The Varsity Sports
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WOMENS ICE HOCKEY WANTS TO REPEAT
By Valia Reinsalu, Varsity Staff
November 4, 1996 

URL: http://www2.varsity.utoronto.ca/groups/varsity/sports/Womens.html


For the Varsity Blues women's ice hockey team this year's slogan is
"taking it back-to-back." "It" refers to the OWIAA championship, a
title that U of T has won 13 of the last 16 seasons.

The last time U of T didn't win the title was two years ago. After
finishing first in the six-team league in the regular season, the
Blues were defeated 2-1 by the Guelph Gryphons in the gold medal
final. So last season U of T's prime motivation was to "take it
back"-the title, that is.

The Blues were near perfect. Their only loss was to the architecture-rival
Gryphons, 1-0 in the second-last game of the regular season. In the
end though, after finishing 14-1 with 103 goals for and a mere five
goals against, U of T prevailed in a rematch with Guelph in the
provincial final. This time it was a hard-working Blues squad earning
a 2-1 win in triple overtime.

With eight rookies and 12 returning players on this year's U of T
Varsity Blues roster, head coach Karen Hughes says the team is looking
forward to the upcoming year.

"We had a good early-bird tournament so hopefully [the weekend's
season opener] will be a good start for us," said Hughes, as the team
prepared to leave for Kingston to take on Queen's for its season
opener. "We're going to build on last season and try to do a bit
better. Queen's is our first league game and I think it's really
important that we get off to a really right start."

The makeup of the Blues includes six defence (three veterans and three
rookies), three goaltenders in starter Keely Brown, Tara Simpson, and
rookie Nadia Brabant, and 11 forwards (three rookies and eight
veterans).

Among the forwards, centre Lori Dupuis, along with second-year winger
Laura Schuler helped Team Canada capture the Three Nations Cup over
the U.S. last month.

The two players only missed one Blues exhibition game during their
one-week double round-robin tourney with the U.S. and Finland. Hughes,
a national team assistant coach herself, says having Dupuis and
Schuler come back in time for the regular season will help the Blues.

"Both of them did really well, played a lot, and played in important
roles, so hopefully they will bring that back to our team and help
some of our other players grow a little bit," she said.

Bridget Bates, one of U of T's top wingers, agrees.

"Their training is going to really help our team because they're
really strong right now," she said, "It's really influencing the rest
of the team to pick it up and play harder."

A veteran who won't be returning, however, is the leading scorer for
the Blues last year, forward Andria Hunter. She ended off her career
last season with the most points ever for an OWIAA player (60 goals
and 63 assists from 1991-96).

Nonetheless, the Blues still have many talented players, particularly
those who finished last season among the league's top scorers: Dupuis
(second), Sue Ann Van Damme (fifth), Bates (tied for sixth), and Cathy
Randall (tied for tenth). Dupuis was also given second team all-star
honours, along with Schuler.

In fact, across the OWIAA, and in other parts of the country, the
quantity and quality of new players has improved, particularly because
of the increasing interest in and opportunities offered by women's ice
hockey. While the 15-game OWIAA schedule has remained a constant over
the years, the 1996-97 regular season will be the last of its kind.
The CIAU announced last spring that a national championship will be
implemented next year.

"I'm glad it's happening right now while I'm playing," said Bates.
"It's really interesting to see. It's great watching the younger
players pick it up and you can see in the younger leagues they are
really starting to get serious because they know by the time they get
to our age it's going to be really competitive."

And Bates is optimistic about where a national intercollegiate
championship could lead the sport.

"Hopefully [in the long run] it's going to be similar to what the men
have where there are a lot more opportunities to play, situations
where we can even play professionally," she said.

Until then, she and her fellow Blues will have to wait. For now,
they'll serve as great ambassadors for women's hockey.

U of T's home opener is against the York Yeowomen on Tuesday, Nov. 12
at Varsity Arena.

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Copyright © 1996 Varsity Publications, Inc.