Queen City Shocker

When someone has been in their job for a quarter of a century, one would hope things are being done right. Sarah Hodges had that tenure as the head coach of the University of Regina Cougars women's hockey team, but it seems things weren't as rosy on the outside as the athletics' department made it appear. In a stunning announcement today, Hodges and the University of Regina reportedly "mutually agreed to part ways" after she had spent the last 25 years as the only head coach of that program. To say this is shocking for most of Canada West is probably an understatement as the pesky Cougars were never seemingly out of a fight for the playoffs and could always be counted on for late-game excitement. It's the end of an era, though, as Hodges will no longer call the shots for the Cougars.

Hodges, as stated above, had 25 years of experience behind the Regina bench after becoming the school's first head for the women's hockey program in 1998-99. That longevity put her in the Canada West record books as she has 588 Canada West regular-season games under her belt, and she found nearly immediate success as Regina won the 2001 Canada West title before falling in the U SPORTS National Championship game by a 4-3 score to the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Cougars played at three National Championship tournaments under her guidance, made the playoffs in 21 of 25 of her years behind the bench, and she was named as the Canada West Coach of the Year in 2015-16.

If you're wondering what led to her leaving the program after all those accolades, there were certainly valleys between the peaks shown in the paragraph above.

For starters, the Cougars haven't won a Canada West playoff game since 2015-16, and they've missed the playoffs in the last two seasons. Those last three seasons saw the Cougars finish in sixth-, ninth-, and eighth-place with that sixth-place finish having them meet the Alberta Pandas who sent them home two games later. In the last three seasons, the Cougars are 18-51-1-6 which is hardly good enough for any league, and there were regular departures from the program long before graduation ceremonies were held. Something wasn't adding up in that final point's case, and it seems that the University of Regina felt the same way.

As Darrell Davis wrote in the Regina Leader-Post, "Lisa Robertson, the university's Director of Sport, Community Engagement and Athlete Development, would not elaborate on the specifics of Hodges' departure, citing 'personnel-related matters' as the reason for confidentiality."

I have absolutely zero proof of any wrong-doing by Hodges at any point in her career, but there have been rumblings in the past about philosophical disagreements between players and the head coach. Whether or not that played any part in today's announcement is for the university to manage, but it seems they went ahead and solved those problems by allowing Hodges to step away from the team.

Hodges released a statement today after the announcement.

"I would like to thank Dick White and Dr. Ralph Nilson for taking a chance on me to lead this program as a young coach, and then giving me the trust and support to do it well and build a successful career.

"I am grateful for every assistant coach who has given me their time and energy for very little reward, and the support staff on campus who have served me and the student-athletes. I am extremely proud of the women who have come through this program to date and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to coach them all. I wish the best to the current players and can't wait to watch this year's batch of recruits develop over the next five years."

It appears that the University of Regina also recognized the effort that Hodges put into getting the program off the ground and running it for 25 years. Lisa Robertson stated,

"We owe Sarah a debt of gratitude for the passion, engagement, and hard work she invested in her student-athletes and the team over the years. Sarah was instrumental in growing this program from its infancy and quickly becoming a national championship contender. Our very best wishes to Sarah as she moves onto the next phase of her career, wherever that may take her."

With Hodges stepping aside, that leaves a massive hole in the program for the first time ever in its history, but the University of Regina also announced today that former Cougars standout Brandy West-McMaster takes over as the interim head coach for the 2024-25 season. She graduated as Regina's all-time leader in goals (80) and points (133), and she was voted as the top player in Canada West in three-straight seasons from 1999-2001. She'll have big shoes to fill in taking over for her former coach, but she brings some solid coaching experience with her after a few stops across Canada.

West-McMaster was an assistant coach for the Saskatchewan U18 program before the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks hired her in 2004 to be an assistant coach for their program. She would only remain with the Golden Hawks for a few months, but she'd find herself at back-to-back Esso Cups in 2010 and 2011 with the Notre Dame Hounds, first as a trainer and again as an assistant coach. She joined the Regina Cougars as an assistant coach in 2011-12 where she'd coach alongside Hodges until 2015, and she's an instructor with Regina's Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies.

Not only was she a fantastic hockey player, but Brandy West-McMaster may have passed on those hockey-loving genes to her daughter as Bailey McMaster committed to the UNB Reds in 2023 where her first season saw her score one goal and two assists in 23 games in the AUS this season. A self-described "two-way player who works hard", McMaster helped the Reds reach the U SPORTS National Championship in Saskatoon this past season, so it seems pretty clear hockey runs deep in that bloodline.

I have no idea what changes Brandy West-McMaster will bring to the Cougars when it comes to systems and strategies, but this was a change I'm not sure anyone was expecting this offseason. Sarah Hodges had been a constant in Canada West since Regina's inclusion into the conference, but the University of Regina decided it was time for a change despite everything Hodges had done for the program.

Best of luck to Sarah Hodges as she moves on with a new chapter in her life, and welcome back to the wild west, Brandy West-McMaster!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!