UNews - Hayley Wickenheiser

Patterson responds with breakout season

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:03:36 +0000

Goaltender Crystal Patterson was challenged by head coach Chandy Kaip to be better than a third-string player. Suffice it to say, she responded.

The second-year Calgary product posted one of the best Canada West seasons ever for the Pronghorns women's hockey team, helping the Horns to their best finish in franchise history and first playoff appearance in five seasons.

"I took that challenge and pretty much proved coach wrong that I was a third string goalie," says Patterson, who was named to the Canada West First All-Star Team and Horns Female Athlete of the Year. "I knew I had to get my fitness up and it was something I worked on and it turned out pretty well."

Patterson started all but one conference game this season, leading Canada West in minutes played (1401:22), shutouts (6) and total saves (607). She was also second in the conference in wins (14), third in save percentage (0.928) and fourth in goals-against-average (2.01).

In her second year with the Horns, Patterson came out of the Edge Hockey Academy in her hometown of Calgary. She says there was never a consideration to play for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos.

"No, I never thought about it. I actually loved coming to Lethbridge because it is close to Calgary but it gives you your own independence and freedom," she says. "If you need to go home, it's just a two-hour drive. My parents are able to come down and watch me play pretty much every weekend too, and they come on a lot of our road trips as well, so it's great to have that support."

It's a consistent theme on the Horns, with five players from Calgary and a sixth who attended Edge Academy. Canada West Rookie of the Year, Sadie Lenstra, is another Calgary product, proving it is fertile ground for U of L recruiters.

Off the ice, Patterson is studying in the Faculty of Management.

"It's too early to tell what I want to do with my degree," she says. "My dad wants me to do something with the family trucking business but I'm not sure. I just may get a good background in business and see where it takes me."

Patterson will head back to Calgary once the spring semester ends, but part of her summer training will involve further work with Kaip as she takes her first turn at helping up and coming youngsters.

"Chandy just came to me with the opportunity, and it will be my first chance to work with kids so I'm really looking forward to it," says Patterson.

She understands how a future can be shaped by the influence of a mentor. She recalls an instance where National Hockey League goaltender Curtis Joseph made a lasting impression on her with just one small gesture.

"I got the chance to play between periods at a Flames' game and he was playing for the Detroit Red Wings then," recounts Patterson. "I remember he patted me on the pads and he's been my favourite ever since."

Of course, as a hockey-playing girl growing up in Calgary, current rival Hayley Wickenheiser was also a big factor.

"Hayley Wickenheiser was a big influence for all girls who played hockey in Calgary because she was always involved in camps and things like that," says Patterson. "You'd see her with her medals and she'd come out on the ice with you, so that's why it's so strange to be playing against her now. She was an idol and now she's our competition, I never thought I'd experience that."

After a season of monumental successes, both Patterson and the Horns will be expected to take the next step in 2012-13, but if we've learned anything about "the Monster" as she's been dubbed, it's that the five-foot-10 inch Patterson relishes a challenge.

"Chandy said to us last year that within our time here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, we'll be up there challenging for playoffs and playing with the best teams," she says. "It's pretty astounding that we were able to make playoffs in our second year, but I want to put a banner in our barn before I'm done here."

This story first appeared in the March 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Big weekend for Horns

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:05:53 +0000

The Spring Semester does not begin until next week but Pronghorns Athletics is back in action this weekend as both the basketball and hockey programs open the second half of their Canada West schedules.

In basketball action, the men's and women's teams play host to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. Games go Friday and Saturday nights at the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium, with the women to tip off at 6 p.m. and the men to play at 8 p.m. nightly. With the men's team at 3-9 on the year and the women's team at 2-10, wins are essential for both squads if they want to make a run at Canada West playoffs.

On the hockey front, both the men's and women's teams play home-and-home series with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos. The women's team is at home Friday night while the Horns men's team plays on home ice Saturday evening. Both games start at 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

The Horns men's team (6-5-3) is coming off a big sweep of UBC Thunderbirds before the break and sits just a point out of a playoff spot. The women's team (4-8-2) is just back from a successful European trip over the holiday break and has won four of its last six games. As well, Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser will be in the lineup for the Dinos.

For a look at full previews of all the games, visit the Horns website.

Pronghorns strong in Europe

trevor.kenney — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:05:05 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's hockey team won two of three games at the inaugural European Women's Gold Cup tournament in Salzburg, Austria over the holiday break.

The Horns opened the four-team event with a 7-1 whitewash of International Hockey Academy (IHA). A 4-1 loss to eventual tournament champion Swiss Cross followed, before the Horns capped their touorney with a 3-2 victory over the German representative, ESC Planegg. The U of L, ESC Planegg and Swiss Cross all finished with identical 2-1 records, while the International Hockey Academy was 0-3. Swiss Cross thumped IHA 15-2 in the final game of the tourney to win the title by goal differential.

This was the inaugural staging of the European Women's Gold Cup, a tournament created as a women's alternative to the longstanding men's tournament, the Spengler Cup.

The Horns are back in action this weekend when they return to Canada West play with a home-and-home series against Hayley Wickenheiser and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos. The U of L hosts the Dinos Friday night at Nicholas Sheran Arena (7 p.m. puck drop) before returning to Calgary for Saturday's contest.

Horns hockey opens at home

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:08:38 +0000

The Pronghorns men's and women's hockey teams will finally hit home ice in conference action this weekend, opening their Canada West home schedules as part of home-and-home series with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos.

The men's team will open its series Friday night, while the women's side is in Calgary on Friday before returning to Lethbridge for its home opener on Saturday night. Both games drop the puck at 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

The men's hockey team posted a 4-2-0 mark in pre-season non-conference play. After finishing last season as the hottest team in the conference before falling two points short of a playoff berth, the Horns look to get off to a better start this fall. The Horns went 9-2-1 during the second half of last season and were in the race for the final playoff spot up until the final weekend.

The team will return a veteran presence, with only four players not back from last season's squad. The graduations of Jason Roberts and Logan Lavorato leaves a void in the leadership department, while Canada West rookie of the year, Adam Chorneyko, left the team to pursue a pro hockey opportunity.

Five new additions to the Horns are all expected to make significant impacts. Former Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Nick Hotson transferred from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba Bisons, and is eligible to play after sitting out last season. Western Hockey League products Taylor Gal, Daniel Iwanski and Ryan Letts have also been added. Former Ontario Hockey League product Tyler Melancon has also been added to the roster.

The Dinos were just 1-8-0 in pre-season play and were swept by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta two weeks ago when they opened their conference schedule.

The women's hockey team (0-2-0 Canada West, 1-6-0 overall) returns to action after being swept in its opening weekend of the season on the road by the CIS 8^th-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies.

They'll face a Dinos (1-1-0 Canada West) team that boasts Team Canada veteran and female hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser. Wickenheiser has captured six world championships and three Olympic gold medals over a 17-year career with the Canadian national team.

For more on both the men's and women's hockey teams, check out the Horns Athletics website.

UNews - Hayley Wickenheiser

Patterson responds with breakout season

Related Topics

Big weekend for Horns

Related Topics

Pronghorns strong in Europe

Related Topics

Horns hockey opens at home

Related Topics