 2 Courtenay Jacklin 26 13 8 21 16 4 Shawna Griffin 26 7 13 20 20 2

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Morgan McHaffie 6 4 7 11 10 0 Brittany McHaffie 7 4 7 11 24 2 Taryn Pilon 7 4 3 7 0 0 Kristin Smith 7 3 4 7 6 1 Shawna Griffin 7 2 4 6 2 2

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Ryerson

ByAndrea Elliott, Photos by Winston Chow

A quick look at the eligibility line for the Ryerson Rams and you’ll notice something that was missing two years ago. Experience.

Entering the 2013-14 season, the Rams will ice a more experienced lineup, with more veteran leadership and seven new rookie recruits under their tutelage.

“We’re pretty pleased with the veteran leadership which seems to be growing,” said head coach Lisa Haley in a recent interview from Lethbridge, Alta. “That’s an area we wanted to improve on from last year and we like what we see so far.”

Haley is on a leave of absence from the women’s hockey program at Ryerson, pursuing an assistant coach position with Hockey Canada’s senior women’s team as they prepare for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Her replacement is Pierre Alain, who comes over from the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey program as their recruitment coordinator last season. Alain brings a wealth of experience to Ryerson, with over 27 years of coaching and teaching experience. Some of Alain’s coaching highlights include working with Hockey Canada’s women’s hockey programs. Earlier this year, as head coach of Canada’s U22 Women’s National Team at the Meco Cup, Alain’s team captured gold.

Alain and the coaching staff will keep Nella Brodett (Edmonton, Alta.) as captain for the 2013-14 season. Her assistants are Melissa Wronzberg (Thornhill, Ont.), Jessica Hartwick (Brampton, Ont.) and newly named assistant captain, Emily Rose Galliani-Pecchia (Toronto).

Although the leadership core is growing, the team itself is still quite young. No players were lost to graduation last season, but the team recruited Blair Malthaner (Toronto) and Clare Sabine (London, Ont.) to bolster the offence. On a recent episode of the Ramily Insider, Brodett commented that both Malthaner and Sabine were big additions to their team.

For a team that went 6-3 in preseason play but 2-23-1 last year, there are still things to work on in the 2013-14 campaign.

One of those key areas is special teams, a focus of Alain since joining the Rams. After an exhibition game against the Mount Royal College Cougars in Lethbridge, Alta. (where the Rams played in the National Female Hockey Challenge) Alain said cohesion as an entire unit is a key to success.

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“This weekend was all about working on cohesion, five on five, and especially specialty teams, and that’s what we did,” said Alain. “We improved every day and we’re a better team today and going to be a better team next week.”

Offensively, the Rams will have returning forwards Galliani-Pecchia, Samantha Pui (Toronto) and Wronzberg to help put pucks in the net. Galliani-Pecchia notched 11 points, while Pui and Wronzberg each had 10 in 2012-13. The re-addition of Paulena Jakarsezian, who played with the Rams in 2011-12, will also help.

On the back end, the defensive corps has a couple of new faces. Lauren Lovold (MacTier, Ont.), a transfer from Wayne State of the NCAA has shown to be a smooth skater that can move the puck well. Stephanie Chiste (Nobleton, Ont.), last year’s team MVP, and Hartwick will provide experience and will be looked upon to contribute in all situations.

It looks like it will be a season long battle for playing time in the Rams crease, as the team carries three goalies. Cassandra McNichol (Toronto), who practiced with the team all last season but did not play will compete with Emma Crawley (Herring Cove, N.S.) and rookie Alex Armstrong (Toronto) between the pipes. All three goalies have rotated playing time in the pre-season.

At the onset of the season, Alain said his team is ready to go.

“Overall our tactical system is good. Not very good but overall we’re pretty good in every part of the ice, in our end, in the neutral zone and in the offensive zone we’re pretty good at all little tactics.”

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Emily Rose Galliani Pecchia 26 5 6 11 4 0 Samantha Pui 26 5 5 10 12 1 Melissa Wronzberg 26 3 7 10 10 0 Jessica Hartwick 26 1 8 9 42 1 Mackenzie Manning 26 5 3 8 38 0

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Toronto

By Jill Clark Photos Courtesy of the University of Toronto

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s hockey team played to a 15-8-3 record last season, finishing fifth in the conference and drawing the Western Mustangs in OUA quarter-final action. The Blues fell to the ‘Stangs, but redeemed themselves as the host of the CIS national championship taking all three games to overtime en route to a fourth-place finish.

After a taste of the national stage, the Blues are hungry to extend post-season play and earn their spot in the CIS tournament this year.

“I think last season was a great stepping stone for our program,” said Vicky Sunohara, who enters her third season as Varsity Blues bench boss. “We earned some respect from other teams across the CIS and proved that we could compete with the best in the country. We gained some much needed confidence, which leaves us in a great position to start the season.”

Back to lead the Blues between the pipes is fourth-year netminder Nicole Kesteris. The Aurora, Ont., native posted a 0.916 regular season save percentage and ended the season with a career-high 53-save performance in a 1-0 overtime loss to the eventual CIS champion Montreal Carabins. Rookie goalie Michaela Logan of North Vancouver, B.C., joins the team from Okanagan Hockey Academy and will challenge Kesteris for playing time this season.

Team captain Kelly O’Hanlon of Markham, Ont., returns to lead Toronto’s offensive charge. The fifth-year forward topped the team and ranked seventh in the OUA with 12 goals and 15 assists in 2012-13. Ilderton, Ont., native Taylor Day had an impressive rookie campaign, finishing second on the team with eight goals and 11 assists last season.

Third-year forwards Sonja Weidenfelder and Jacqueline Scheffel proved they were scoring threats in the post-season last year and return for the 2013-14 season. Veterans Ragan Danford, Amanda Ricker and Brittany Kirby will be relied on for their leadership on the ice and their ability to finish around the net as well.

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Twin sisters Alie and Courtney Brind’Amour-McClure, first-year forward Katherine Gale of Crowthorne, England, and Elmira College transfer Arden Cowley adds some solid depth to Toronto offence. The twins have a natural vision of the game and scoring ability that is sure to have success this season, while Gale, a member of the Great Britain national team, adds solid leadership and versatility to squad this season.

Toronto’s defensive corps returns in 2013-14. Fifth-year veteran Marlie McLaughlin will be called upon to help guide newcomers Autumn Garnham and Rebecca Bourgeois through their first season on U of T’s blue line.

Fellow veterans Stacey Oue and MC Geneau are also back to help quarterback the Blues breakout and start the offensive rush, while third-year players April Looije and Caitlin Maikawa provide a solid physical presence in Toronto’s defensive zone.

The Blues kicked off their regular season in front of a sold out crowd at the 2013 Downtown Showdown Hockey School Day in Toronto against the Ryerson Rams on Oct. 3. The Blues beat the Rams 5-0 with five players recording multi-point games and a 20 save shutout by Kesteris.

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Kelly O’Hanlon 26 12 15 27 20 3 Taylor Day 26 8 11 19 8 3 Jacqueline Scheffel 26 7 9 16 44 1 Callie Bazak 26 13 2 15 6 3 Sonja Weidenfelder 26 6 9 15 22 2

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Amanda Ricker 2 2 0 2 0 0 Taylor Day 2 0 2 2 2 0 Stacey Oue 2 0 2 2 0 0 Ragan Danford 2 1 0 1 8 0 Caitlin Maikawa 2 0 1 1 0 0

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UOIT

ByScott Dennis, Photos By Al Fournier

Coming off their first OUA postseason appearance last season, expectations are high for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) women’s hockey team.

With 18 players returning to the Ridgebacks lineup, the coaching staff is confident that the team will be able to build off of last year’s success.

“Everyone involved with the program is excited about the possibilities ahead of us,” said head coach Karen Nystrom. “The coaching staff feels that we have all of the right pieces in place to compete for the championship.”

UOIT captain Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.) is graduating after this season with a degree in Nuclear Engineering and Management. She has certainly left her mark on the program, as she is the all-time leader in points (89), goals (50) and assists (39). Sarah Worthington (Whitby, Ont.) and Jaclyn Gibson (Cobourg, Ont.) are also entering their last year of eligibility.

A newcomer to the Ridgebacks line-up is OUA veteran Katie Dillon (Oshawa, Ont.). Dillon played 105 games for the Western Mustangs from 2008-12, where she scored 39 goals and 26 assists.

Dillon is taking the Education program at UOIT for her final year of eligibility.

“Katie will be a big addition to the line-up,” said Nystrom. “After playing four seasons against her at Western, it will be a big plus having her in a Ridgeback uniform this season. She has a natural goal scorer that has a lot of experience at this level of hockey.”

Goaltending should be a position of strength for UOIT in 2013-14. Cassie Charette (Ottawa, Ont.) was named to the OUA all-rookie team last season posting a 2.32 goals against average in 14 games played. Her .921 save percentage was tops among OUA freshman goalies. Tori Campbell (Lethbridge, Alta.) will also add some depth to the position. Last year in the Alberta Major Midget Hockey League, she was named the league’s goalie of the year as she led the league in save percentage (.940), goals against average (1.23) and shutouts (8).

Another top recruit in the Ridgebacks line-up is Mikaeli Cavell of Edmonton, Alta. Cavell played the past four seasons with the Edmonton Thunder and has led her team to national success. The Thunder qualified for the Esso Cup (Female Midget National Championship) in three straight seasons and went on to earn one silver and two bronze medals. Heading into the 2013 championship, Cavell was featured by Hockey Canada as one of the top 10 players to watch at the Esso Cup.

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Other key recruits include defender Teresa Horner (Hamilton, Ont.) and goaltender Taylor Sutherland (Whitby, Ont.).

The Ridgebacks had a strong start in the preseason, as they went 5-1-0 which included a road-trip to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

In 2012-13, the Ridgebacks set program highs in wins (11) and points (25) and in 2013-14, they look to set new highs again.

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Jill Morillo 26 9 9 18 6 2 Sarah Worthington 26 7 9 16 26 0 Melissa Berney 26 2 9 11 30 1 Zoe Battie 26 6 4 10 14 3 Jaclyn Gibson 26 3 7 10 22 0

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Jaclyn Gibson 2 1 0 1 0 1 Sarah Worthington 2 1 0 1 2 0 Jill Morillo 1 0 1 1 0 0 Zoe Battie 2 0 1 1 2 0 Samantha Forchielli 2 0 1 1 2 0

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Waterloo

By Dan Ackerman, Photos Courtesy of the University of Waterloo

Last season, the Waterloo Warriors women’s hockey team snapped a long playoff drought. In 2013-14, they intend to get back to the postseason – and stick around a little longer.

On the heels of their first playoff appearance in six seasons, the Warriors look ready to continue climbing the ranks within OUA. While Waterloo’s focus is returning to the postseason, head coach Sean Reagan knows exactly how his team can reach their goal: goals.

The Warriors were the lowest-scoring team in 2012-13, so Reagan and his staff made offensive additions this summer. But instead of recruiting one-dimensional skilled forwards, Reagan decided that the best way to improve his offence was to generate it from the blue line.

“I think we had a lot of chances last year,” said Reagan. “It seemed to be one of those years where the puck just didn’t go in for us. (But) we think we addressed our need for goal scoring.

We’re going to try to generate some more offense from our back end, and see if we can’t crack some odd-man rushes.”

Rookie defencemen Stephanie Digness and Dana Fairbarn will step into major two-way roles on the Warriors back end, quarterbacking the power play and being counted on to make solid first passes to spring the Warriors on the offensive quickly. Digness’ cannon from the point and Fairbarn’s decision-making and puck skills showed up immediately on the scoresheet. Digness scored a hat trick and Fairbarn added an assist in the Warriors season opening 4-3 overtime win over the Windsor Lancers.

Up front, the recruiting class is highlighted by the addition of Rachel Marriott, a 5’11” power forward who is an absolute force around the net. The local product tallied 40 goals in her last midget season with the Waterloo Wolves, and had four assists in her first two OUA games.

The Warriors will also count on a core group of returning forwards to continue to develop their full 200-foot games. Second-year forwards Marissa Redmond and Carolyn Burke will look to make the jump offensively in 2013-14, while fellow sophomore Siobhan Hewitt-Kenda returns with a clean bill of health after battling knee problems last season. Lindsey Ceaser is also healthy again this season and ready to contribute. Captain Katie Dods, in her second year after transferring from Niagara University in the NCAA, is always a threat with the puck.

Waterloo’s core returnees will be called upon to help mentor the new recruits on the blueline.

Defenceman Michelle Tanel returns healthy and ready to dominate after battling concussion problems last season, and fifth-year vet Kate Wagner can provide leadership and stability.

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The anchor of the Warriors for the last two years has been goaltender Rebecca Bouwhuis, and that won’t change in 2013-14. In her first two OUA seasons, Bouwhuis has two OUA all-star team appearances, an OUA rookie of the year award and a CIS all-Canadian selection on her resume.

And, as Reagan is quick to point out, she’ll actually be an integral part to the Warriors’ new offensive attack.

“Goaltending wins championships,” said Reagan. “When you do jump up with your defencemen on the rush, you’re going to give up some chances the other way. But we think Rebecca is up to that task.”

As he methodically builds the program into a well-balanced and perennially competitive one, Reagan knows the true path to success is consistency and attention to detail. So while he says his team has set goals for itself, the real measure of progress can be seen each day at practice.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs again, and go from there,” said Reagan. “We think we’ve improved and other teams have improved too, so we want to make sure we take it one game at a time.”

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Kelly MacLean 26 6 9 15 16 3 Marissa Redmond 26 7 6 13 6 1 Katie Dods 25 5 1 6 10 2 Kelly Toms 26 3 2 5 14 0 Nicole Ballantyne 22 2 3 5 18 1

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Kelly MacLean 2 1 1 2 2 0 Marissa Redmond 2 1 0 1 2 1 Sarah Endicott 2 0 1 1 0 0 Kaitlyn McDonell 2 0 1 1 0 0 Danielle Harvey 1 0 0 0 0 0

24 2013-14 OUA Women’s Hockey Preview

Western

By David Conlin Photos By Piotr Angiel

After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Queen’s in OUA finals last season, the Western Mustangs have begun their quest to reach the finals for the third straight year and finally claim that elusive championship.

The team that went to the finals last season has stayed largely intact, with 18 of Western’s 22 players returning. With largely the same personnel, it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect similar success this season. Both of the Mustangs’ CIS all-Canadians from last season, Kelly Campbell and Katelyn Gosling, are back in the lineup this year and looking to build on their recent success.

Newcomers include Nicole Latreille, Jessica Sorensen, Megan Taylor, and Drue Ahola all of who will be joining the Western team as forwards.

Campbell appeared in 21 regular season games for the Mustangs last year, leading all OUA goalies and placing third in the CIS with a .942 save percentage. The St. Thomas, Ont., native faced 710 shots in the season and only allowed 41 goals on her way to leading all OUA goalies with 12 wins. She continued her strong play in the playoffs, earning three shutouts and posting an impressive .961 save percentage in seven games.

Gosling, a London native, was the leading scorer among defencemen in the CIS last year, putting up 26 points in 26 regular season games and five more in the playoffs. She was an integral part of Western’s power play unit, potting four goals on the man-advantage, and was the OT hero in the team’s first round playoff victory over Toronto, scoring a highlight reel goal in triple overtime.

Both players are entering their third year of eligibility this year and will play key leadership roles for the Mustangs. These highly touted Mustangs were both added to Canada’s 20player roster for the Winter Universiade being hosted in Trentino, Italy in December.

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Also returning for the purple and white are leading scorers Stacey Scott and Kendra Deller who are both playing their third year of eligibility this fall.

Scott led all Mustangs scorers with 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists), placing 14th the CIS in total points and ninth in goals

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scored. Deller ranked third on Westen’s score sheet with nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points while only aking four minutes in penalties during the regular season.

Western enters the regular season after playing an intense five-game pre-season schedule that saw the team go 1-3-1 including a 3-2 win over Laurier and four hard-fought games against top NCAA schools Mercyhurst, Boston University, Boston College, and Colgate.

With a veteran roster bolstered by a strong recruiting class the Mustangs should once again be a contender in the OUA in 2013-14. The team certainly has the talent and after back-to-back finals losses, it’s championship or bust in London.

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Stacey Scott 26 14 14 28 44 2 Katelyn Gosling 26 7 19 26 14 4 Kendra Deller 26 9 12 21 4 3 Kryshandra Green 26 9 11 20 44 0 Carly Rolph 23 8 7 15 4 1

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Stacey Scott 7 4 4 8 10 1 Katelyn Gosling 7 4 1 5 4 3 Tara Cation 7 0 4 4 6 0 Kryshandra Green 7 0 4 4 12 0 Cassidy Gosling 7 2 1 3 8 1

26 2013-14 OUA Women’s Hockey Preview

Windsor

By: Adam Ali Photos by Edwin Tam

After finishing in the middle of the OUA pack in the past two seasons, the Windsor Lancers women’s hockey team are looking to move up the conference ladder in their upcoming 2013-14 campaign.

The Lancers finished with a respectable 12-10-4 record in 2012-13, but ended the season by losing four of their last six contests, which ultimately bumped the women down to the sixth seed heading into the playoffs.

Matched up against the CIS No. 7 ranked Queen’s Gaels in the first round of the post-season, the Lancers started the series with an explosive 6-1 win against a team they were winless against in three regular season contests. However, Windsor could not keep the momentum going against the stingy Gaels, losing a tight game two by a count of 3-2 before Queen’s took the rubber match with a 7-1 triumph to eliminate the Lancers.

Heading into this season, the Lancers will be without top scorers Alyssa Baldin and Courtney Spoors, both of whom graduated at the end of last season. Baldin, who also served as Windsor’s captain, was fifth in the conference scoring with 28 points, while Spoors tallied 22 points in her final year wearing the Blue and Gold.

Looking to fill the scoring void for Windsor will be senior forward Jenny MacKnight. The Regina, Sask. native was third in team scoring last season, balancing eight goals with 12 assists in 26 games played. Fellow fourth-year Candice Chevalier was second in goals scored for the Lancers last year, notching nine markers to go along with eight helpers for Windsor.

MacKnight and Chevalier (Essex, Ont.) top a returning core of eight skaters who all finished with 10 or more points last season. This includes defender Adelena Tridico, who was fifth amongst conference blue-liners, finishing with 17 points, including two goals. The hometown native highlights the defensive corps, which has been kept intact heading into the year. Jillian Rops Sarnia, Ont.) and Lindsay Hoogstraten (St. George,

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Ont.) also add key pieces to the offense of Windsor’s blueline, as the defenders combined for nine goals and 16 assists throughout last year.

The Lancers boast an experienced roster heading into 2013-14 with seven players entering their fourth year of eligibility and Hoogstraten heading into her fifth and final season. This is complimented by a six-player recruiting class that includes two new goaltenders, as head coach Jim Hunter will look towards Norwegian national Ingrid Sandven and Whitby, Ont. native Marissa Kozovski to solidify the women between the pipes. The Lancers are expecting an upgrade in this area, as Sandven was part of the Norwegian national team program while Kozovski is a Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) champion.

Headlining the skaters of the recruiting class is Southwest Wildcats standout Erinn Noseworthy.

The Appin, Ont. native tallied 24 goals and four assists before joining the Lancers for the final stretch of the regular season and playoffs last year. She picked up two goals and an assist in five regular season games and added two helpers in three playoff matches. Fellow Wildcat and Lancer recruit Laura Monforton (LaSalle, Ont.) was second to Noseworthy in team scoring with Southwest, tallying 10 goals and 27 points in 38 games played.

Regular Season GP G A PTS PIM PPG Alyssa Baldin 26 15 13 28 20 7 Courtney Spoors 24 8 14 22 8 3 Jenny MacKnight 26 8 12 20 12 0 Candice Chevalier 26 9 8 17 54 1 Adalena Tridico 25 2 15 17 40 0

Playoffs GP G A PTS PIM PPG Bree Polci 3 2 2 4 2 1 Courtney Spoors 3 2 1 3 4 0 Kayla Dodson 3 0 3 3 0 0 Ally Strickland 3 2 0 2 2 0 Candice Chevalier 3 1 1 2 2 0

28 2013-14 OUA Women’s Hockey Preview

York

By: Alyson Fisher, Photos: York University

The York University Lions women’s hockey team is poised for a bounce-back season as the squad looks to return to the upper echelon of the OUA. The Lions enter the season with a new head coach at the helm. Jennifer Rawson steps into the lead role while Dan Church coaches the Canadian senior women’s team for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Rawson, who won a national title as captain of the Varsity Blues in 2001, is already familiar with the team, having spent last season as an assistant with the program.

The off-season featured the biggest recruiting class the program has seen in years with 10 new faces who should be able to make an immediate impact on the OUA. The rookies join a solid core of veterans that are eager to taste playoff success again.

The Lions have a multi-dimensional offence and Rawson believes that variability will help the squad bring many different looks to the game.

“Our offence this year is really dynamic and we have a lot of diversity,” said Rawson. “We have some players who can bury the puck and who are creative, and we also have the ‘crash and bang’ kind of players who can get the ‘dirty’ goals too.”

The team will rely on fourth-year forward Lisa Stathopulos to find the back of the net early and often. Her 15 points last season led the team in scoring and she will be asked to carry the load with veteran forward Andrea Joyce, who posted at least 10 points in each of the last two seasons.

Renata Bastos Gottgtroy and Amy Locke, two highly-touted rookies, will be expected to challenge the vets for the team scoring lead. Bastos Gottgtroy came to York from New Zealand in search of a higher level of hockey, and she brings a big shot to the lineup.

Locke fills the role of “crash and bang” player with her strong footwork and ability to get to the front of the net to score.

The defensive corps features a mix of both offensive and defensive defenders. The first priority is taking care of the d-zone, but they’ll get the green light to skate the puck when the opportunity presents itself.

Third-year defender Kristen Barbara is the Lions top two-way defender. Barbara is solid on the

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back end, but she finished in the team’s top five scorers in her first two seasons. In her rookie year she played her way onto the OUA and CIS all-rookie teams, as well as the OUA second all-star team.

Last year Barbara was the Lions’ third-leading scorer.

Fellow veterans Rebecca Bond, a stabilizing force on the back end, and Lindsay Brook, a physical, two-way defender, will also play big roles this season.

Joining the vets are standout rookies Tonisha Maisonneuve and Lauren Cavarzan. Maisonneuve is an aggressive player whose point shot will benefit the power play, while Cavarzan is defensively sound and reads the game well. Both had good camps and will draw into the lineup Behind them is an experienced goaltending tandem in Megan Lee and Jessalyn Bogacki. Lee saw the majority of the time between the pipes last season, appearing in 25 games and posting a save percentage of .911.

“Our goaltending core is veteran, which is great for us,” the coach said. “They understand the expectations and we will look to them to be a strong influence on the team.”

Rawson is counting on the fourth and fifth-year players to help the team return to playoff contention after the Lions missed out on the postseason by two points last year.

“A big strength for the team this year is the leadership,” Rawson said. “We have a lot of returning veteran players who have been through the routine of summer training and know the dedication that comes with playing an entire season. We will look to our veterans to help develop the rookies.”

If the experienced returning players can get continue their strong play and the rookies play up to their potential, the Lions have the chance to reach the upper heights of the conference.

“We will have to battle every night and jump on our opportunities when we have them,” Rawson said.

“Our expectations are to improve in every aspect of the game as the season goes on, and to be consistent. We want to make it back to the playoffs and then build from there because once you’re in, anything can happen.”

Regular Season Lisa Stathopulos Chloe Milano Kristen Barbara Kristie Wilson Andrea Joyce

GP 24 26 26 26 18

G 10 8 4 4 3

A 5 4 8 7 7

PTS 15 12 12 11 10

PIM 16 6 28 20 20

PPG 0 2 2 1 0

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