ACC Cougars travel west to defend Western Shield championship title

ACC's Cougars women’s hockey team are heading to Kamloops, B.C. next week to defend their title at the 2016 Western Shield.

The western Canadian championship for senior women’s hockey runs March 31 to April 3.

“We have practiced and played hard all year together and we are prepared for Westerns,” said Interactive Media Arts student and assistant captain Katie Zacharias. “We know what we need to do to be successful. I think if we play our game, we will do well.” Zacharias led the team in scoring this season with 54 points (29 goals, 25 assists) in 33 games.

“We look forward to and are thankful for the opportunity to defend our title won last year at the Western Shield,” said head coach Terry Arksey. “The team is excited to again represent the province and help further build the foundation of the Cougar’s hockey program.” This year’s squad boasts the best record for the nine-year program going 26-5-3 to date in the 2015-16 season (2014-15: 28-14-1).

Over the weekend, the Cougars will face off against host team Kamloops Vibe; British Columbia representative South Fraser TNT; Alberta representative Grand Prairie Fire; and Saskatchewan representative Canwood Northern.

The Cougars went undefeated at last year’s Western Shield hosted in Stonewall, MB, bringing home gold. This is the third year in a row the Cougars are competing at the Western Shield.

This year’s Western Shield is held as part of a larger celebration and promotion of women’s hockey in Canada, as Kamloops hosts the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Hockey Championship next week.