Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's ice hockey
| Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
| University | Wilfrid Laurier University |
| Conference | OUA West Division |
| First season | 1994-95 |
| Head coach | Kelly Paton 8th season |
| Assistant coaches | Steve Langdon and Nik Knezic |
| Captain(s) | Hayley Szymanowski |
| Arena | Golden Hawks Athletic Complex Waterloo, Ontario |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Mascot | Golden Hawk |
| U Sports tournament champions | |
| 2004-05 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| 1998-99, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2013-14 | |
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's ice hockey team is the women's college ice hockey team that represents the Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. The team competes as a member of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), under the U Sports association. The Golden Hawks play their home games at Sunlife Financial Arena.
Since joining the OUA in the 1994–95 season, the team has won 11 OUA provincial titles and 1 U Sports national title (2004–05).[1]
The current coach is former New Hampshire Wildcats Hockey East All-Star forward Kelly Paton, who took over in 2018.[2] Also a former player for the Boston Blades, Paton had previously coached the Western Mustangs women's hockey team as well as the London Devilettes of the Provincial Women's Hockey League.
Prior to Paton, the head coach was Rick Osborne. Osborne joined the team in 2003 and brought the team to 9 provincial championships and the only national title they have won. He retired after 15 seasons.[3][4]
History
The Laurier women's ice hockey program began in the 1994–95 season and since the 1998–99 season has dominated women's hockey in the OUA Ontario University Athletics. They have been champions 10 times since that 1998 season. Winning the OUA championship in 1998/99, 2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10, and 2011/12 seasons.
In the 2024-25 season, Paton was recognized as the OUA Coach of the Year. Among the highlights of the season, the Golden Hawks were nationally ranked for the first time since 2014, and they did not allow a shorthanded goal [5] For 2025-26, she followed it up with a first place finish in the OUA West Division, as the Golden Hawks won 21 of 26 games, emerging with the best record in the conference.[6]
Season-by-season results
| Won Championship | Lost Championship | Conference Champions | League Leader |
| GP | Games played | W | Wins | L | Losses |
| SOW | Shootout Wins | SOL | Shootout Losses | PTS | Points |
| GF | Goals For | GA | Goals Against |
| Season | Coach | GP | W | L | SOW | SOL | PTS | Finish | GF | GA | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Kelly Paton | 26 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 60 | 1st, OUA West | 76 | 30 | Won First Round vs Brock, |
| 2024-25 | Kelly Paton | 26 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 3rd, OUA West | 63 | 47 | Lost, First Round vs Waterloo |
| 2023-24 | Kelly Paton | 28 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 3rd, OUA West | 61 | 68 | Lost, First Round vs Waterloo |
| 2022-23 | Kelly Paton | 26 | 4 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 6th, OUA West | 30 | 72 | Did not qualify |
| 2021-22 | Kelly Paton | 15 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 13th, OUA | 13 | 31 | Did not qualify |
Season team scoring champion
| Year | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26[7] | Clara Chisholm | 26 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 4 |
| 2024-25[8] | Clara Chisholm | 26 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 6 |
| 2023-24[9] | Hayley Szymanowski | 28 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 8 |
| 2022-23[10] | Hayley Szymanowski | 26 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 |
| 2021-22[11] | Emily Visser | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
Team captains
- 2025-26: Hayley Szymanowski
- 2024-25: Hayley Szymanowski
- 2023-24: Hayley Szymanowski
- 2022-23: Steph Caleca C, Emily Lange A
Awards and honours
- Forward - Andrea Ironside, 2008/2009 Women's Hockey U Sports Championship Tournament All-Star
- Forward - Andrea Ironside, Monday, November 24, 2008, Laurier Athlete of the Week
- Goaltender - Liz Knox, 2010 Outstanding Woman of Laurier
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2006/2007 Women's Hockey OUA Most Valuable Player
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2008/2009 Women's Hockey OUA Most Valuable Player
U Sports honours
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2004/2005 U Sports Women's Hockey All Rookie Team
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2006/2007 U Sports Women's Hockey First Team All-Canadian
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2006/2007 U Sports Tournament All-Star
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2007/2008 U Sports Women's Hockey First Team All-Canadian
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2008/2009 U Sports Women's Hockey First Team All-Canadian
- Forward - Andrea Ironside, 2009 Second Team
- Forward - Andrea Ironside, 2010 U Sports Tournament All-Star
- Goaltender - Liz Knox, 2010 Brodrick Trophy, U Sports MVP
- Goaltender - Liz Knox, 2010 All-U Sports First Team
- Defence - Alannah Wakefield, 2011 U Sports all-rookie team
U Sports Tournament honours
- Laurissa Kenworthy, 2007 U Sports Tournament All-Stars
Academic All-Canadian honours
- Kate Psota (2009)
All-Canadian honours
- Defence -Andrea Bevan, 2004/2005 U Sports Women's Hockey All Rookie Team
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2006/2007 U Sports Women's Hockey First Team All-Canadian
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2007/2008 U Sports Women's Hockey First Team All-Canadian
- Defence - Andrea Bevan, 2008/2009 U Sports Women's Hockey First Team All-Canadian
- Forward - Andrea Ironside, 2009 Second Team
- Defence - Alannah Wakefield, 2011 U Sports all-rookie team
OUA honours
- Andrea Bevan, 2006/2007 Women's Hockey OUA Most Valuable Player
- Andrea Bevan, 2008/2009 Women's Hockey OUA Most Valuable Player
- Clara Chisholm, 2024-25 OUA Rookie of the Year [12]
- Arielle MacDonald, 2024-25 OUA True Sport Award [13]
- Kelly Paton, 2024-25 OUA Coach of the Year [12]
- Kelly Paton, 2025-26 OUA West Coach of the Year [14]
- Sarah Howell, Laurier, 2025-26 OUA West Goaltender of the Year [14]
OUA All-Stars
- Andrea Bevan, 2008/2009 Women's Hockey OUA First Team All-Star
- Andrea Ironside, 2008/2009 Women's Hockey OUA First Team All-Star
- Alicia Martin, 2011/2012 Women's Hockey OUA First Team All-Star [15]
Golden Hawks in pro hockey
| = CWHL All-Star | = NWHL All-Star | = Clarkson Cup Champion | = Isobel Cup Champion |
| Player | Position | Team(s) | League(s) | Years | Titles |
| Elysia Desmier | Forward | Brampton Thunder | CWHL | 2 | |
| Cindy Eadie | Goaltender | Brampton Thunder | CWHL | 2 | |
| Andrea Ironside[16] | Forward | Brampton Thunder | CWHL | 2 | |
| Liz Knox | Goaltender | Brampton Thunder Melbourne Ice Markham Thunder |
CWHL AIWHL CWHL 2019 CWHL All-Star Game captain |
7 | 2018 Clarkson Cup |
| Ashley Stephenson | Forward | Burlington Barracudas | CWHL |
International
- Andrea Bevan Canada: 2009 Winter Universiade [17]
- Andrea Ironside Canada: 2009 Winter Universiade
- Liz Knox Canada: 2011 Winter Universiade[18]
- Alicia Martin Canada: 2011 Winter Universiade[19]
- Laura Brooker Canada: 2015 Winter Universiade[20]
- Kelly Paton, Head Coach Canada: 2025 World Winter University Games [21]
References
- ^ "Ontario University Athletics (OUA)". www.oua.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ "Kelly Paton named head coach of Golden Hawks WHKY program". www.laurierathletics.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ "Longtime women's hockey coach Rick Osborne announces retirement". Campus Magazine. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ Modi, Namish (2018-01-18). "Legendary Laurier coach Osborne announces retirement". WaterlooChronicle.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ "Kelly Paton named OUA women's hockey coach of the year". www.laurierathletics.com. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ "Golden Hawks clinch first overall in OUA with senior night victory". www.laurierathletics.com. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ "2025–26 Ice hockey Statistics – Laurier". OUA.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ "2024–25 Ice hockey Statistics – Laurier". OUA.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ "2023–24 Ice hockey Statistics – Laurier". OUA.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ "2022–23 Ice hockey Statistics – Laurier". OUA.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ "2021–22 Ice hockey Statistics – Laurier". OUA.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ a b "Trio of teams take home multiple awards to headline accolades on ice". 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
- ^ Poluuschuk, Dan (2025-03-12). "Arielle MacDonald becomes first Golden Hawks to receive OUA True Sport Award". laurierathletics.com. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ a b "Hudson, Heard headline women's hockey's highest hobours". OUA.ca. 2026-03-11. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ "Four Gryphons named OUA All-Stars". University of Guelph Athletics. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Who’s Who in Women’s Hockey Guide: 2015-16 edition, p. 45, by Richard Scott, Up North Productions, Limoges, Ontario, ISBN 978-1-32-080676-3
- ^ "CAN Announces Women's Ice Hockey Team for Harbin". fisu.net. January 9, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Michael Hayakawa, Stouffville Sun-Tribune (January 19, 2011). "Stouffville's Knox to represent Canada again". yorkregion.com. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "2011 WU Update: CIS Announces Canadian Women's Ice Hockey Coaches & Roster". www.fisu.net/. 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
- ^ "2015 Winter Universiade: CIS announces Canadian women's hockey roster". universitysport.prestosports.com. 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Laurier Kelly Paton to coach Canadian women's team at 2025 FISU World Winter University Games". en.usports.ca. 2024-10-12. Retrieved 2026-03-05.