2015-2016 Building Champions in Life and Sport The OWHA would like to congratulate some of their athletes for their tremendous accomplishments this season. 2016 U18 Women’s World Championships: Canada’s Top 3 Players Award: Lindsay Agnew, Oakville, ON (Mississauga PWHL) Kristin O’Neill, Oakville, ON (Stoney Creek PWHL) Jaime Bourbonnais, Mississauga, ON (Oakville PWHL) 2015 U18 National Championships Award Winners: Top Defence: Jaime Bourbonnais, Mississauga, ON (Oakville PWHL) Top Forward: Lindsay Agnew, Oakville, ON (Mississauga PWHL) Most Sportsmanlike Player: Celine Frappier, Tecumseh, ON (Toronto PWHL) 2016 Esso Cup Award Winners: Top Forward: Nicole Kelly, Brantford ON (Brantford MAA) Top Defence: Paige Cohoon, St. George, ON (Brantford MAA) Top Scorer: Nicole Kelly, Brantford ON (Brantford MAA) Esso Cup MVP: Nicole Kelly, Brantford ON (Brantford MAA) The OWHA registered a team in the FANFIT challenge for the first time on April 30, 2016. FANFIT is an intense multi-station total fitness challenge where each participant is measured again a field of peers and top athletes. Congratulations to Shelby Barton of Whitby, ON (Kingston PWHL) for becoming the National Female FANFIT Champion! TABLE OF CONTENTS OWHA Executive Summary 2 OWHA Sanctioned Tournaments 5 OWHA Provincial Championship Stats & New Membership 6 OWHA Provincial Champions 7 OWHA Registration Report 8 OWHA Registration Statistics 9 OWHA Certification Clinics 10 Development Programs 11 Quest for Gold & CWHL Clarkson Cup & All Star Game 12 PWHL & OUA CIS Championships 13 2016 National Aboriginal Championship 14 2016 Esso Cup Female Midget National Championship 15 2015 U18 National Championship Team Blue 16 2015 U18 National Championship Team Red 17 OWHA All Time National /U18 National Women’s Team List 18 2016 IIHF Women’s U18 World Championship 19 2015 Four Nations Cup 20 2016 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship 21 2015-2016 OWHA Discipline Report Summary 22 2015-2016 OWHA Discipline Chart 24 2015-2016 Suspension by Division Graphs 26 2015-2016 Injury Report 27 2015 World Girls Hockey Weekend Summary of Events 28 2015 World Girls Long Game Information 29 In Loving Memory 30 Dodge Caravan Kids 32 ONTARIO WOMEN’S HOCKEY ASSOCIATION 225 Watline Avenue, Mississauga, Ontario, L4Z 1P3 Tel: 905-282-9980 Fax: 905-282-9982 www.owha.on.ca [email protected] 1 ONTARIO WOMEN’S HOCKEY ASSOCIATION PUTTING the PLAYER FIRST PARTICIPATION + DEVELOPMENT + EXCELLENCE = Game ON The Ontario Women’s Hockey Association extends its most sincere congratulations and thanks to our teammates throughout Ontario who work tirelessly to provide opportunities for players of all ages and skill levels to enjoy female hockey and to gain positive life skills and experiences. We thank Premier Wynne, Minister Couteau and the staff in the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport for their recognition of the OWHA as the Provincial Sports Organization (PSO) for Female Hockey in the Province of Ontario. We are thrilled with the release of Game ON – the Ontario Government’s Sports Plan and look forward to its positive impact on hockey and sport in this province. We enjoy a strong relationship with other PSO members and support our members to be multi-sport athletes which will enhance their athleticism and life experiences. Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan is a sport-focussed, athlete-centred and results-oriented plan. The plan builds on a strong existing foundation of sport organizations, programs and investments. It recognizes the many ways in which organized sport can be good for people and communities, from the obvious health benefits of physical activity to the economic benefits of major events. The plan has identified three priorities for amateur sport in this province – participation, development and excellence. The plan is designed to support a system that encourages as many people as possible to play organized sports, and to retain participants in those sports by developing the passion and skills of the athletes. The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan encourages life-long participation and engagement in sport and physical activity. Participation: All athletes are better able to participate in safe, organized sport. Opportunities are available for all Ontarians to get involved in organized sport. Athletes participating in organized sport are provided with a positive experience. OWHA teams and association welcome girls and women of all ages and abilities. Registration numbers need to rise and we are encouraging each member to meet and exceed the challenge issued by Hockey Canada President, Tom Renney, to reach one million (1,000,000) participants by 2020. This means that all members in Hockey Canada will need to increase registration by 40%, including OWHA. The OWHA offers a welcoming environment to all communities. As examples, some OWHA associations have developed brochures in Mandarin to encourage the Chinese communities while others have worked with local mosques to encourage young Muslim girls to play hockey. Many associations are working hard to address the costs of hockey and to find ways to accommodates children in low income families, recognizing the challenges of sustainability. The aboriginal community has always had a strong presence and Team Ontario successfully captured the silver medals at the National Aboriginal Championship in Mississauga this May. Safety is a priority in the OWHA with its PAWSitive Values, the driving force towards rewarding on and off- ice experiences that support the physical development and emotional health of each and every person. The OWHA will continue to expand its success in achieving the Government’s objective to narrow the gender gap in sport participation. The OWHA’s 100% focus on Female Hockey is a proven structural model in the sports world. A global survey of 400 women executives found that 94 per cent participated in sport and 74 per cent agreed that a background in sport can help accelerate a woman’s leadership and career potential. 2 Development: Athletes receive the right support as their skills develop. Athletes have access to trained coaches, officials and volunteers as they progress through the development pathway overseen by effective PSO. Players throughout the province are developing team and individual skills as the calibre of the game continues to increase as teams came together to compete and celebrate the scope of Female Hockey at the OWHA Provincial Championships. In addition to the competitive side of the game, house leagues continue to grow and provide opportunities for players learning the game as they strive to move onto higher level teams and also for athletes who prefer this level of participation. A focus on a welcoming environment continues as a priority of the OWHA. Coaches and team staff are key players in skill development, team play and fair play. Many players, teams and games continue to be aware and support for Do It For Daron (DIFD) and mental health awareness. Studies continue to demonstrate that fun is a key component for athletes at even the highest level of sport. The OWHA officiating program continues to thrive under the exceptional leadership of OWHA Referee-in- Chief, Laurie Taylor Bolton, and a professional team of instructors and supervisors. The OWHA held multiple certification clinics, specialty seminars including scheduling and supervising the PWHL, OUA, CWHL OWHA Provincial Championships and Under 18 National Championships. The OWHA was disappointed with the cancellation of the 2015 Ontario Winter Games but is thrilled to be a part of the 2016 Ontario Summer Games that will be held August 11-14 in Mississauga. This is a great opportunity to run development programs for our Under 16 players, as well as participating coaches, team staff and on-ice officials. It is an exciting chance for participants to share a multi-sport Games with other sports. Athletic financial awards for Canadian Interuniversity Sport athletes totaled $7.4 million for men compared to $5.3 million for women in 2013. Excellence: Athletes can pursue excellence in high-performance sport. Athletes have competitive training and development opportunities, access to the latest high- performance programs, services, facilities and technologies and we are led by quality coaches, technical leaders and sport science and medicine experts. The OWHA had an incredibly successful season at the High Performance Level sending 4 teams to 3 National Championships, bringing home 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals. Team Ontario Red won the gold medals at the U18 National Women’s Hockey Championship with Team Ontario Blue taking the bronze medals. At the 2016 Esso Cup, National Female Midget Championship, Brantford exhibited an outstanding performance, both on and off the ice, capturing gold medals against very tough competition. We also congratulate Team Ontario on its silver medal performance at the 2016 National Aboriginal Championship in Mississauga. Hockey Canada came away with 3 silver medals in International competition. The OWHA placed 11 players on the National U18 team, 11 on the National Women’s Team at the Four Nations Cup and 9 on the National Women’s Team at the World Championship. We congratulate all teams on their performance. Opportunities continue to grow in the OUA/CIS with more young players considering the strength of both the academic and hockey programs. We congratulate the University of Guelph on capturing the OUA Championship. The CWHL Clarkson Cup championship was captured by Calgary Inferno in an exciting game in Ottawa against Montreal Stars in front of many OWHA supporters. We congratulate the winners and also commend Brampton Thunder, Toronto Furies and Boston Blades on a great season. With the support of the Ministry, the OWHA carded 22 Ontario Athletes through Quest for Gold. 3 A highlight of the season for the OWHA was the hosting of the 2016 National U18 Championship in Huntsville and the 2016 IIHF U18 World Women’s Hockey Championship in St. Catharines. We sincerely thank the host committees and communities who did an outstanding job taking both events to new levels.