Back in the Cougars' den

Just three years ago, the Cougars women’s hockey team made Mount Royal history by taking home the U SPORTS national crown in spectacular fashion. Although seeded eighth at the start of the tournament, the Cougars scrapped their way to the finals, ultimately eking out a win against the reigning national champions, the Concordia Stingers. It was a classic nail-biter, with the Cougars scoring a tying goal with less than two seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime. After securing the title of the top team in the nation, several players walked away from their team with both a national championship and their university degree under their suspenders.

One of those players was 2023 Bachelor of Health and Physical Education — Physical Literacy alumna Tatum Amy, who was captain of the team in her final year. She had just completed a storybook season, leading all of U SPORTS in assists (24), and topping Canada West scoring with 31 total points. She was named Canada West’s women’s hockey Player of the Year and the Canada West Female Athlete of the Year for 2022/23, the league's top honour.

Now, she is back in a new role as lead assistant coach for her alma mater and her former winning squad.

“It's exciting to have Tatum back again with our program. Feels like she is coming home,” says Head Coach Scott Rivett, who has led the women’s team for 14 years. “She had a massive impact as an athlete in our program and there is no doubt she will have as big of an impact now as a coach.”

Switching lines

After leaving MRU, Amy was signed with the then-Premier Hockey Federation’s Buffalo Beauts and was looking forward to playing professionally. Unfortunately, the league was sold in 2023 and its teams dissolved to form the foundation of the new Professional Women's Hockey League. In the negotiations, Buffalo was not included among the cities that would host a team. Keen to continue playing, Amy accepted a spot on the Sweden’s Leksand IF roster and played a season in Scandinavia with and against athletes on national lineups with Olympic credits to their names.

The European experience taught Amy new communication skills and reinforced how important giving back is to her. The key difference between being a professional athlete and a student athlete was the extra downtime. While playing, she completed the Hockey Canada coaching mentorship program.

“I got a little bit of a taste of it that way, and I thought, ‘This is really fun.’ But, I think at the time I was still playing and just really had my player cap on. I'm like, ‘I don't know if I am going to be any good at this or if I am going to like it.’ "

It was all-women spring coaching programs with Kelsey Leifson (also an assistant coach with the Cougars) called Catalyst that helped seal the deal for Amy.

“Every spring I get so excited because it's three months of just coaching non-stop. That honestly made me want to do more,” she says, adding that coaching Team Alberta at nationals and cultivating high-performance athletes further opened her mind to pursuing coaching seriously.

Game on

Amy has been raring to get the season going since officially starting her role in the spring.

“It’s been a long, long wait,” she laughs, adding that she believes the team is also ready with a strong leadership group and mentality that is infectious — including among the five current players who were in their first year when Amy was in her final.

“It’s a team that can look really good,” she says.

“From the beginning, when Tatum took this coaching opportunity it has never felt like it was a former player/coach relationship between us. It has felt like peers, and we all are learning from each other,” Rivett says.

“Her ability to connect with people is what made her such a good leader, and now she is applying that same skillset as a coach, which helps us get the most out of our athletes.”

The Cougars hockey season is now in full swing, with the next Cougars women’s game against Crowchild Classic rivals, the University of Calgary Dinos, on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. The squad is looking for redemption following two losses to the MacEwan University Griffins.

The Cougars men’s hockey team is set to take on the Dinos as well this weekend. Tickets are free for all Mount Royal students and employees, and start at $6 for youths aged seven to 17. Adult tickets are $16, Mount Royal alumni and seniors can enjoy a discounted price of $11.