CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Emma Weatherbie already knows where her university hockey career will end.
“It’s pretty surreal to know I’m going to play my last U Sports game at nationals, so that’s pretty cool,” the 21-year-old Frenchfort native said Thursday before the UPEI Panthers practice.
Earlier in the day, U Sports announced that UPEI will host the 2019 and 2020 national women’s hockey tournament at MacLauchlan Arena.
“It’s a big opportunity for us and our program,” said Weatherbie, a fourth-year forward who has one year of eligibility remaining. “We’re really excited to see what we can do.”
While the team is guaranteed a spot in the eight-team tournament, it doesn’ want to go in the back door as the host team – it wants to earn that spot.
“We want to show people we’re . . . good enough,” said Maria Clinton, a 19-year-old forward from Souris. “We want to prove ourselves. We want to win the AUS (Atlantic University Sport) to earn the right to go to nationals.
“You want to go in as an AUS champion,” added coach Bruce Donaldson, who took the team to Edmonton in 2012 for its only trip to nationals. “I remember it. I remember it well, and it was a hell of a feeling.”
The Panthers have four graduating players and already had four forwards, a defenceman and a goalie committed for the upcoming season.
“It puts us on the map in terms of a possible school for potential players to reach out to,” Donaldson said.
Donaldson told his players in the morning, and they appeared to have an added jump in their step heading into the afternoon’s practice.
“When Bruce told us this morning everyone was pretty happy. It’s big news,” Clinton said. “Everybody grows up wanting to play university hockey. . . It’s exciting because you know you’re going to be playing against the best players in Canada.”
The local organizing committee will be led by co-chairwomen Kathleen Casey, Della Sweet and Lorna O’Donald.
“We are delighted to have engaged these three women to serve as event co-chairs,” says director of athletics and recreation Chris Huggan. “With their leadership coupled with support from the UPEI administration and the City of Charlottetown, I know we will deliver exciting events that will be centred on student-athletes, fans and visitors alike.”
The 2019 championship will be held March 14-17 while the 2020 edition will run March 12-15. Both events will follow an eight-team championship format.
What's where?
A look at the U Sports national championship host sites:
Men’s hockey
2018 UNB
2019 Lethbridge, Alta.
2020 Acadia
Women’s hockey
2018 Western (London, Ont.)
2019 UPEI
2020 UPEI
Men’s basketball
2018 Acadia (in Halifax)
2019 Dalhousie (in Halifax)
2020 University of Ottawa/Carleton University (Ottawa)*
2021 St. FX (in Halifax)
Women’s basketball
2018 Regina
2019 Ryerson (Toronto)
2020 University of Ottawa/Carleton University (Ottawa)*
2021 Queen’s (Kingston, Ont.)
* Host team to be determined.
