Preview of the 2026 Miller Waste U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship
By Cameron Stirrup
12 months ago, the Waterloo Region and Canadian women’s hockey were treated to a thrilling U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship. A new year brings a new opportunity for one school to be history makers and that opportunity rests in the town of Elmira, Ontario once again.
Representation, community, and the future of women’s hockey defined Waterloo Region’s debut event from a year ago; an event in which crowned a debut champion in their debut tournament appearance. With the defending champion Bishop’s Gaiters defeat to the Montreal Carabins in the RSEQ semi-finals, U SPORTS will crown a new champion of women’s hockey in 2026. The tournament’s eight representatives are a mix of programs with unfinished business to take care of, and those stepping into uncharted waters.
Atlantic University Sport (AUS)
UNB REDS (4)
A fifth consecutive appearance, with plans to light the lamp red. Since qualifying for the tournament in 2022, the UNB REDS have played more national games than any program in Canada. The winner in four of the last five AUS championships, the REDS went the distance in securing the conference’s latest title to bring them back to Elmira. For the third year in a row, the REDS fielded the AUS’ top point scorer, and three of their offensive juggernauts stand out above the rest, all of them tournament returnees.
Katelyn Scott #21 | Almonte, Ontario
You don’t lead the AUS in points and assists for two years in a row by accident. Katelyn Scott possesses some of the silkiest mitts in the tournament. The native of Almonte, Ontario averaged a point per game this season in conference play; 9 goals and 19 assists in 28 games. Her scoring touch is accompanied by her innate discipline, penalized for only six minutes all season (six as well the season prior). Her ability to find open ice and stay out of the box makes her a threat teams will have to reckon with.
Olivia Eustace #9 | Riverview, New Brunswick
Olivia Eustace is another player on this REDS squad with a gift for offense. Assisting on the AUS Championship winning overtime goal, she finished second only to Scott in conference points this season, with 27 in 28 games. A player who knows where to be and when, through two regular seasons with the REDS, she has scored five game winning goals — four this season. Quickly developing a reputation of being the difference maker, there is nothing a native of New Brunswick would want more than to be the one to bring a maiden championship home.
Payton Hargreaves #5 | Whitby, Ontario
The final piece of the REDS’ complete sweep of the top three spots in AUS points scoring. Payton Hargreaves returns to Elmira off the back of yet another near 30-point campaign. Throughout her five seasons with the REDS, she has tallied an astounding 16 game-winning goals; 12 of them in the past three seasons. To say she has a knack for being the difference maker late in games especially is an understatement. Mirroring Scott, Hargreaves picked up only six penalty minutes all season, adding to the REDS’ disciplined style of play.
Canada West (CW)
UBC Thunderbirds (1)
15 weeks as Canada’s #1 seed — that’s every week of U SPORTS play. The UBC Thunderbirds’ time in Elmira a year ago, although underwhelming in their eyes, turned the heads of national viewers. 26 wins in 28 regular season games later, and it’s arguably the Canada West champion’s tournament to lose. With the conference’s top player, defenceman, and coach at their disposal, the Thunderbirds look to produce shockwaves.
Grace Elliott #26 | White Rock, British Columbia
The nation’s top goal scorer this season, CW’s top point-getter, and Player of the Year two years in a row. What else is there to say about the fear Grace Elliott’s offence strikes into her opponents, as she steps into her fifth national championship appearance. With 10 goals on the powerplay, 12 game-winning goals this year in CW play, and a plus/minus of 94 across her five seasons with UBC, her opponents will be on edge when the puck is on her stick. The only player in CW to amass 100 shots on goal this season, 159 of her opportunities were on target. With three points across three games in Elmira last March, the nation’s top shooter will look to lead the #1 seed to national glory for the first time in program history.
Annalise Wong #19 | Richmond, British Columbia
Annalise Wong tallied 11 powerplay assists this season. Her presence on the offensive front is lethal when there’s open ice to work with. She is a player that has only become stronger with experience. This season, in the same number of games, she more than doubled her point total from two seasons ago; finishing with 32 points in 28 games. Alongside Elliott, Wong was the only player in CW this season to record a point-per-game average of above one. Her elite vision and ability to complete passes, the kind where defenders are certain there’s nothing there, adds to the Thunderbirds advantage on offense.
Elise Hugens #35 | Sherwood Park, Alberta
Elise Hugens is the quintessential playoff goaltender. In the 2022 CW Finals, she didn’t allow a single goal. In this year’s Finals, she only allowed one, while posting 29 saves; earning CW Championship MVP honours. In 89 games across five seasons with the Thunderbirds, she has 74 wins to her name, and 27 shutouts. Not to also mention in 16 starts through the regular season, she didn’t lose one, and in 24 CW Playoff starts, she has a record of 18-4. UBC’s arsenal up front is not complete without their ace in between the pipes.
Manitoba Bisons (7)
Returning to the tournament for the second time since claiming their first national title in 2018, the Manitoba Bisons have longed for another shot at tasting glory once more. With both their first and second round series in Canada West going the distance, and both resulting in victories, the Bisons are no strangers to producing an explosive result when their fate is on the line. Like the eight-seeded Montreal Carabins, the Bisons loss in their conference’s finals is met with a silver-lining; more life on a bigger stage, and fresh box scores to fill.
Aimee Patrick #29 | Winnipeg, Manitoba
Third in CW points scoring this year, only behind Elliott and Wong, Aimee Patrick’s past two 20-plus point seasons, have revitalized the Bisons’ offensive attack in returning to the tournament. The key to her rise in success at the CW level, has been her ability to find more shooting opportunities, year in and year out; with an extra14 shots on goal from two seasons ago. Her 25 points in 28 games this season, makes her the Bisons’ leading point scorer in consecutive years.
Norah Collins #15 | Winnipeg, Manitoba
Second on the Bisons in regular season scoring, Norah Collins is a player who catches fire when the season depends on it. Scoring 11 points in the Bisons final six regular season games — tallying five points in eight playoff games — her puck handling around the net earns herself, and her teammates plenty of scoring opportunities.
Julia Bird #6 | Winnipeg, Manitoba
Rounding off this Winnipeg trio is the Bisons’ most experienced force. Before this season, Julia Bird had not netted more than four goals in each but exploded out of the gate with 12 goals and 17 points in 28 games this year. A veteran of 122 games in CW, Bird is yet another disciplined presence on the ice, who lets her play do the talking. Not one to take penalties often, she hasn’t gone a season in her five with the Bisons, with more than six penalty minutes. This style compliments her offensive mind, where she shines with one less opponent on the ice. Of the players to watch for the Bisons, she has the highest number of career power play goals with seven.
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
Guelph Gryphons (3)
The last national championship the Guelph Gryphons took part in, they won. A 1-0 victory over the McGill Martlets in Charlottetown, P.E.I., earned them their first national title back in 2019. Seven years onward, they’re OUA champions, and their arrival back to the national stage is met with great expectation.
Katherine Heard #29 | Arva, Ontario
The recently crowned OUA West Player of the Year, first team all-star member, and provincial championship-winning captain, Katherine Heard saved her best season for her fifth. With career highs in goals, assists, and points, Heard’s exceptional patience and heads-up ability allowed her to squeak the OUA championship winning goal into the back of the net. Her six points in the Gryphons’ seven playoff games this season, point to the fact that she is ready to chase more glory.
Maeve Sutherland-Case #6 | Hamilton, Ontario
Scoring five points in six playoff games, capping off the provincial season with a championship added only one piece to Maeve Sutherland Case’s best season in OUA competition. Second on the Gryphons in points behind Heard, Sutherland-Case will enjoy a quarter-final matchup with the host Waterloo Warriors, a team she recorded five points against, in their three game first-round series. With a quick first stride to the puck, especially while chasing rebounds, she tends to find open ice with ease. Yet another Gryphon who achieved career-highs in goals, assists, and points, the recently named OUA second team all-star looks to cap off a provincial title winning campaign with a national gold medal around her neck.
Sophie Helfenstein #1 | Ajax, Ontario / Martina Fedel #33 | Trento, Italy
A tandem in between the pipes, who individually made headlines on multiple continents. The OUA’s leader in shutouts with eight, Helfenstein finished second in the province with 15 wins, earning her an OUA West second team all-star berth. Perhaps more key in this context is the 4-2 record she posted this season against the tournament’s two other OUA representatives. With 32 wins in 41 career OUA appearances, Helfenstein in only her third season has established herself as a provincial staple in goal.
The native of Trento, Italy, Fedel’s past five weeks has seen her dawn the colours of her nation at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, and upon returning, win each of her four OUA playoff starts, en route to a provincial championship. A combined 33 OUA shutouts for Helfenstein and Fedel point to the fact that scoring may come at a premium for the opposition.
Ottawa Gee-Gees (5)
In only their second season back in the OUA, the Ottawa Gee-Gees are representing the conference at the national championship, and return to the tournament for the first time since 2009. Led to an OUA final by an Olympic Gold Medal winning coach in Ali Domenico — in just her second season behind the Gee-Gees bench — their quick rise to recent success is something to watch.
Gillian Warren #7 | Sauble Beach, Ontario
With the most points this season out of OUA representatives in the tournament, Gillian Warren took the next step in becoming the Gee-Gees' most dangerous offensive threat in her second season with the team. She went from five goals last season to 16 this year, and more than doubled her point total. Warren, like Olivia Eustace, can make the difference late in games; scoring five game winners this season. Her presence on the Gee-Gees top power-play unit is to be noted as well, with four goals on the advantage this season. It was her eyes for the net that kept the Gee-Gees' national hopes alive after all; tying game three of their OUA semi-final series against the Laurier Golden Hawks with 30 seconds to go.
Clara Genier #35 | Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, Quebec
A OUA second team all-star, with the fourth most wins in the province, Clara Genier flourished this season while standing on her head through 21 regular season games, all the way to the OUA final. Finishing her third season with the Gee-Gees, Genier secured five shutouts and a .927 save percentage. In the team’s semifinals triumph against the Golden Hawks, Genier made 42 saves, standing tall as ever in a 3-2 overtime victory, booking Ottawa’s ticket to Elmira.
Maelle Laplante #21 | Levis, Quebec
Named an OUA first team all-star this season, Maelle Laplante finished fourth in OUA point scoring by a defenceman and has tallied 38 points in 50 games since the Gee-Gees returned to Ontario. Second on her team in points this year, Laplante contributed largely on the power-play, with nine assists; illustrating how complete the Gee-Gees lineup is in every zone.
Waterloo Warriors (6)
With another opportunity to shine bright in front of their own, the Waterloo Warriors enter their third consecutive national championship, hungrier than ever before. The narrative writes itself. The finalists from last year’s event, returning to the same ice surface with a second shot at glory, and the roar of the crowd propelling them. Falling short in the OUA Playoffs this year has not deterred the black and gold’s drive and spirit one bit. They aim to climb onto that top step this year, led by a trio who have partaken in all three.
Carly Orth #16 | Bolton, Ontario
Last year’s OUA West MVP, and first team all-star member this season, Carly Orth is clutch. The Warriors’ team leader in points each of the last two seasons, Orth’s 113-game provincial career has seen her tally 83 points, with nine game-winning goals; one of them kickstarting a 10-game winning streak for the Warriors this past November. Tenacious as ever when she’s on the ice, the puck always seems to find her in a prime spot, where no netminder is safe.
Kara Mark #33 | New Hamburg, Ontario
After Kara Mark took hold of a spot on the OUA’s all-rookie team in 2023, the Warriors knew something special was on the horizon. Named OUA Goaltender of the Year two seasons later, Mark has also since become the program’s all-time winningest goalie. Her elite awareness and movement are what kickstarts the team’s offensive prowess. The true embodiment of a team’s last line of defence.
Tatum James #88 | Stratford, Ontario
Taking hold of the program’s all-time goalscoring title this past season only scratches the surface of what Tatum James has contributed to the Warriors program. Through 120 OUA games, she has tallied 47 goals and 97 points; with 11 game-winners in her career. Named to the tournament’s all-star team in 2024, her third go-around in front of her adoring crowd will glue eyes to the screens.
Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)
Concordia Stingers (2)
A promotion to the tournament’s number two seed and an RSEQ title to their name give the Concordia Stingers a sense of heightened confidence in heading to Elmira for the second time. Falling to the host Warriors in last year’s semi-final, their bounce back mindset started provincially. With a 22-2 record in the regular season, and a perfect playoff record of 4-0, they mean business. Their offensive flair points to that.
Jessymaude Drapeau #15 | Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec
The conference’s leader in goals and points earns another look at a national tournament berth. With 40 points in 24 games this season, Jessymaude Drapeau aims to take over the RSEQ spotlight previously held by last year’s tournament MVP, Gabrielle Santerre of Bishop’s, who Drapeau shared the tournament goal scoring title with. A magician with the puck on her stick, she scored arguably the goal of the tournament in Elmira last year against the STFX X-Women. Picking up the puck in the neutral zone, beating the defender to the outside with one hand on her stick, she shovelled it into the top corner on the shortside, a goal which completed the only hattrick seen at last year’s event. Her keen eye to be creative in open space will be a headache her opponents will have to remedy.
Emilie Lussier #14 | Sainte-Martine, Quebec
Similar to the firepower that UBC’s dynamic duo causes up front, Drapeau and Emilie Lussier are the RSEQ’s equivalent. Lussier, finishing with only three less points than her aforementioned teammate this season (37 in 24 games), returns to Elmira off the back of three points in three games last year. Through her three seasons in the RSEQ, she hasn’t finished a campaign under a point per game. In fact, she hasn’t scored less than 30 in a season. That same point per game standard also applies to her playoff history; notching eight points in the Stingers’ four wins in this year’s postseason.
Jordyn Verbeek #1 | Langley, British Columbia
One of two RSEQ goalies to reach 10 wins on the season, Jordyn Verbeek only lost two games, and put up the best goals against average in the province this year. Making 60 saves in two starts in Elmira a year ago, including 30 in the Stingers’ 5-2 quarter final win against STFX, Verbeek will aim to mirror that performance in continuing her historically strong play against teams out-of-conference. Her four shutouts this season also led the conference.
Montreal Carabins (8)
Last year’s eight-seed, the Waterloo Warriors, made it all the way to the final. For the Montreal Carabins, returning to the tournament after a year’s hiatus, the underdog role is one they will thrive in. After all, they took a bronze medal in their last tournament appearance after being named the tournament’s seventh seed in 2024.
Catherine Proulx #71 | Mirabel, Quebec
The reigning RSEQ Rookie of the Year recipient, it is the perfect time for Catherine Proulx to embark on her first journey through a national tournament. With 16 points in 24 games this season, her four points across the Carabins’ five playoff games stood out in driving the squad to the conference’s final. A player who has only improved with more time on the ice, she has already proven her ability to rack up points in a condensed format.
Maude Desroches #33 | Rougemont, Quebec
Alongside Verbeek, Desroches also secured 10 victories in RSEQ play this year, and picked up three shutouts to boot. With over 1,200 minutes spent in the crease this season, the most of any goalie in the conference, Desroches returns to the national stage. A part of the Carabins’ bronze medal winning squad from two years ago, this time she’ll be the number one netminder for Montreal.
Juliette Rolland #4 | Napierville, Quebec
Second on the Carabins in points with 15 in 24 games, Juliette Rolland is familiar with attaining success in this tournament to propel her side to a memorable result. It was the rebound she put home at the front of the net that tied the 2024 bronze medal game at two, with 25 seconds left, against the Waterloo Warriors. Don’t be surprised if yet another magic moment from an eighth seed comes off Rolland’s stick.
Tune in to the action from March 19-22 in Elmira, Ontario. Tickets are still available at usportstickets.ca. Games will be available to watch on CBC Sports, CBC Gem, CBC YouTube and ICI TOU.TV, and the gold medal game will be broadcast live on CBC television.