The Olds College women's hockey program will hit the ice for its third year of action with a brand new coach, and sights set on a playoff spot.
Christopher Leeming joined the Broncos in mid-August after the team's inaugural coach Sarah Hilworth was hired by the University of New Brunswick's Varsity Reds to reboot their program in 2018. Leeming spent four years at the University of Windsor as the assistant women's hockey coach, and comes to the Broncos ready to kick things up a notch.
"Part of the reason I applied for the job was because I knew that this program was in its infancy and Sarah had already done all the groundwork," said Leeming. "They struggled for two years, and now, I feel like this is where we are going to turn the corner."
"I want to go into other teams' arenas, and they have to worry that they are playing us," he said, "because they know that they are going to have to work harder than us if they are going to beat us."
"I've taken the time to make sure that our team is ready to compete," he added. "We are going to be first on pucks, we are going to win all of our battles, and we are going to be a tough team to play against."
ROSTER
This year's roster boasts 14 freshmen, more than half of their 25-player roster, most of whom were recruited before Leeming took over.
"It was a new experience for me ñ I've never been in a position where I've never seen any of the players before," he said. "Sarah did a really good job of recruiting. She went D-heavy, so we've got six new defencemen."
"That kind of plays into my coaching philosophy," said Leeming. "I believe in building a team from the net out. We need to be strong defensively in our own zone and then, we'll grow our offence out of our defence."
Leeming said the third- and fourth-year players will play an important leadership role for the group, when it comes to cohesiveness and toughening up their younger players.
"We need to find ways to build confidence in those first-year girls so they can go out there and feel comfortable and not be afraid to make mistakes," said Leeming.
GOALS
The Broncos are coming off only their second season in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Association, finishing fifth of the five teams last year.
"They were 4 and 20 last year, so there's only room for improvement," said Leeming. "They are ready to win. They've paid their dues and I think this will be the year."
"We're really determined to make the playoffs this year," he said. "It's very, very attainable."
Leeming said that while the team needs to work towards their goals, it's equally important to have a good time.
"The girls are having fun right now," he said. "You are not going to learn or be successful if you are not enjoying what you are doing."
"Right now there's a lot of good vibes throughout the dressing room. So we are looking to keep that rolling forward moving into the regular season."
RIGHT DIRECTION
Veteran player Dana Hauck said the team is shaping up really well, despite painfully early morning practices.
"At 6 a.m. not everyone is awake and not everyone is a morning person," she said. "But everyone has been coming in and doing a really good job at coming awake and being focused and being ready for that."
Captain Cassidy Holt added that the team is positive and upbeat, and that they are excited about the season, despite losing their previous coach.
"We've got to also make a new step too. New isn't a bad thing," she said. "He's very smart and he knows his stuff, and I think we're going in the right direction."
Like her coach, she thinks a playoff spot is within their reach this year.
"Then go as far as we can from there," said Holt. "Ultimately our goal is to hold that cup someday."
"They were 4 and 20 last year, so there's only room for improvement."COACH CHRISTOPER LEEMING
