VANCOUVER – An Olympian, an IIHF World Championship forward, an NCAA DI captain and a lightning-quick young goaltender walk in to a rink. It's Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena; they are the four new players joining the three-time defending Canada West Champion UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey program.
After losing captain
Rylind MacKinnon, impactful two-way forward
Joelle Fiala, and veteran goaltender
Reese Hiddleston following a 2023-24 season that saw the team set a conference regular season points record, the T-Birds are bringing in a remarkably experienced class of new players to make another run at winning the program's first ever U SPORTS Championship.
"All four of these players played on a Pursuit of Excellence team that was an unreal one that, I believe it was ranked the number one team in Canada for the academy level," said UBC head coach
Graham Thomas. "(Returning Thunderbirds)
Chanreet Bassi and
Makenzie McCallum were on that team too, so a lot of these girls already know each other well and it's cool that they're reuniting."
"We're losing some strong leadership from last year, but we feel that these four recruits coming in, they're going to lead in their own ways. It might be a little bit more lead by committee this year, but everyone's already stepping up."
Kas Betinol joins UBC with an amazing hockey resume for a 23 year-old.
Originally recruited by the Thunderbirds after serving as captain of the aforementioned academy team, as well as being a standout for Team Alberta U18, Betinol instead chose to begin her post-secondary hockey career at Minnesota-Duluth where she spent two seasons playing for the Bulldogs. The forward reached the WCHA Final Face-Off in both of her years in Minnesota before also reaching the NCAA Frozen Four in her final season.
The Okotoks, Alberta-born Betinol then jumped at an opportunity to use her dual citizenship to play for Team China at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, competing against the top players in the world. She also went on to play for China in two IIHF World Women's Championships, tallying four points in five games at each one.
Soon after her Olympic experience, Betinol transferred to Colgate University, a perennial NCAA powerhouse. She reached the NCAA Frozen Four in both seasons with the Raiders, playing an integral role in helping her team win the ECAC Tournament each year along the way. Now she joins the T-Birds as a senior, pursuing a Master's Degree in Business Analytics through the Sauder School of Business.
"She's been a good, solid player on some of the best teams at their level in both Canada and the United States," commented Thomas. "She's transferring in to do her Master's and we're very excited to have her."
The next T-Bird transfer is a local product who's coming home to study Arts after gaining a wealth of experience in the United States and in Europe. Vanessa Schaefer came to hockey later in life, only beginning to play organized hockey in Delta when she was 14. Her career took off incredibly quickly from there, as she won a gold with Team BC just a few years later before taking advantage of her own dual citizenship to pursue a professional opportunity in Switzerland.
Her play in the Swiss league drew attention from the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation and she was soon invited to practice with the national team. From there, she earned a spot on the roster and subsequently competed in 2024 IIHF World Women's Championship, going head-to-head with the senior Canadian national team just after turning 19.
"Her development is really impressive," remarked Thomas. "She's smooth, she's fast, she's a two-way forward. We're definitely excited about her."
Meadow Carman comes to the T-Birds with impressive experience of her own, having played at Brown University in NCAA DI for the past three seasons and serving as team captain in her junior year. The defender is originally from the east coast, hailing from Barton, Nova Scotia and made her name as a prospect with the Team Atlantic U18 squad.
Carman excels on the penalty kill, often deploying her excellent defensive instincts in a shutdown role and serving as a security blanket for any unit that she's a part of. The fourth-year brings at least as much to her team off of the ice, as she was voted Panda Cup winner by her Brown teammates for outstanding spirit, sportswomanship and dedication in each of her three seasons as a Bulldog; becoming the first player in program history to win the award three years in a row.
"Just in the relatively short amount of time I've known her I've found that she's very outgoing, very personal, cares a lot about her team and teammates," noted Thomas. "She's going to be an awesome addition to the locker room and really help complement our culture."
Last, but certainly not least, is an exciting young prospect who could be the future between the pipes for the blue and gold. Mya Lucifora is a 19 year-old from Port Perry, Ontario joining UBC after two standout seasons with the Whitby Wolves in Ontario Women's Hockey League, the highest level of amateur women's hockey in the province. In both of her seasons with Whitby, Lucifora posted an identical .930 save percentage with a goals against average no higher than 1.70.
A spry, smaller goaltender, Lucifora stands out because of her ability to go post to post in a flash and make unlikely saves with her quick reflexes and great hands. She is studying Arts as she begins earning an undergraduate degree this fall.
"She's played a lot of games for someone her age, these last two years she's been the go-to goalie for the Wolves," said Thomas. "Not only that, but she was a captain, and being a captain as a goalie is rare so it speaks to her character. It also continues the theme of strong leadership we have through this whole recruiting class."
The four new additions may get their first chance to suit up against U SPORTS competition when the 'Birds taken on the Trinity Western Spartans in an exhibition game at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday, September 28. The team begins its regular season on the road in Calgary on Friday, October 4 with a Canada West Semifinal rematch. UBC's home opener is Friday, October 11 against Mount Royal, puck drop at 7pm at Thunderbird Arena.
