The Cougars Road to the National Championship

After a long three years, the Assiniboine Community College Cougars have successfully defended their American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 Women’s Hockey National Championship.

Follow along through the Brandon Sun coverage from Perry Bergson, Lucas Punkari and Thomas Friesen to see the Cougars journey to the National Championship

ACC set to defend ACHA title

By: Perry Bergson
Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Monday, Mar. 14, 2022

The Assiniboine Community College Cougars program finds itself in a familiar position today, but most of its players don’t.

The Cougars face the University of Vermont at 12:30 p.m., at the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 championship, but the 2019 winners have just one player on its roster who was on the ice back then, veteran forward Simone Turner.

Head coach Tony Bertone said he’s been preparing his young team for this moment since they gathered together for the first time last fall.

"I know there’s going to be butterflies with the group but we’ve been talking about writing our own chapter with the group since the beginning of the year," Bertone said on Monday from St. Louis, where the tournament is being held this year. "We’ve talked about nationals and I’ve brought some hardware to the rink to practices to show the girls, that this is what we’re wanting to get to.

"We’ve made sure they weren’t going to get here and be all googly eyed and not focused on each opponent, and Simone has stressed that to the girls in all of our meetings. Enjoy the experience but we have to come and have a good start."

The tournament runs from five days from Tuesday until the final on Saturday at 1 p.m. ACC, which enters the tournament as the top-ranked team in the West Region with a 14-1-0-0 record in conference play, arrived on Sunday evening.

After facing Vermont, the fourth-ranked team in the Northeast Region, the Cougars follow up with a game against the Northeast’s third-ranked University of New Hampshire on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., and Central Region’s second-ranked Sault College on Thursday at 12:45.

ACC faced Sault College twice this season, emerging with 6-2 and 2-0 victories on the road in January.

"I’ve stressed that we’re only going to take it one day at a time," Bertone said. "Vermont is our first opponent and we’re going to concentrate on that and not look past each day. We’re just going to play our game."

The top finisher in each of the four pools of four teams advances to the semifinals on Friday afternoon at 1 and 3:30.

Besides getting off to a good start, the other big key is taking care of their own game instead of worrying too much about their first two opponents, who they’ve never seen before.

"Let them play to our game," Bertone said. "We need to have a good start. The (Cougars) know our systems well. Our girls have played it and we’ve practised them and executed them. The last two weeks, we’ve practised lots and gone over it and over it and over it."

The results have spoken for themselves.

The Cougars have won 13 games in a row since dropping a 2-1 decision to the Dakota College at Bottineau Lady Jacks on Nov. 12. The Lady Jacks are also at nationals as the West Region’s second seed but are in a different pool.

ACC was led in conference play by Turner, who had 26 goals and nine assists in 14 games, with Aiden Roberts (13gp, 10g, 16a) and Emmalie Thompson (14gp, 9g, 21a) close behind. "I’ve taken them on some long road trips and they’ve gotten off the buses and they’re played some really, really good hockey," Bertone said. "I love where these girls are at right now in their game."

The tournament wasn’t played in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, so ACC actually returns as defending champions at the 14th edition of the event, which was been moved from Texas to St. Louis, Mo. Bertone said he’s eager to see what this year’s team can do.

"We’re very excited," Bertone said. "I talked with (assistant coach) Terry (Senkbeil) about coming in with 16 rookies and one vet and I wasn’t going to put a lot of pressure on the girls. I was going to take it slow with them, but they bought in right off the hop and just kept growing their game.

"They’re playing really good hockey, and I’m totally excited to see what this group can do."

ACC opens nationals with shutout win over Vermont

By: Lucas Punkari
Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2022

After getting the nerves out of their systems, the Assiniboine Community College Cougars showed why they are the top-ranked team from the West Region at the American Collegiate Hockey Association women’s Division 2 championship.

Emmalie Thompson found the back of the net twice, Simone Turner had a goal and an assist each and Megan Beswitherick stopped all nine shots she faced as the Cougars opened up their Pool C slate on Tuesday with a 4-0 win over the Vermont Catamounts in St. Louis, Mo.

"Normally, all of the nervousness goes away after our warmups, but that wasn’t the case today," Thompson said. "This is the first time here for nearly our entire team and I think we all realized pretty quickly that the competition here is tougher than what we are used to.

"Once we got a handle on everything out there, we got back to playing like we’ve had all season. We worked together as a team to get things done instead of trying to do things individually."

Cougars head coach Tony Bertone noticed a nervous energy from his team during the opening frame and felt that they did a great job of adapting to their surroundings as the game went on.

"You could tell that they were excited, but the butterflies were also there early," Bertone said. "They were squeezing their sticks a little too tight in the first period, but we can totally understand that when you are playing your first game at a national championship.

"After we got that first 20 minutes under our belts, we went to work and we really took it to Vermont in the second and third periods."

It was the top line of Thompson, Turner and Aidan Roberts that did the majority of the damage on offence, with Emma Gamache also scoring on a play that was assisted by Alisz Belanger.

Laci Gaffray recorded an assist on Thompson’s third period power play goal.

"Our goals came together in different ways," Thompson said. "The first goal from Simone was the hardest to get as we just needed to get on the scoreboard before the end of the first period, but then it was a mix of everything. I got the last goal on the power play, but our other two goals came with speed and some luck.

"It was just about getting in the right place at the right time today. We have different types of breakouts that we use, but we just couldn’t seem to get anything going in the first period. We talked things over during the intermission and that seemed to turn everything around as it all started to click on offence after that."

It was a quiet afternoon at the other end of the rink, as Bestherwick only faced a pair of shots during the final 40 minutes.

"Megan’s joked with me about how she’s not used to facing 10 to 15 shots a game compared to when she played for Central Plains (Capitals)," Bertone said.

"We have to give a ton of credit to the defence though as they did a great job for us today. They have no problem standing up and taking a puck to the shin pads. They blocked a lot of shots this afternoon and they were there to clean up any rebounds that were left behind."

Madeline Taubkin made 33 saves for the Catamounts in the loss.

The Cougars will return to action this afternoon at 12:30 p.m. against the New Hampshire Wildcats before wrapping up pool play Thursday with a 12:45 p.m. matchup with the Sault College Cougars.

"We don’t know much about New Hampshire but we’re going to go in with the same game plan that we did against Vermont," Bertone said. "We want to use our speed and get as many pucks on net as we can, as those two things really turned the tide for us in our first game."

The top team from each of the four pools will advance to the semifinal round Friday, with the championship game slated for Saturday afternoon.

ACC blanks New Hampshire; one win from semis

By: Thomas Friesen
Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Thursday, Mar. 17, 2022

Even though the Assiniboine Community College Cougars aren’t starting the way they’d like, hot goaltending makes them tough to beat.

Geneva Penner earned a 25-save shutout as the Cougars blanked the University of New Hampshire Wildcats 5-0 in their second Pool C game at the American Collegiate Hockey Association women’s Division 2 national championship in St. Louis on Wednesday.

"Great game. (Penner) covered up all the pucks and deflected pucks to the corners, made it easy for the D," said Cougars head coach Tony Bertone. "They were trying to play our game and dump and chase on us but she … wasn’t scared to come out and set up pucks for the D.

"… I could see that they were trying to play our game against us but we just played a lot smarter."

That’s 120 straight minutes void of pucks entering ACC’s net after Megan Beswitherick stopped all nine shots in a 4-0 triumph over Vermont on Tuesday.

Bertone’s initial thoughts, however, were that his group could have been a lot better in the opening period again. He said the team agrees.

"The first thing I ask them, ‘What’d you think of that first period?’ ‘Nah, that wasn’t a good start. We didn’t do it again.’ They know, they’re smart hockey players so they know. We don’t harp on it," Bertone said.

"… I don’t know if it’s natty (national) nerves or what it is with this group here but I’m trying to get them settled down for first-period hockey.

"They just seem to be a little more nervous, this group … (periods) two and three are good."

Cora Fijala got the Cougars on the board in the last minute of the first, then Jensen Shearer and Simone Turner lit the lamp early in the middle frame.

Emmalie Thompson extended the lead with a power-play marker after the game’s lone penalty in the third and Turner added her second of the game with 53 seconds remaining.

Bertone felt the last 40 minutes were solid as the Cougars racked up 54 shots.

"Hard work and getting pucks in deep, that’s our game. That’s the thing is we gotta just capitalize on those opportunities," he said. "We got 16 rookies and usually you have some vets that lead the way. Simone’s by herself this year, she’s the only one that’s participated in the national tournament so it’s all new for these girls."

There isn’t much room for error in this tournament. It’s set up for each of the four pools’ top two teams to meet today. Both ACC and Sault College, which it plays at 12:45 p.m., are 2-0 and only one can advance to the semifinals against the Pool A winner.

They met twice in the regular season as ACC recorded 6-2 and 2-0 victories. Turner had a hat trick in the first game and netted both markers in the rematch.

"We know Sault, we’ve played them twice so maybe that’s got something to do with Vermont and New Hampshire," Bertone said. "We don’t know anything about them so we end up playing not our game, a little more defensive."

ACC advances to ACHA final four

By: Lucas Punkari
Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Thursday, Mar. 17, 2022

The lone returning player from the Assiniboine Community College Cougars’ national title-winning team in 2019 led her team to a return appearance in the final four at the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 nationals in St. Louis, Mo.

Cougars captain Simone Turner had all three goals on Thursday afternoon as ACC defeated the Sault College Cougars by a score of 3-1 to finish first in Pool C with a 3-0 record.

With the win, the Cougars will now face the Northeastern Huskies at 1:30 p.m. today in the semifinal round.

"I feel pretty fortunate with how the puck just seems to be flying off of my stick at the moment," Turner said. "I put a lot of work in during the summer and I feel like it’s all paying off right now in helping the team get the win.

"Everyone’s super pumped up right now. To get down here and reach the point that we’ve been working towards all season long is really exciting."

While the Cougars outscored their oppositions by a 12-1 margin in pool play, head coach Tony Bertone lamented the team’s slow starts in their wins over the New Hampshire Wildcats and the Vermont Catamounts.

That wasn’t the case on Thursday.

"We knew that Sault College was going to bring their A-game and our girls played at that level for all three periods," Bertone said. "Everyone knew what was at stake today with the winner going to the semifinal.

"I’m proud of how the girls started the game and finished the game. It was some really exciting hockey between both teams and we even had a fan come up and tell us that was probably the best game they’ve seen so far at nationals."

The contest marked the third time that the two Cougars’ sides had played each other this season.

ACC picked up 6-2 and 2-0 triumphs in the middle of January over the Ontario-based side in a pair of games that were played across the border in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

"They are a hard-working team and we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game," Turner said.

"What we saw today was the same thing we faced back in January and that’s what makes them a fun team to play against."

Turner, who leads the team in scoring at the tournament with eight points in three games, scored twice in the first period and potted an empty-net marker with 30 seconds left in regulation.

Aidan Roberts, Cora Fijala and Jenna McLennan all recorded assists in the triumph, while Megan Beswitherick stopped 13 shots.

Erika Beitz had the lone goal for Sault College, which received a 26-save performance from Gabreilla Corbiere.

While the Cougars have yet to face Northeastern, the coaching staff got to see them in action on Thursday as they skated to a 5-2 win over the Delaware Blue Hens to finish first in Pool A.

"They are pretty similar to us style-wise and they play with some speed," Bertone said. "It should be another exciting game."

"We’ve stressed playing a team game all season and that’s helped us so far this week," Turner added. "We need to keep doing that now that we are in the playoffs."

Cougars headed back to national final

By: Lucas Punkari
Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Friday, Mar. 18, 2022

The Assiniboine Community College Cougars are one win away from retaining their American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 women’s national championship.

The Cougars — who have held on to the crown since 2019 after the last two tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — picked up their 17th straight victory Friday afternoon with a 5-3 semifinal triumph over the Northeastern Huskies in St. Louis, Mo.

They will take to the ice for the final at 1 p.m. today against the Dakota College at Bottineau Ladyjacks.

The Ladyjacks, who feature Neepawa’s Jessica Wither, Carberry’s Zoe Cupples, Waywayseecappo’s Trinity Tanner and Dauphin’s Jaida Chartrand, advanced with a 5-0 performance against the Boston College Eagles in their semifinal matchup.

Although the Cougars have only one player — captain Simone Turner — back from their championship-winning side from three years ago, they are approaching the title game with a business as usual approach.

“I thought there would be some more excitement and cheering once we got back to the locker room,” forward Aidan Roberts said after the game. “Don’t get me wrong, there was some of that, but it didn’t last for very long.

“We’ve already moved on to thinking ahead about the championship game and what we need to in ordered to be dialled in once the puck drops.”

The Cougars reached the semifinal by going a perfect 3-0 in Pool C play with wins over the Vermont Catamounts, New Hampshire Wildcats and Sault College Cougars.

Although they outscored their opponents by a 15-2 margin, head coach Tony Bertone noted that their starts weren’t the greatest in their wins over Vermont and New Hampshire.

A similar situation occurred on Friday as the Huskies outshot the Cougars 8-3 and held a 1-0 lead after an early goal by Emily Pollis.

“It felt like that when we’re going up against a team that we don’t know all that well, we’re holding our sticks a little bit too tight and playing nervously during the first period,” Bertone said. “Once we came back out for the second period, we found our game once again and played to the level we know we can.

“This group of girls are unbelievable. They don’t get down on the bench. They stay positive on the bench and if they have a bad shift, they just shrug it off and get ready to have a better one the next time they get out on the ice. It’s pretty impressive the way they operate.”

It was the Cougars top line that provided the damage on offence.

Turner recorded her second hat trick in as many games and also had an assist in the triumph, while Roberts had two goals and an assist, and Emmalie Thompson dished out two helpers.

“Emmalie probably could have had a couple of goals as well, but she just wasn’t getting the bounces today,” Bertone said.

“I don’t think there’s a better line in D2 and I think all three of these girls could play well at the D1 level. When those three get down low and start cycling the puck, the other teams start scrambling trying to keep up with them. They are so quick and fast and they know where are going be, which allows them to make those tic-tac-toe passes that end up being goals.”

Jenna McLennan, Madison Barteaux and Cora Fijala all had assists for the Cougars, who received a 22-save showing from Geneva Penner.

In addition to Pollis’ opening period marker, the Huskies also got goals from Caitlin Delano and Ariana Soldano.

Caroline Davis turned aside 10 shots in the loss.

The Cougars opponent in the title game is one that they are very familiar with as they’ve played the Ladyjacks three times this season.

After suffering a 2-1 defeat at the Sportsplex on Nov. 12, which is the last setback the team has had, the Cougars rebounded with a 2-1 home win the following morning.

They also skated to a 5-1 triumph on Feb. 25 in Bottineau, N.D.

“If we keep sticking together like we have all year long, I think we have a good chance of coming away with the win,” Roberts said.

“We’ve battled through some adversity this week with the slow starts and I think that positive environment we have is going to help us out. You aren’t going to win if you have a bad attitude.”

ACC defends ACHA title with 2-1 win

By: Perry Bergson
Posted: 7:43 PM CDT Saturday, Mar. 19, 2022

It took them three years to do it, but the Assiniboine Community College Cougars defended their American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 women’s hockey championship with a 2-1 victory over the Dakota College-Bottineau Ladyjacks on Saturday in St. Louis.

Alecia Simpson gave ACC the lead late in the first period and Simone Turner scored the winning goal early in the third period to break a 1-1 tie as the clubs played to a 2-1 outcome for the third time this season.

"It feels amazing," Simpson said after the game. "It was such a good game and everyone had to buy in and now we're going to celebrate as a team. It feels good."

Head coach Tony Bertone said his team, which went a perfect 5-0 at the national championship and 20-2 overall, played well in the final, outshooting their opponents 30-10.

"It was nerve-racking in the first and second," Bertone said. "With 16 rookies and one vet — none of the (rookies) had played in nationals before — usually you have six or seven players you can lean on to settle things down but we didn't have that group.

"For this game, we were nervous for two periods. We weren't playing our game but in the third, these girls came out on fire. I think we only gave them two shots in the third period."

The teams had recent history, meeting in mid-November for a doubleheader at the Sportsplex, with both earning a 2-1 victory. The defeat on Nov. 12 was the last loss the Cougars suffered this season.

"Every single game we had to go as hard as we could," Simpson said. "We knew going in that we had to push because they were going to give us a good battle."

It was a close game on the score clock but not in zone time or on the shot clock. ACC was able to use its forecheck and cycle to keep the Dakota College hemmed in their own zone for long stretches.

"Man they were working," Bertone said of his players. "You could just tell they wanted it for each other. It was just the greatest feeling in the world to have back to back for Brandon and for the college and for everybody who supports us and puts in all the hard work."

The Cougars created some problems for themselves in the first period when they took back-to-back minors, but they managed to kill them both and took the lead 18 minutes 55 seconds into the first period when Simpson stole a pass between defencemen at the ACC blue-line and scored on a long breakaway.

"It was a D to D pass," Simpson said. "Bottineau likes to go for those hard shots from the point so I just picked it up in the middle and had a breakaway down the ice.

"The puck was rolling really hard and I was trying to settle it down and I decided just to shoot it and it went in."

The puck found a spot under the arm of goaltender Chloe Burt on the blocker side.

The Ladyjacks knotted the game 1-1 when Jessica Shankle replied 6:56 into the second period.

"The goal they got was a dandy. (ACC goalie Megan Beswitherick) played strong and she just gave a little hole on the top of the net, and by God, that girl found it," Bertone said with a laugh. "That was a great shot."

ACC appeared to have retaken the lead on a power play a few minutes later — they actually had a 90-second five-on-three — but the goal was quickly waved off after it was judged to have gone in off a high stick.

That sent the teams into the third period tied with a national championship on the line, and naturally it was ACC’s scoring leader, Turner, who responded when she converted on a pass by Aidan Roberts 4:43 into the period.

"My linemate hustled for the puck and I think she just had an idea I was coming down the middle," Turner said. "She ripped it out front and I was there and I got a stick on it."

The Ladyjacks sent the Cougars to back-to-back power plays again — ACC went 0-for-5 on the power play, while Dakota College was scoreless in two chances — but the Cougars were unable to add an insurance marker.

As it turned out, they didn't need it.

Still, it was an anxious ACC bench in the final minutes.

"It was very exciting," Simpson said. "Everyone's hearts were racing and we were just pushing as hard as we could. Everyone was going as hard as we could."

The wild celebration after the final whistle is something only Turner had experienced before.

ACC earned its first title on March 31, 2019 in Texas with a 1-0 win over the Minot State University Beavers, and due to the COVID-related cancellations of the 2020 and 2021 events, made an unlikely return in 2022 as defending champions.

Turner scored the winning goal and was named tournament MVP both times.

"Honestly, I had no idea what was going to happen coming into this week," Turner said. "I knew I had a good team beside me and I really just hoped for the best. Fortunately the bounces went our way and I guess I was on fire this week. I knew what to expect coming in a bit and I just didn't want to lose."

Bertone was just happy he had his captain on board. Turner has indicated to him she will return for a fifth and final year, so they may still have more memories to make.

"What a trooper," Bertone said. "That kid is unbelievable. She is a born leader. She's going to do amazing things in life. She's just a great person and cares, and nurtures these girls and brings them along. She's been through it all."