VANCOUVER - It's a new season for the UBC Thunderbirds, and the women are set to hit the ice with renewed purpose. The 2010-11 T-Birds are a bigger, faster bunch with a nose for the net and their eyes on the post-season. They open their 2010-11 Canada West season this weekend on the road against the formidable Alberta Pandas.
Star goaltender
Melinda Choy is back in the fold for her final year of CIS hockey, as are other leaders like
Ashley Henry and
Tamara Pickford. Joining those vets is a healthy crop of recruits representing the next wave of UBC hockey.
Head coach Nancy Wilson is optimistic about her first year T-Birds. One of the players she expects to have the most immediate impact is defender
Sarah Casorso.
“
Sarah Casorso has some great skills,” says Wilson. “She can skate with the puck, she's got nice puck handling skills and she's got a great shot from the point. I see her having a very good CIS career. She's a real impact player and she's getting stronger every time she hits the ice.”
Last season, the 'Birds struggled in a stacked Canada West, finishing with a losing record and missing the playoffs. One of the areas of greatest need was goal-scoring. To that end, the Blue and Gold have added
Tatiana Rafter to the roster.
“Rafter is a big player, still developing, with great hands,” comments Wilson. “And she loves to score.”
Also new to UBC is forward
Amanda Asay, who played NCAA hockey at Brown University before heading west. She has also played with the B.C. provincial team and brings a veteran touch to the team.
Haley Voytechek and
Laura Jordan are other first-year players who will spend time on UBC's fourth line.
Nikola Brown-John will play forward as well but is a capable defender if called upon.
The new recruits will contribute much to the Thunderbirds starting right away, but the fortunes of the club lie much more heavily on the shoulders of returnees. Foremost of those is
Ashley Henry, the 'Birds captain and leader from the blue line.
“
Ashley Henry is a solid player with lots of experience,” says Wilson. “She's a confident defenceman who has no problem jumping up into the play. We want our transition to be quick through the neutral zone and she's a key to that.”
The formidable half-dozen players on defence also includes third-year player
Kelsey Halvorson, fifth-year skater
Kirsten Mihalcheon, and
Emily Grainger, who Wilson has tapped as the most improved returnee of 2010.
“
Emily Grainger is the biggest surprise,” notes Wilson. “She's stepped up her play and is moving the puck very well. She has great vision and is very much improved over last year.”
Christi Capozzi rounds out the UBC blueline.
“Capozzi is small, but she plays really big,” says Wilson. “She's got great moves, she can carry the puck, she's got a good shot, and nice puck skills."
With a solid back end, Wilson moves forward with plans to improve on last year's subpar offensive output.
“Our exhibition games have been a good sign so far,” says Wilson. “We're getting to the net, we've got a good amount of speed, and our players are learning the systems. We want four above the puck at all times, and we want to be attacking the net. We're trying to hammer home the good habits that are needed within our system. We're a better team every time we go on the ice. We have more depth than last year and I'm really happy with what we're seeing so far.”
One of the keys to that happiness is
Kelsey Kirkham.
“
Kelsey Kirkham is our first line centre. She understands exactly what we want from her and her position,” says Wilson.
“She's playing with
Kaylee Chanakos on the wing and they're playing very well together,” continues Wilson. “They're fast and confident. And Chanakos has one of the hardest shots of any woman I've ever coached.”
The Thunderbirds will ice a veteran second line of
Tamara Pickford,
Lisa Bonang, and
Alisha Choy this year, a group expected to make big contributions in every game.
“With Pickford, Bonang and Choy, we've got lots of experience,” says Wilson. “They understand the system so well and set a great example in terms of work ethic for the rest of the team.”
The 'Birds are positive about the women moving the puck and skating for them this year, but the cornerstone of the squad is in net. Goaltender
Melinda Choy has consistently been UBC's best player over the first four years of her career, and in her final year of CIS eligibility, brings the promise of continued stellar performances in 2010-11.
“Melinda has had four great years at the school. She's stopped a lot of pucks for us,” says Wilson. “She's excited about the season and the team in front of her. I know that she'll put in a great effort and do well with us as she always does.”
Wilson's UBC Thunderbirds have a hefty task ahead of them with Canada West hockey representing some of the best post-secondary competition in the world. She knows exactly what it will take to reach her goals.
“We want to be consistent in each game we play this year,” says Wilson. “We're focusing on attacking and being a solid team that's improving and developing good habits as we go along. Canada West is always such a tough conference, and it doesn't matter what team it is, you have to be prepared to battle hard. You have to show up for three periods every game, every weekend.”
-30-
