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Pierre Alain Named Head Coach of Canada's National Women's Under-22/Development Team; Tim Bothwell and Cassandra Turner Named Assistants

NR.119.12
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September 24, 2012
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CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Monday that Pierre Alain (Saint-Colomban, Que.) will serve as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team for the 2012-13 season, including the 2013 Meco Cup in Füssen, Germany, while Tim Bothwell (Burlington, Ont.) and Cassandra Turner (Campbellford, Ont.) will join him behind the bench as assistant coaches.

Alain and Bothwell are both currently in Calgary for Canada’s National Women’s Team September Camp/Fall Festival, with Alain serving as a camp coach and Bothwell working as a skills coach. The camp, featuring the 40 top female players from across Canada, including candidates for Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team, started Saturday and runs all week at the WinSport Canada Athletic & Ice Complex. Games and practices are open to the public, free of charge.

Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team coaching staff and Hockey Canada’s team of scouts, led by head scout of women’s national teams programs Melody Davidson, will continue to evaluate players with their respective club teams in order to select the players that will represent Canada at the 2013 Meco Cup.

Pierre Alain, 50, was most recently assistant coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team for a three-game series against the United States in Calgary this August, and won a gold medal as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship in Zlin, Czech Republic in January. Alain has been involved in Canada’s National Women’s Program since 2007, starting as video coach and quickly moving up to assistant coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Air Canada Cup and a silver medal at the 2009 MLP Cup. He then moved on to serve as assistant coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, winning a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF Women’s World Under-18 Championship in Chicago, Ill., before taking the reins as under-18 head coach last season. Alain also coached Quebec to a bronze medal at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon. He led St-Jérôme to perfect seasons in 2004--08, as well as five Collégial AA championships in 10 years.

“After a few successful seasons working with our country’s top under-18 female players, I’m looking forward to rejoining our under-22/development team, where I got my start within Canada’s National Women’s Program,” Alain said. “It’s always an honour to coach Team Canada, and I can’t wait to see what these skilled young athletes can accomplish on the ice in Germany, at what is sure to be a very competitive Meco Cup.”

Tim Bothwell, 57, most recently served as skills coach for both Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team and National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camps in Calgary this August. His past Hockey Canada experience includes serving as assistant coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, and the 2004 4 Nations Cup, where he won gold medals, as well as at the 2005 IIHF World Women’s Championship, where he claimed silver. Bothwell was also associate coach of the Calgary Oval X-Treme, first in the NWHL and then in the WWHL, and was named the 2007 CIS Coach of the Year for leading the University of Calgary men’s hockey team to two league championship titles and three national championship appearances. He additionally spent six seasons as head coach of the University of Vermont women’s hockey team and has coached in the AHL, WHL, IHL and NHL, including two seasons behind the bench with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Cassandra Turner, 31, was also an assistant coach for Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team for this summer’s three-game series against the United States. As an assistant coach, she also won a silver medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2011 IIHF Women’s Under-18 Championship in Stockholm, Sweden. Turner is entering her fifth season with Quinnipiac University, moving up from assistant to associate head coach in August 2011. She previously served as assistant coach at Colgate University, where she helped 12 players to the ECAC All-Academic Team as the team’s academic monitor, and spent two seasons as an assistant coach with Elmira College. As a player, Turner won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team at the 2003 Air Canada Cup, was a two-time all-ECAC Team and all-Ivy League Team member with Brown University and played for the NWHL’s Toronto Aeros and at the Esso Women’s Nationals.

“We’re very pleased with the coaching staff we’ve selected for Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team this season,” said Kalli Quinn, director of female national teams for Hockey Canada. “Pierre, Tim and Cassie have all had previous success within our program and will make for an impressive leadership team behind the bench.”

For more information on Canada’s National Women’s Under-22/Development Team and Hockey Canada, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/nwt, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_teamcanada.

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

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