UNews - Vanessa Fusick

Horns hockey opens home schedule

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:25:44 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's and women's hockey teams open their Canada West home schedules this weekend and both will be looking to get into the win column.

The Horns men's hockey team hits the ice first, opening its home schedule Thursday night at Nicholas Sheran Arena with a 7 p.m. start against the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos. The club was swept in a weekend series in Manitoba to open the regular season, dropping 3-2 and 4-0 decisions to the Manitoba Bisons.

Goaltender Scott Bowles leads the way for the Horns and despite losing both games over the past weekend, still earned honours as Subway Pronghorn Male Athlete of the Week.

Bowles made 36 saves in both games against the Bisons but couldn't find any offensive support from his teammates.

Thursday night's game is the first of four with the Dinos this season and the front end of a home-and-home weekend series. The clubs will also play Saturday night in Calgary.

The Pronghorns women's team is also coming off a pair of losses to open the regular season as they dropped a series to the 10th-ranked ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Horns will open their home schedule with games Friday and Saturday nights, 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran. The Regina Cougars will provide the opposition.

Vanessa Fusick, a first-year forward, was named Subway Pronghorn Female Athlete of the Week after her first weekend of conference play. She picked up her first career Canada West goal against the Huskies.

Kaip makes mark with new class

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:39:23 +0000

Chandy Kaip was the head coach of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's hockey program this past year but it could be argued that it never really was her team.

While Kaip was able to slowly implement her systems and philosophies, she was still working with a largely inherited group of players. This spring, Kaip was able to announce her first recruiting class and when the Horns hit the ice this fall, her stamp on the program will be official.

"Looking at this recruiting class, I believe we're bringing in some of the top players in western Canada, players who will be able to jump in and contribute right away," Kaip says. "They have that experience of playing at an elite level, and they're all great kids. They're strong academically, they'll be good student athletes and good for the community and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ environment."

Her first class consists of six recruits, including a pair (Jenna-Marie Durnin of Wawanesa, Man. and Jasmin Teske of Calgary, Alta.) who played in the inaugural ESSO Cup – Female National Midget Championship. Kaip believes it sets the program in good stead, headed toward a goal she announced when she took over the program.

"I've said that after this first year, we will never miss the playoffs. That may sound cocky but I'm confident that I will make sure this program will always have the opportunity to be successful," she says.

"I wanted to build that foundation in the first year, find the holes that needed to be filled and by that second year, really start to become a contender in Canada West."

The second year is now at hand, and Kaip says both she and her players learned a lot their first season together. While the results were not immediate, the Horns (4-19-1) were competitive on a nightly basis in the season's second half. No weekend was more telling than a pair of one-goal losses to ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, a perennial league power.

"I think more than anything, it was us gaining confidence," Kaip says. "We started changing the mentality of always being at the bottom of the standings and changing the mentality to where we know we can score goals and that we are a good defensive team. A lot of it was growing team chemistry and then establishing a belief that we can execute the game plan."

Creating trust throughout the lineup was another key issue. As players began to trust teammates to do their jobs, the game simplified, allowing each skater to focus on fulfilling their individual roles.

"Once they understood everyone was on the same system, they only had to worry about their own job," Kaip says.

The next phase of the plan is to realize her goal of making playoffs. In three to four years, the Horns expect to qualify for nationals and contend for a title. This first recruiting class is just a start.

2009-2010 Recruiting Class

• Jenna-Marie Durnin (F), Wawanesa, Man.

• Jasmin Teske (D), Calgary, Alta.

• Cheyne Ogilvie (D), Pense, Sask.

• Glenda Edie (D), Dugald, Man.

• Taryn Cook (F), Medicine Hat, Alta.

• Vanessa Fusick (F), Tisdale, Sask.

Horns' Kaip announces six recruits

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:35:16 +0000

She has a year of CIS hockey behind her and now, Chandy Kaip has her first recruiting class. Kaip, head coach of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's hockey team, announced the recruitment of six players for the 2009-2010 Canada West hockey season, Thursday afternoon.

A total of three forwards and three defencemen have committed to the program for the fall as the club looks for a return to the post-season after a two-year hiatus.

Highlighting the group of incoming freshmen is Jenna-Marie Durnin, a member of the recently crowned National Midget Champion Westman Wildcats. At the inaugural ESSO Cup – Female National Midget Championship, Durnin scored six goals in six games, including two in the finals, one of which was the game-winning tally. She also scored the game-winning goal in the Wildcats' semifinal victory.

The Wawanesa, Man. native was an offensive force for the Wildcats this past season, scoring 31 goals and adding 30 assists in 52 games leading up to the ESSO Cup.

"Jenna-Marie is a quick, agile player that will work hard at both ends of the ice," says coach Kaip. "She will be a strong asset for us this upcoming season."

Calgary native Jasmin Teske, another participant in the inaugural ESSO Cup, is a key recruit on the blue-line. The 5'5" defender was a member of the bronze medal winning Calgary Flyers.

"Jasmin is a strong competitor and is tough in the corners," says Kaip. "She is very confident with the puck and will add a lot to our blue-line."

Also joining the Horns blue line next season is a pair of towering defenders. Cheyne Ogilvie, of Pense, Sask. joins the Horns via the highly successful Swift Current Wildcats, while Glenda Edie joins the Horns from the Edge Academy in Calgary. Both girls check in at 5'11'' and should add a formidable presence to the Horns' back end.

Joining Durnin in the forward ranks is Kelowna Rocket product Taryn Cook and Team Saskatchewan member Vanessa Fusick.

Last season, the Horns finished sixth in Canada West play with a 4-19-1 record, eight points out of the final playoff spot. A young team, the Horns did manage to earn one more win than the previous season and will potentially return 20 players from the 2008-09 squad.

The Pronghorns will open the Canada West season Oct. 9-10 on the road versus the Saskatchewan Huskies, with their home opener the following weekend, hosting the Regina Cougars, Oct. 16-17.

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