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York's Church named head coach of Canada's national women's under-18 team
TORONTO - Hockey Canada announced Thursday that York Lions
women's head coach Dan Church will serve as head coach of Canada's
national women's under-18 team for the 2009-10 season, including a
three-game series versus the United States' women's under-18 select
team in Calgary in late August and the 2010 IIHF World Women's
Under-18 Championship next spring in the United States.
In addition, it was announced that Pierre Alain
(St-Jérôme) and Lisa Jordan (Saint Mary's University)
will join Church behind the bench as assistant coaches.
"All three of the coaches we have named today have extensive
experience in Canada's national women's program," said Julie Healy,
Hockey Canada's director of female hockey. "The national women's
under-18 team is an important step in the Program of Excellence,
and we are confident we have chosen three coaches who will continue
the development of Canada's up-and-coming female players."
Church, who has been the head coach of the women's team at York for
the past five seasons, was the head coach of Canada's national
women's under-22 team during the 2007-08 season, leading it to a
7-0 record - the first perfect season in the history of the U22
program - and a gold medal at the 2008 Air Canada Cup in
Ravensburg, Germany. This past season he guided Team Canada to the
inaugural gold medal at the 24th FISU Winter Universiade in Harbin,
China. He has also served as an assistant coach with the national
women's under-22 team during the 2006-07 season, winning a gold
medal at the 2007 Air Canada Cup. As an assistant under former
national women's team head coach Karen Hughes, Church won a CIAU
(now CIS) national championship with the University of Toronto's
women's hockey team in 2001.
Alain moves to the under-18 program after two seasons with Canada's
national women's under-22 team, having served as an assistant coach
during the 2008-09 season and as video coach in 2007-08, winning a
gold medal at the 2008 Air Canada Cup and silver at the same event
in 2009. He led St-Jérôme to a perfect 27-0 season and
a CEGEP championship in 2007-08, the fifth championship in six
seasons for the Cheminots. Alain was also head coach of Team Quebec
at the 2007 Canada Winter Games, winning a bronze medal.
Jordan has been the head coach of the women's team at Saint Mary's
for the past 11 seasons and served as an assistant coach with
Canada's national women's team during the 2007-08 season, winning a
gold medal at the 2007 4 Nations Cup and silver at the 2008 IIHF
World Women's
Championship. She was also head coach of Canada's national women's
under-22 Team in 2005-06, winning a gold medal at the 2006 Air
Canada Cup, and was an assistant coach with the U22 team for two
seasons (2003-05), winning Air Canada Cup gold in 2004 and 2005.
Jordan has led the Huskies to three Atlantic University Sport (AUS)
championships (1998, 2002, 2003), including a perfect 16-0 season
in 2002-03, when she was named both AUS and CIS coach of the
year.
The coaches, along with Canada's scouting staff, will work together
to choose Canada's national women's under-18 team for the 2009-10
season. The U18 hopefuls will gather in Calgary for the national
women's under-18 team selection camp from July 23-30.
The roster for the selection camp will be announced in early
July.
For more information on Canada's national women's teams and Hockey
Canada's Program of Excellence, visit www.hockeycanada.ca.
Source:
Alyson Grant
Sport & Recreation Information Officer
York University
With files from Hockey Canada
