OLDS — After a summer of intrigue, the Olds College Broncos women’s hockey team is ready to hit the ice once again.
The Broncos will look to build off a 2021-22 campaign that saw them reach the ACAC Championship series for the first time.
Their quest began last night, Oct. 13, as they welcomed the SAIT Trojans to the Olds Sportsplex for the Broncos’ home opener.
Fans will also see a new face behind the bench, as Matt McKnight will make his regular season coaching debut after being hired in August, with Chris Leeming moving on to coach the MacEwan University Griffins.
“It has been a very busy five or six weeks,” McKnight said. “Much to learn in a short period of time, but all in all, we are very happy to be in Olds and excited for the regular season to start.”
While McKnight himself might be a new face, the Broncos will boast a similar look on the ice to last season, headlined by reigning ACAC Player of the Year and team captain Jesse Jack returning for her fourth season as a Bronco, as well as reigning ACAC Rookie of the Year Hailey Hoogkamp, the Lacombe forward who led the conference with nine goals in her first season in Olds.
Jack believes this year’s Broncos are ready to get going after having a taste of playoff success last season, ultimately falling to the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens in the final series.
“Last year, making it to the ACAC championship was a huge success for us as a group and for the program,” she said.
“This experience showed us how much work and dedication it takes to get there and we are committed to putting in the work again to take that next step.”
Jack is just one part of a veteran Broncos core that also features fourth-year Broncos Abby Webster (Hay River, NWT) and Danielle Corrigan (North Vancouver, B.C.), while Keera Tiringer (Leoville, Sask.) returns for her third season on the Broncos blue line.
However, the Broncos will be without a key piece up front in Madison Black of Cremona, who will miss the season due to injury.
Between the veteran core and an influx of rookies and second-year Broncos, Jack believes the team has made significant progress over the course of the preseason.
“We've done a lot of work building the foundation of our culture and setting our team identity along with training on and off the ice,” she said. “This has allowed us to come together as a team and feel prepared for the start of our regular season.”
It’s a sentiment McKnight echoes in his assessment of his team.
“I have nothing but compliments for my players, both on and off the ice they have been very welcoming to me and my family,” he said.
“Since I took the job I have heard from many people what a great group of people the women's hockey team is and they are 100 per cent correct.”
Meanwhile, after splitting time with Cheyenne Jamieson last season, Cienna Kinghorn took hold of the net during the Broncos’ playoff run, and now the second-year student out of Calgary enters this season as the unquestioned number one option in goal, with Tiana Stafford (Marwayne, Alta.) serving as her backup.
Overall, Jack believes the Broncos will present themselves as a strong, hard-working team once again this season.
“With a very talented class of first years and a core group of returning players, we are set up to have more depth in our lineup and be able to compete with anyone in this league,” she said.
This article, edited by the Albertan, was written by Olds College sports Information and Esports coordinator Geordie Carragher.
