Cougars on prowl to reclaim national title

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This article was published 29/11/2023 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Looking to add more practice time for his hockey team, coach Tony Bertone found a time slot not ideal for college students looking to sleep in.

“We lost some of our practice time when we left the Sportsplex, and with just two 50-minute sessions, the only time available for us was at 6 a.m. at J&G arena,” he said. “What we had in our two Tuesday and Thursday night practices was not enough time on the ice when you are working with a college team.”

So, the coach is up at 4:45 a.m. to prepare for the weekly 6 a.m. practice session on Wednesday. The additional 50 minutes must be working as the Assiniboine Community College Cougars are ranked first in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s (ACHA) women’s Division 2 West Region.

This ranking is due in part to an impressive 9-0 record, with the Cougars outscoring their opponents 65-4.

“The majority of our players have come from U18 AAA programs, where they are used to being on the ice a lot to work on their games,” he said. “With the extra practice time, the coaching staff is now able to team the the ‘Cougar game.’”

Now in his sixth season behind the bench, Bertone and his assistants Larry Shannon and Terry Senkbeil focus on strategies and tactics during practices. This means plenty of repetitive drills to ensure the players understand the many systems Bertone uses, and has had success in past seasons.

“Our players come in having used different hockey programs, but now I have to teach them our college systems, which means how do the power play, breakouts, all of zone play. This includes our set plays, and set face-offs.

“There’s a lot of repetition in our drills, but that’s important until they understand it more fully.”

Coach Bertone says his players must be learning the systems, as it has shown in the nine consecutive wins going into another road trip starting Nov. 30, with the Cougars off to Wisconsin for three games. Wisconsin Eau-Claire is up first on Dec. 1, followed by two games on Dec. 2 versus the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan Tech.

After returning from this long road trip, the Cougars won’t play another league game until Jan. 13 when Lake Region State College arrives for two games at J&G Arena. Then it’s off to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., where the Cougars face the local defending 2022-23 national champs twice, then Lawrence Tech on Jan. 19 and 20.

Bertone also added to his roster for the 2023-24 campaign after he observed at last year’s nationals, where the Cougars bowed out in their semi-final tilt.

“In past years, I usually carried 15 to 17 players, but I thought we ran out of gas in that semifinal in Boston, so looked to dress 20 for this season,” he explained. “If you want to put a winning team out on the ice you need to go with four lines.

“Plus we had interest in a lot of girls coming our way. I had a lot of interest, but had to tell five girls the line-up was full.”

With balanced lines, from all facets of the game, coach Bertone expects 45-second shifts so his team is fresh for the full 60 minutes.

“I see our team is a lot fresher, and play with more energy. It also helps that our penalty minutes are down, so you’re not scrambling with players missing shifts.”

What about the Cougars’ offensive juggernaut facing their American opponents?

“The beauty of our goals, it’s not just one or two players scoring. The whole line-up is contributing. You can’t ask to have offence throughout the team. Everyone is contributing, so the other team can’t match lines if only one line is going,” he said.

The coaching staff looked at the returning players and matched their abilities and skills with the eight rookies. After nine league games, the formula has proved fruitful.

Bertone uses a colour code to let players know which line is up next. They wear those colours in practice, too — white, maroon, green and yellow. He does not have to use last names, he just calls out a colour.

“We’re well balanced so far, and as coaches, we have not had to do any juggling. I think we made the right decisions putting players together. The same goes with our D-pairings.”

Being able to scout the Westman and area U18 AAA teams, Bertone knows what talent is available. If he can’t watch a game in person, he will rely on the teams broadcasting games on live streams on YouTube or Facebook.

“If I see a player I’m interested in, I will send them a letter. If they show interest, then I’ll invite them to the college and show them around and talk about the hockey program.”

Not all recruits he meets on campus will find the hockey program or what ACC offers a fit for their education needs and want to continue playing at the next level.

“I was fortunate this season that five of the players came back for a third year,” he said. “That’s remarkable … it tells me we’re doing the right thing with our hockey program. The girls are enjoying playing hockey, and their getting a good education, too.”

While the team’s roster is Manitoba-heavy, one player from Fort Frances, Ont., managed to crack the line-up for the 2022-23 season.

Bertone said second-year forward Kathryn Fischer actually sent him an e-mail plus game tape asking about playing for the Cougars.

“She came to our spring camp in April with her parents, skated twice. She could play, and understood the game, so she joined the team taking a one-year program. Now she’s back for a second season while taking business courses.”

Last season, the five-foot-four Fischer had six goals and 15 points in 24 games; this season she has a goal and four points in nine games.

Because of the league the Cougars play in, with many United States road trips, Bertone said the bus rides are a fun experience, with coaches up front, veterans in the back, and rookies in the middle.

“We make sure the girls have access to WiFi. There’s lots of homework being done, plus the girls like chatting and laughing, and some braid each other’s hair. And if the homework is caught up with, then we’ll also watch movies.”

The team is especially looking forward to the road trip east to Sault Ste. Marie in January.

“We’ll finally get to dance with them, after they won nationals, twice in the Soo. This will be exciting for both teams to match up and see where we are when it comes nationals next year,” he said.

Coach Bertone acknowledges moving from U18 AAA hockey to the college level is no easy task because the Cougars are student-athletes. They need to be able to balance their schooling with the demands of wearing the Cougars’ jersey.

“These players have a lot on their plates,” he said. “They have three practices, dryland training once a week on campus, plus our games, with lots of them on long bus rides. And some players have part-time jobs.

“It’s quite a commitment the girls put in to play college hockey and get an education. I respect these young ladies for what they are doing. They still want to play the game, but also get an education is quite a commitment.”

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