Kendra Broad can now add another entry to her resume; national champion.
The LCCVI grad and her University of Western Ontario Mustangs teammates skated away with the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women’s hockey crown with a 5-0 win over the McGill in the title game last Sunday evening in Calgary.
“It’s still pretty surreal,” she said, noting the championship was extra special since none of the pundits had picked the Lady Mustangs to be in the mix to win it all.
“Our team is a special team,” said Broad, who transferred to the London-based school after three seasons of NCAA women’s hockey at Lindenwood University in suburban St. Louis.
“No matter what the circumstances were, we always found a way to win,” she added.
Overall, Western was 28-4 on the campaign, ending the season on a 13-game winning streak. The purple and white only surrendered one goal in its last four games dating back to the Ontario title game earlier this month.
As for her personal game, Broad admits to struggling during the first half of the season, but she found her stride when she was switched from winger to centre and put on a different line with Brittany Clapham and Sydney Kidd during a tournament in Montreal at Christmas.
“We just clicked,” said Broad. “It was like instant chemistry.”
After the change, she registered a point in 15 of her final 18 games and wound up with 19 goals and 20 assists on the season, including a goal and an assist in the title tilt last weekend.
She was joined by her parents and two dogs for the national tournament and was able to make contact with a pair of former Lindenwood teammates, Kennedy Rupp and Amy Stober, who both live within a few hours of Calgary.
“That was pretty special,” she said.
Broad will now take a few weeks off to recharge her batteries before turning her attention to training for her final year of eligibility with the Mustangs with an eye on winning another championship.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to repeat.”
– by Barry Wright
