2015-16 record (Canada West regular season): 16 W – 9 L – 3 OTL
2015-16 record (CW playoffs): 4 W – 2 L – 0 OTL
2015-16 record (CIS Championship): 2 W – 1 L – 0 OTL
2014-15 Canada West All Stars: Rebecca Unrau, Forward (Second Team)
Kelly Murray, Defender (Second Team)
Mathea Fischer, Forward (All-Rookie)
VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds women's ice hockey team was something to behold last year: a 16–9–3 regular season record was good for the second spot in the Canada West standings, before the 'Birds toppled both the Regina Cougars and Manitoba Bisons, both in game 3's respectively in the conference playoffs to take the Canada West crown in dramatic fashion.
Earning a berth in the CIS tournament, the T-Birds clawed their way to the national final by way of wins over the #5 ranked McGill Martlets and #1 ranked Guelph Gryphons, the latter of which came in a thrilling eight-round shootout.
Though the 'Birds fell in the final to the Montreal Carabins, the season marked the best finish in program history and as close as the 'Birds have been to a national championship.
That silver medal was a signal to both the CIS and the 'Birds themselves of how good they could be.
"I think we earned some respect with the finish last year," says Thomas. "More than that, I think playing at Nationals and getting that far gives the girls confidence in themselves – they know they can do it. Now, it's just a matter of taking that next step."
Thomas has no inclination that it's going to be easy, especially without his quartet of graduated seniors, winger
Rebecca Unrau, defender
Cailey Hay, and goalies
Danielle Dube and Sam Langford. However, he still has plenty of weapons left in his arsenal.
With the departure of Unrau,
Kathleen Cahoon becomes the go-to forward in Thomas' ranks, as the fourth-year sniper finished the regular season with twelve goals and nine assists for 21 points in 24 contests. The Calgarian also finished strong, notching two goals and two assists in three CIS championship games.
Aside from Cahoon, the 'Birds have six forwards who broke the 10-point barrier last season, including a pair of newly-turned sophomores in
Mathea Fischer and
Shiayli Toni, as well as team captain
Stephanie Schaupmeyer and center
Logan Boyd.
A new piece to the offensive puzzle is the addition of Cassandra Vilgrain, formerly of the NCAA's New Hampshire Wildcats, who finished with 10 goals and five assists in the 2015-16 season, and "is a proven power forward who will bring scoring, speed and toughness to our depth up front,
." says Thomas.
There are three first year skaters looking to make an impact on the 'Birds roster in 2016. Tiffany Chiu was an assistant captain for the Greater Vancouver Comets, Jaedon Cooke was a silver medalist at the U-18 Nationals with Team Manitoba, and Kenzie Robinson put up 42 points in 37 games for the Westman Wildcats.
One of the premier defenders in the conference,
Kelly Murray will serve as the lynchpin of the T-Birds' transition game in her final CIS season. Junior
Celine Tardif and sophomore
Mikayla Ogrodniczuk could be in line for more minutes in Hay's absence, while senior
Kirsten Toth will provide a dynamic two-way game with some toughness.
Another NCAA transfer, former Ohio State Buckeye Alexa Ranahan, will also look to make her mark in her first CIS season. The Salmon Arm, B.C. native, who captained Ohio State last season, was a key addition for more than just her considerable on-ice talent. Mairead Bast, an incoming freshman from Red Deer, Alta., also warranted a mention from the head coach.
"Both of those players will add some different dimensions to our defense. Alexa is calm, composed, and very tough to play against. She brings a great personality and
a great character to our team," says Thomas. "Bast was a really great pickup for us, she is a really smart player, and was named to the team Canada U-18 camp. Having those two come in and add to what's already a deep defense corps is huge."
Between the pipes, Thomas has a number of options to choose from in his search to fill the void left by Dube and Langford. Amelia Boughn, a transfer from the NCAA's Cornell Big Red, will be the experienced netminder in the group with two years of post-secondary experience. Joining her in the T-Birds crease are two freshmen in St. Mary's Academy standout Tory Micklash and Fraser Valley Rush star Danielle Wierenga, both of whom signed on with the 'Birds in early 2015.
"All three goalies are capable, and it should be an interesting battle to see who comes out and earns that one and two spots," notes Thomas. "It's a good thing we have a solid set of games lined up for the pre-season should give us an idea of where they are at."
With some exciting additions to an already impressive core, Thomas firmly believes that this group has what it takes to go the distance.
"This group has a lot of senior players in it, and I've been here for every year of their Thunderbird careers," admits Thomas. "They're a special group on and off the ice, and I think they know what it takes to get there now. We've got probably the deepest, most complete roster I've seen heading into a season here. We are ready for the challenge."
