Cougars claim number one in the country
Women’s hockey team makes MRU history
— Mount Royal University | Posted: April 6, 2023
From left to right: Kaitlyn Ross, Kiana McNinch, Ava Metzger and Athena Hauck celebrating their gold-medal win together. Photo courtesy U SPORTS.
By the time the Cougars’ women’s hockey head coach Scott Rivett was able to check his phone after his team’s nail-biter of a win to take home the U SPORTS national crown in March, he had 300 text messages from Mount Royal community members. Just a few days later, that number had reached around 650.
They were people he knew, but also many he didn’t. Professors, deans, chairs, alumni, students and hockey fans all reached out to tell Rivett how proud they were of the Cougars’ win. The women had made Mount Royal history as the University’s first team to earn recognition as the top in the country, an achievement that will be forever commemorated with an official U SPORTS banner hanging in the Flames Community Arenas.
The road to winning a national championship, to be able to claim number one in the country, began more than 12 years ago for MRU,” said Karla Karch, director of Cougars Athletics and Recreation.
“As the institution began transitioning from a college to a university in 2009, a component was to move from competing within the college-level ranks to that of Canada West and U SPORTS (formerly CIS). There are so, so many people who were part of this transition, who have built the foundation for our varsity programs to be where they are today.”
Determined the underdog
The Cougars finished the regular season with a 19-6-3 record, good for third-place overall in Canada West and a playoff spot for the division title. They then fought their way to the final game of the playoffs, ultimately losing to the reigning champs, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, but their silver medal would earn them a ticket to the U SPORTS finale.
U SPORTS is the national governing body of university sport in Canada.
Seeded eighth, the Cougars faced number-one seed the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in their first game. Although the Blues were leading 2–1 after the second, the Cougars scored two in the third to come out victorious. Forward Courtney Kollman, defensive player Jori Hansen-Young and forward Breanne Trotter were the goal-getters for the game.
“We certainly didn’t feel like we were the number-eight seed going into this tournament. We felt like we had just as good of an opportunity to win this thing as anybody else did,” Rivett said, pointing out that the Cougars were also at nationals three years ago and took home first place in Canada West last year.
Cougars fans and parents cheering the women's hockey team on, contributing to the incredible atmosphere of the final game. Photo courtesy U SPORTS.
Forward Morgan Ramsay scored the semifinal winner for the Cougars as MRU defeated the host team, the Université du Québec à Montréal Citadins, in front of a supportive hometown crowd. Defensive player Alex Spence and forward Kaia Borbandy (empty-netter) also put points up.
The Cougars then faced off against the third-seed Concordia Stingers, who happened to be the defending national champions, for the gold medal. The tense first period went scoreless, then the Stingers were the first to light up the scoreboard in the second. Cougars defensive player Tori Williams tipped a shot home for a tie after two.
A power-play goal from Trotter put the Cougars in the lead, but the Stingers took advantage of a penalty shot to even the score. They then chalked up another to make it 3-2 with nine minutes remaining. With just 1.8 seconds left to play, Trotter would get her second goal of the night to send the game into overtime.
Defensive player Emma Bergesen then tapped home the golden goal.
A team effort
“This is really just a team that came together that believed in each other, that never quit and earned everything they got. And I think that’s what good teams do that ultimately end up winning championships,” Rivett said, giving credit to outgoing player and captain Tatum Amy for her leadership.
Amy, who is a new Bachelor of Health and Physical Education — Physical Literacy alumna, had an exceptional season with her Cougars team. Leading all of U SPORTS in assists with 24, and topping Canada West scoring with 31 total points, Amy was named Canada West’s women’s hockey Player of the Year and the Canada West Female Athlete of the Year for 2022/23, the league's top honour.
Over her time with the Cougars, Amy says she witnessed her team consistently growing and improving within the culture Rivett has built.
“We made history not just for women’s hockey, but for all the teams at Mount Royal,” Amy said, who is entertaining offers from the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), a professional North American women’s league.
“It’s an amazing feeling that no matter what happens, we will always be the first team at Mount Royal to bring home a national championship banner.”
The Mount Royal University Cougars women's hockey team celebrating their U SPORTS Women's Hockey National Championship. Photo courtesy U SPORTS.
Another standout player was third-year psychology student and goalie Kaitlyn Ross, who shone during the championship series. She stopped 74 shots over the three games, leading her to being named MVP of nationals and to the U SPORTS All-Star Team along with Trotter, who netted three goals in two games.
“I love playing under pressure and I knew what was at stake. I knew I had to be there for my team and leave it all on the ice, and they did the same for me,” Ross said. “Without them playing their hearts out in front of me I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them. They’re family.”
Earlier in the year, Ross was named U SPORTS Player of the Week and the MRU Players Bench Athlete of the Week.
“I’ve never played on a team so connected with one another and one with so much heart. This team really is something special and something I will never forget,” Ross said, who is also looking at joining the PHF upon graduation.
“We knew our journey would be difficult and take time, but we have, since the beginning, believed in our programs, in varsity athletics and in the power behind sports. This will now fuel the fire for our other seven programs, providing the energy, mental fortitude and belief that it’s attainable,” Karch said.