Medicine Hat College Rattlers hockey players and coach receive ACAC honours

The award came as a surprise to him.

“I actually didn’t know until they announced it at the pregame before the Lakeland and Red Deer game three,” King said.

“It was a nice surprise.”

Rattlers goaltender Anna Stewart, a second-year player, and defenceman Elizabeth Udell, a rookie, were named to the second all-conference team for their positions.

“Both of them had a really great year. And when the league sends out the sheet to pick those all conferences, obviously, you pick opposite teams. So that’s a big pat on the back for them,” King said.

“Other coaches recognized them throughout the league. So that’s a pretty big accomplishment for them,” he added.

“It was quite a nice moment. It was just a good reflection of how hard the entire team worked all year and the strides that they made as a program.”

—

(Image Credit: Medicine Hat College Rattlers)

Stewart said she was excited to earn the all-conference honours.

“I was really thankful for the opportunity to be able to go up there and drive to Lloyd, and it made it that much more special that I got to do it with Liz, too,” Stewart said.

“It was definitely a surprise. I’ve never been able to get that before. It was fun.”

Being part of the Rattlers program is something Stewart said she loves.

“Being a part of building this group and just being a part of that this season, I’m just very proud of the group as a whole and how far we’ve come,” Stewart said.

“The differences in the seasons, I think, are definitely just the attitude. We all had a common goal this year that we wanted to achieve playoffs, and I think that we all collectively had that in mind and wanted to get there. So that’s what we did.”

Stewart said she was really happy with how the team was able to transition from last year to this season, with a new coach and new players recruited.

She added that it was an adjustment this year, facing fewer shots.

“I think that it was almost a little bit harder in terms of the mental side of the game just because it’s completely different when you have to go through a season, and you’re sort of getting like 60 shots a game on average, down to around 20 to 30,” Stewart said.

“It just takes a lot to stay mentally engaged the entire game. It took a bit to switch to that. But it’s always good to change it up and experience new things and get better that way.”

Stewart will look to play her third season with the Rattlers in the fall, as she continues the kinesiology program.

She said that she loves being in Medicine Hat so far.

“Last year and this year, it’s really given me some new experiences. Not just with hockey, but life in general,” Stewart said.

The 19-year-old from Prince George, B.C., initially chose to play in Medicine Hat after another player from her hometown, Sage Nohr, had committed.

“We actually grew up together, so the fact that she was coming here before I was committed was also a deciding factor for me,” Stewart said.

“She’s always been a good teammate and just somebody good to have around,” she added.

“I knew that if I came here, I would have somebody that I could rely on and trust, and just making that new adjustment a lot easier.”

—

(Image Credit: Medicine Hat College Rattlers)

Fellow all-conference player Udell came to the Rattlers from Viscount, Sask., after playing women’s AAA hockey in Prince Albert for three seasons.

She said that winning came as a shock as a first-year defenceman.

“You don’t really expect to get recognized like that by all the other coaches. When I found out that I did, I was just super grateful and proud of myself for the work that I put in this year,” Udell said.

“It was awesome. I’m really glad that I had a teammate that I got to experience it with, and then of course, James being there helped a lot, because I knew that he was proud of both of us,” she added.

“When he got his award, it was really awesome to see all of his hard work pay off as well.”

Udell reflected on a few factors that helped her win the honours.

“I think my dedication on and off the ice and then being able to be coached,” Udell said.

“I know James [King] and Sydney Hughson, our D coach, helped me a lot with gaining confidence, and if something went wrong, I could go to them, and they would help me with whatever I needed,” she added.

“I think just having a supportive atmosphere and then just my discipline and determination that I had for hockey, and I just had fun this year.”

Udell said a good conversation with the King before the season sold her on the Rattlers program.

“He explained what his goals were for the program this year, and I agreed with what he was looking at, so I thought that the coaching would be a good fit for me,” Udell said.

“Then I knew a couple of the girls that had played here last year and that were also coming here this year, so then I knew I’d have a couple of people on the team that I was familiar with,” she added.

“That also helped, but mostly the atmosphere that James said that he was planning on creating was pretty much why I decided to come here.”

Getting out into the community and helping with youth hockey was something both Udell and Stewart enjoyed.

“Not being from here, it’s awesome to be exposed to kind of what Medicine Hat is all about, and it was awesome being able to go and work with little kids,” Udell said.

“Expose them to what Rattlers hockey is and be a motivating factor for them.”

Stewart said she had the privilege to help coach the U11 Wildcats White team.

“It was a lot of fun. I got to coach my one little goalie that was on the team, and I just loved coaching her,” Stewart said.

“Especially when the season started to kind of phase out, and we were done. It definitely made coaching that much sweeter,” she added.

“I just loved being a part of something else that was other than me, just playing the sport, and I could give back to the community here as well.”

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat College Rattlers hockey players and coach receive ACAC honours

Our Community