Women’s Hockey
Getting to know your U SPORTS coaches: Deanna Iwanick, Windsor Lancers
On June 12, 2017, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) appointed its first head coach in a decade for its reinstated women’s varsity hockey program.
For new bench boss, Sarah Hilworth, it’s a dream come true.
“When I spoke to John, I was so excited, it was an immediate yes from me,” Hillworth says. “To be able to have your dream job, at 27 years old, it’s definitely a blessing.”
It’s been a long road to get to this moment. UNB had been without a women’s hockey program since the 2007-08 season. When its return was announced in 2016, the athletic department carefully targeted the launch for this season.
“We wanted to do it right,” says UNB athletic director John Richard. “It was going to take time so, we just focused and then everyone agreed that the 2018-19 year would be the best time, so as to give us the period of time we need to get everything in place.”
One of their first acts of business was to find a head coach.
“We went through a very extensive process,” says Richard. With interest from more than 40 coaches across North America, the selection committee was finally able to narrow it down to eight. While any of those eight could have coached the team, it was Hilworth that was the perfect fit.”
Hilworth has the experience both as a player and a coach. Having been a student-athlete at the University of Alberta, having captained her team in her final year, and having won a championship have all contributed to her understanding of the game and its expectations at the U SPORTS level. Then, going on to becoming an assistant coach with Alberta, and spear-heading the women’s hockey program at Olds College, along with some work at the provincial level, has given Hilworth the experience needed to take on this job.
“It was Sarah being young, dynamic, and having the ability to recruit student-athletes,” that impressed Richard the most.
He also found her ability to recruit quality staff important. Hilworth has two female assistant coaches who have both played NCAA Division I women’s hockey. One of them, Pamela Pachal, won an NCAA championship in 2001 with Northeastern; the other, Brittany Esposito, went on to play for the Calgary Inferno in the CWHL.
“There’s a lot of female leadership on that bench and for the team to look up to three individuals who’ve played at a level and competed and been successful at that level that they hope to do themselves is a pretty neat thing.”
John Richard
With her coaching staff being finalized, it was time to find some players.
The first recruit was Olds, Alta., native Paige Grenier, who knew Hilworth from back home and was ready to make the move to Fredericton to play for her.
“I told her (Hilworth) right away, I said ‘If an opportunity ever comes your way to coach a U SPORTS-level team, I’d definitely be interested in coming to play for you,’” says Grenier. “I feel pretty blessed to be a part of something like this. It’s not every day you get to be a part of something new and have a say in how the culture is going to be built.”
Joining Grenier is Fredericton native, Emma Dow, who was there when the team was reassigned in 2008 and who feels honored to now be able to play for her dream school.
“Ever since I was younger, I always wanted to attend UNB,” says Dow. “I remember about 10 years ago when the team folded my dad said, ‘Maybe someday when the team comes back, you’ll be able to play for them’ and now to have that opportunity is really incredible.”
In total the team has 18 players in their first year of eligibility, one in their second year, three in their third year, and one fifth-year veteran.
Despite the newness of it all, the team bonded quickly, which was only encouraged during their team building retreat to Snyder Mountain.
“To see new players, open up and start joking around with each other and how natural and how comfortable we were right off the bat, that’s been really neat. There hasn’t been anyone who hasn’t really fit in or been awkward around everyone, everyone seems so natural with one another.”
Sarah Hilworth
One of the memories Dow took away from that weekend is when the team first got to the mountain, they were split into groups and had to wear matching costumes.
“When we first saw each other, something clicked, and we all bonded together even though we all looked absolutely ridiculous, and didn’t know each other,” she says. “We just laughed and had a good time. “
On the other hand, Grenier remembers seeing the athlete in her teammates coming out. During their team workout the group had to do hill sprints, and while no one wanted to participate, no one outright complained either.
“I think that really is a testament to the character of this team,” she says. “It’s going to be hard work so were not going to sit here and complain about it. We’re just going to bury our heads and get the job done.”
It is plain to see that the Reds wants to work hard and is determined to put the effort needed to be a competitive team. They have already accomplished a lot in the few months they have known each other. Not every team can say that they are prepared to get on the ice with each other after only a couple of months – that in in itself is a victory.
In addition to a strong team attitude, coach Hilworth emphasized the importance of having a strong culture. With her playing background, she knew the role a culture plays in influencing the players and the way the program is treated.
“We wanted to make sure that our number one job this year was to make sure that we had a culture that we would be proud of and something that we can continue to build with,” she says.
As much as they want to win, Hilworth wants to make sure that the program understands the roles accountability, responsibility, attention to detail, and hard work play into the culture.
“Those things don’t just come over night, we have to put in the work now so that the future and the legacies that we leave, know that the Reds are a team that you don’t want to mess with,” she says. “We want to be known as a team that’s solid, that year after year we continue to produce competitive teams that work hard and understand the values that they have within the league.”
Coach Hilworth coined the term “Big Bad Reds” to describe the mentality that she wants to instill in her team. She wants them to be tough, competitive and have a large presence every time they step on the ice.
“We want to shock people and we want to come back and we want to be a team that people fear. We want to be a team that out-competes and out-hustles our opponents.”
Sarah Hilworth
With the team united and ready to play in their first regular season together, varsity women’s hockey has rightfully returned to UNB.
Despite getting off to a rocky 0-1-3 start, the team has nothing but confidence in their ability to bounce back and be playoff contenders this year, and national championship contenders in the years to come. They know that the pressure and the spotlight is on them to succeed, and they are overly excited to be able to show U SPORTS exactly what this new brand of Reds women’s hockey team can accomplish.
“UNB hockey is back,” says Hilworth, “And we’re here to stay.”