Former Team Canada national hockey players Carly Haggard and Correne Bredin have a very specific goal – to involve more females in Canada’s passion for hockey.
In order to achieve this goal, the PASS Female Hockey School was started in 2003 by Port Alberni’s Haggard and her college teammate Bredin. The two have been involved in hockey for over 20 years and have played in the majority of the women’s team and championships throughout the world.
Their hockey experiences include receiving US college scholarships to Dartmouth College, a top Div. 1 NCAA school, where they remain the most decorated forward and defenseman female players in the school’s history. After graduation, they played in Canada’s professional women’s leagues and most recently playing internationally in Switzerland and Russia.
The height of their hockey careers was being able to play for Team Canada. Haggard has now taken the next step in her hockey career and was recently named the head coach for the women’s hockey team at the University of Guelph for the 2011-2012 hockey season.
In addition to the many championships and individual honours both players have received, giving back to the sport that has shaped their lives remains an important undertaking. The motivation for launching a female summer hockey school was triggered by a desire to share their experiences and encourage, educate and inspire local players. They also guide local players to the many opportunities available in the world of female hockey.
The results have been remarkable with more than 1,200 participants over the last eight years of operations, coming from throughout Canada, the United States and Japan. Most notable PASS alumni include Jayme Clark, a member of the University of Alberta Panda’s squad, Lisa Mullen, member of the University of Syracuse hockey team and Dominique Dirocco, a former player for the University of BC Thunderbirds. These PASS instructors are now role models for the next generation of hockey players.
“We are not like other hockey schools that teach you for a week and then leave," Haggard said. "We offer ongoing support and mentoring to all camp participants. In addition, PASS supports many female hockey tournaments and events throughout the year. Our staff is involved in BC Hockey’s High Performance program, supporting future high performance players and coaches. It is always very special for me to return home to Vancouver Island every year and work with these girls and to watch them grow and develop,” says Haggard.
The 2011 summer programs are offered at three locations, Parksville, Port Alberni and Victoria. Each program includes on-ice skill development and tactical instruction, hockey specific off-ice training, educational and motivational lectures as well as specialty guest instructors.
The camps go Aug. 2-4 in Parksville, Aug. 6-7 in Victoria and Aug. 8-12 in Port Alberni. For more camp details or information on how to register, check the website at www.passhockey.ca or e-mail info@passhockey.ca.