New women’s hockey coach leads U of R Cougars to Finland

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Brandy West-McMaster rejoined the University of Regina Cougars in the offseason as their “interim” coach, an arrangement that included an 11-day trip to Finland that allowed her to learn very quickly about the players on her women’s hockey team.

“I had seen them on the ice as hockey players, but didn’t know them as people,” said West-McMaster. “(The Finland trip) gave us a lot of different situations and let us interact with each of them individually and as a group, seeing how they respond and where we’re at as a team.”

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Between team outings in rubber rafts, a day trip to Estonia, climbing rope mazes among treetops, enjoying the clear-water lakes, zip-lining and staying at the national training centre before moving into a Helsinki hotel for part of August, the Cougars were shut out in their first two games against senior Finnish women’s teams before winning their third game 3-1 against HPK Kiekkonaiset.

“We played teams that were a little older than us,” said fourth-year forward Kaylee Dyer. “All the touring was really good bonding, especially right before the season starts.”

The trip was similar to one taken last year by the women’s basketball team, which toured Greece to play five games against NCAA teams.

“We left it all out there for the third game,” said third-year goalie Lexi Peace, who played the final contest. “I find our league is really fast, so with them being older they weren’t as fast, but they could shoot really hard!”

West-McMaster was a stellar member of the university’s inaugural team, playing for the Cougars from 1998-2003. Three times she was chosen Canada West’s outstanding player and in 2001 was named CIAU’s player-of-the-year. An inductee into the university’s and Regina’s sports halls of fame, she coached at Wilfrid Laurier and the U of R before excelling at several amateur levels and becoming a kinesiology instructor at her alma mater.

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When the university parted ways with longtime coach Sarah Hodges in June, West-McMaster was the obvious replacement. It was interesting that she was given the “interim” tag with the university promising a formal search will occur in the spring of 2025.

“I don’t think it would be fair to not pretend that I’m going on no matter what happens,” said West-McMaster. “So I am in it, I’m in it for the long haul.

“That’s my frame of mind. That’s what I’m sharing with the girls because they’re very aware. We gotta plan and even if I’m not the one here, I want the program to be successful. So we’re gonna do our best to bring in some quality players and keep getting better every year.”

Her arrival has evidently been well-received by a team with 18 holdovers on a squad that posted a 7-19-2 record in 2023-24 and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020.

“It’s been a smooth transition,” said Dyer. “Brandy really shows the love she has for the game. All her pregame speeches are always exactly what we need.”

Added Peace: “It’s sad to see a coach go, but it’s also very exciting with what’s coming in the future. I really like Brandy’s coaching style and we’ve had success with her early, so …”

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West-McMaster retained assistants Todd Jerome and Matt Rieger, plus she is being helped by Jenna Merk, Janice Rumpel, Ryan Gilbert, Toni Giraudier, Dana West and Colleen Sostorics.

“We are fast, we are hard-working and we just don’t quit,” said West-McMaster, whose team has won two of its three other preseason games. “That’s what is gonna really give us our edge this year.

“We’re trying to be realistic with our goals and expectations. Playoffs is a really big one for us, getting in the mix, learning what that feels like and expecting to win.”

The Cougars complete their preseason schedule with free-admission games inside the Co-Operators Centre against NAIT on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Their regular season starts at home Oct. 4 against Saskatchewan.

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