Alberta Pandas ice hockey explained

Team Name:Alberta Pandas
Team Link:
University:University of Alberta
Conference:Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Conference Short:Canada West
Location:Edmonton, Alberta
Coach:Darren Bilawchuk
Coach Year:1st
Coach Wins:31
Coach Losses:11
Coach Ties:0
Arena:Clare Drake Arena
Capacity:3000
Color1:Green
Color2:Gold
Color3:White
Hex1:154733
Hex2:FEC524
Hex3:ffffff
Usportschampion:2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017
Conference Tournament:1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2020

The Alberta Pandas ice hockey team represents the University of Alberta in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association of U Sports. The team was led by head coach Howie Draper from 1997 (the year the team joined U Sports) until 2023, when Draper left to become head coach of PWHL New York. The current head coach is Darren Bilawchuk. The program has won the most Canada West conference championships with 14 and the most U Sports national championships with eight.[1]

On January 25, 2011, it was announced that the 1999–2000 University of Alberta Pandas hockey team would be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame.[2]

Early years

In the era of the First World War, the University of Alberta formed men's ice hockey and women's ice hockey teams. The women's team played many community based teams.The University of Alberta played the Edmonton Monarchs in the Monarchs first ever game in 1918.[3] The city of Edmonton would organize women's ice hockey into three divisions in 1930: junior, intermediate and senior. The Edmonton Monarchs and the University of Alberta were the only teams that comprised the senior division.[4] In that same year, the University of Alberta would challenge the Edmonton Monarchs for the Alpine Cup. The Monarchs prevailed by a 1–0 score. By 1934, the University of Alberta was demoted to the intermediate division.In 1937, the University of Alberta competed for the Alpine Cup, contested at the Banff Winter Carnival. The club lost to the Calgary Avenue Grills team.[4]

U Sports

On March 14, 2004, the Pandas won their third consecutive National Championship and their fourth in five years. The Pandas became the first team to win three consecutive championships which remains unmatched as of 2020.[5] The win came courtesy of a 2–0 tally over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. For the season, the Pandas went 20–0–0 in Canada West play, 7–0 in the postseason, and a 35–0–0 overall mark.[6] U Sports Player of the Year Danielle Bourgeois scored both goals in the game[7] as Alberta outshot Ottawa 45–14 overall. The game-winning goal was assisted by Canadian national team member Delaney Collins. With the triumph, the Pandas ran their undefeated streak against U Sports opponents to 81 games. During the streak, their last loss to a U Sports team was on October 13, 2001.[7]

On March 14, 2010, the Pandas won the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's ice hockey championship which was their seventh title in the 13 years since the tournament's inception. In the gold-medal game, they defeated the McGill Martlets by a score of 2–0.[8] While the program did not have as much of a dominant national run in the next decade, the team managed to claim their eighth national championship in 2017 after once again defeating the Martlets in double overtime by a score of 2–1.[9] It was also the first time that the Pandas had won the National championship while not winning their conference championship in the same year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and financial reasons, the University of Alberta announced that the Pandas would not participate in the 2020–21 season, if one were to be held.[10] Former Pandas Hockey defender, Taylor Kezama, a 2017 U Sports National Champion, and a 2019 Canada West champion, was one of 18 former U Sports student-athletes announced among the inaugural participants of the U SPORTS Female Apprenticeship Coach Program.[11]

Year by year

National Tournament championsConference Champions
Season Coach Conf. Record OverallPostseason
1997–98Howie DraperNone 3–1–0 Fifth, CIAU tournament
1998–99Howie Draper4–1–1 20–8–3 Second, CIAU tournament
1999-00Howie Draper15–1–1 26–3–1 CIAU tournament champions
2000–01Howie Draper13–1–2 20–6–2 Did not qualify
2001–02Howie Draper16–0–033–1–0 CIS tournament champions
2002–03Howie Draper19–0–134–0–1 CIS tournament champions
2003–04Howie Draper20–0–035–0–0 CIS tournament champions
2004–05Howie Draper20–0–028–1–0 Second, CIS tournament
2005–06Howie Draper16–1–327–3–3CIS tournament champions
2006–07Howie Draper21–333–4–1CIS tournament champions
2007–08Howie Draper21–2–129–5–1 Fourth, CIS tournament
2008–09Howie Draper22–2 26–5 Did not qualify
2009–10Howie Draper23–1–033–1 CIS tournament champions
2010–11Howie Draper17–7 25–14 Fifth, CIS tournament
2011–12Howie Draper14–10 23–16 Fifth, CIS tournament
2012–13Howie Draper16–12 25–16 Did not qualify
2013–14Howie Draper20–8 23–11 Did not qualify
2014–15Howie Draper20–8 28–14 Eighth, CIS tournament
2015–16Howie Draper16–12 21–14 Did not qualify
2016–17Howie Draper21–7 36–9 U Sports tournament champions
2017–18Howie Draper19–9 27–12 Did not qualify
2018–19Howie Draper23–5 33–7 Fourth, U Sports tournament
2019–20Howie Draper20–8 28–10 Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
2020–21Cancelled due financial reasons caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22Howie Draper13–722–11Did not qualify
2022–23Howie Draper21–728–12Did not qualify
2023–24Darren Bilawchuk (interim)21–730–10Did not qualify

Awards and honours

U Sports honours

U Sports Tournament honours

All-Canadian selections

All-Rookie Team selections

Canada West honors

Canada West All-Stars

Canada West All-Rookie

Team MVP

Season MVP
1997–98Krysty Lorenz
1998–99Lori Shupak
1999-00
2000–01
Stacey McCullough
2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
Danielle Bourgeois
2005–06Kristen Hagg
2006–07Lindsay McAlpine
2007–08Jennifer Newton
2008–09Tarin Podloski
2009–10Dana Vinge

University honours

International

Winter Universiade

Olympians

Player Event Result
Judy Diduck [23] Silver

Pandas in pro hockey

= CWHL All-Star = NWHL All-Star= Clarkson Cup Champion= Isobel Cup Champion
Player Position Team(s)League(s)YearsTitles
Megan EadyMelbourne Ice
SDE
AWIHL
SDHL
Michala JefferiesGoaltenderSydney SirensAWIHL1
Forward Buffalo Beauts
Goaltender Calgary Inferno
SDE HF
CWHL
SDHL
4

Pandas selected in the CWHL Draft

The following were selected in the 2010 CWHL Draft.[24]

Player Position Team Selection
Delaney CollinsDefense
  1. 5

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pandas Hockey, Team History . . June 28, 2020 .
  2. Web site: 99-00 hockey Pandas inducted into Hall of Fame . . January 25, 2011 .
  3. Women on Ice: The Early Years of Women's Hockey in Western Canada, Wayne Norton, p.136, Ronsdale Press, 2009,
  4. Women on Ice: The Early Years of Women's Hockey in Western Canada, Wayne Norton, p.140, Ronsdale Press, 2009,
  5. Web site: History, Golden Path Trophy . . June 28, 2020 .
  6. http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/expressnews_template/article.cfm?id=5647{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  7. Web site: Canadian University Sports . June 23, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120329132418/http://www.universitysport.ca/e/print_story0401.cfm?ID=2373 . March 29, 2012 .
  8. Web site: FINAL: CIS championship: Pandas put an end to Martlets 86-game winning streak with a 2–0 win . . March 14, 2010 . June 28, 2020.
  9. Web site: Kezama double OT winner gives Alberta 8th Golden Path National Championship. U Sports. March 19, 2017.
  10. Web site: Golden Bears and Pandas 2020–21 Season Update. University of Alberta. June 17, 2020.
  11. News: Taylor Kezama selected for U SPORTS Female Apprentice Coach Program. usports.ca/. March 8, 2021. June 23, 2021. en.
  12. Web site: U Sports hockey championships cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak. March 12, 2020. Sportsnet.
  13. News: February 2020 — Kirsten Chamberlin. usports.ca/. March 20, 2020. June 25, 2021. en.
  14. Web site: Archived copy . June 22, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110929020443/http://www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_hockey/2008/documents/Alberta-Whockey-07-08_PH_Guide.pdf . September 29, 2011 .
  15. Web site: CIS:CIS women's hockey: Laurier goalie Knox named player of the year . June 9, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111028172031/http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wice/2009-10/releases/20100310-awards . October 28, 2011 . dead .
  16. News: McGill's Daoust named player of the year. presto-en.usports.ca. March 6, 2013. May 4, 2021. en.
  17. News: WHKY: Top three dominate all-star and all-rookie voting. canadawest.org. Evan Daum, Canada West Communications. February 21, 2018. May 12, 2021. en.
  18. News: University of Alberta Pandas hockey alum earns spot on Sports Wall of Fame. globalnews.ca. Slav Kornik . June 7, 2021. June 10, 2021. en.
  19. Web site: Canada West Universities Athletic Association – Canada West women's hockey trio making strides at Winter Universiade . July 10, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110207021921/http://www.canadawest.org/news/2011/2/3/WHOCKEY_0203112448.aspx . February 7, 2011 .
  20. News: CAN Announces Women's Ice Hockey Team for Harbin. fisu.net. January 9, 2009 . May 4, 2021 . en.
  21. News: 2015 Winter Universiade: CIS announces Canadian women's hockey roster. universitysport.prestosports.com. October 24, 2014. May 6, 2021. en.
  22. News: 2017 Winter Universiade: Canadian women's hockey team announced. canadawest.org . October 7, 2016. May 20, 2021. en.
  23. Web site: Judy Diduck Player Profile. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417225053/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/di/judy-diduck-1.html . dead . April 17, 2020 . Sports-Reference.com. April 21, 2010.
  24. Web site: Draft – CWHL – Canadian Women's Hockey League . February 1, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101228050140/http://cwhl.ca/draft.asp . December 28, 2010 .