Opportunities abound in new season for Bold women's hockey team

It's a new year for the TMU Bold women's hockey team, and one that head coach Lisa Haley hopes brings new success.

It was a streaky 2022-23 season for the Bold, that saw the team rattle off multiple wins, before extended losing streaks. The result was a 10-19-0 season that ended with an OUA quarter-final exit. The Bold enter the 2023-24 campaign with an injection of youth, while returning a few key veterans that they believe can help the program reach new heights.

"I definitely think that some of the incoming recruits have shown in the preseason that they're ready to contribute offensively," said Haley when asked about replacing the offensive production lost through graduation. "We also had a lot of first-year players last year who gained a lot of valuable experience, and are probably a step ahead of where typical second year players should be," Haley added.

As a result of last year's development, this season represents a chance for role players to become key contributors on a team looking to improve on last year's two goals per game output.

At its core, however, this team is one predicated on keeping the puck out of the net, with strong defensive play and goaltending. Last year's team held teams in check, with 1A and 1B goaltenders Lauren Griffin and Alexia Stratos returning, and bringing in first-year Shannon Harris to round out the rotation.

"We've got a lot of confidence in all three, we're very pleased with the depth we have at that position."

When it comes to veteran leadership, the team is looking towards both Megan Breen and Emily Baxter to take the next step after playing a big role on last year's team. Baxter and Breen finished 4th and 5th in scoring last season, tallying 13 and 12 points, respectively.

"She's just a gamer; there's athletes out there that just want to be the one in the big moments," said Haley about Breen's ability to come through in the clutch. Breen, who tallied three game-winning goals last year, looks to build off her breakout 2022-23 campaign.

Baxter, entering her fourth year after helping Canada qualify for the Women's Baseball World Cup this summer, has taken strides in each of her previous three seasons with the Bold and enters as the leader of the offence and in a mentorship role.

The two were also responsible for a massive increase in TMU's power play efficiency last year which went from 11 to 18%, a trend that coach Haley is hopeful will continue.

"The players on last year's [power play] had the opportunity to grow from the season before," said Haley of the improved power play. "A lot of our power play and offence was driven by our D, particularly Ahalya Julien-Medeiros, Megan Breen and Abby DeCorby."

If there's a single word to define this team, it's opportunity. There's a core of established contributors such as Breen, Baxter, Griffin and third-year forward Payton Kerr who have the opportunity to take the next step as leaders on a young team. There's also young players such as Kayla Kondo, Neely Van Volson, and Megan Bergmanis who are all first-years that coach Haley believes have the opportunity to become big-time components of the program's future.

As the team continues to grow and gel together, the expectations for what this group can accomplish are limitless.

"We just want to continue to strive for a playoff spot and continue to take that next step," concluded Haley.

The Bold will begin building towards that goal when the regular season kicks off on Saturday, October 14 with a game in North Bay against perennial contenders, Nipissing. Fans can catch that game on OUA.TV before the Bold's home opener on October 27 against Ontario Tech.

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Players Mentioned

#8 Ahalya Julien-Medeiros: D; 5' 8"; 2

#14 Megan Bergmanis: F; 5' 3"; 1

#15 Kayla Kondo: F; 5' 5"; 1

#19 Payton Kerr: F; 5' 7"; 3

#21 Emily Baxter: F; 5' 3"; 4

#23 Megan Breen: D; 5' 9"; 3

#28 Abby DeCorby: D; 6' 0"; 4

#29 Alexia Stratos: G; 5' 8"; 2

#32 Shannon Harris: G; 5' 5"; 1

#33 Lauren Griffin: G; 5' 4"; 2

Players Mentioned

#8 Ahalya Julien-Medeiros
: 5' 8"; 2
: D

#14 Megan Bergmanis
: 5' 3"; 1
: F

#15 Kayla Kondo
: 5' 5"; 1
: F

#19 Payton Kerr
: 5' 7"; 3
: F

#21 Emily Baxter
: 5' 3"; 4
: F

#23 Megan Breen
: 5' 9"; 3
: D

#28 Abby DeCorby
: 6' 0"; 4
: D

#29 Alexia Stratos
: 5' 8"; 2
: G

#32 Shannon Harris
: 5' 5"; 1
: G

#33 Lauren Griffin
: 5' 4"; 2
: G