Dan Church Named Head Coach of Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team For 2009-10 Season; Alain and Jordan Named Assistant Coaches

NR.093.09
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June 12, 2009
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CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Thursday that Dan Church (Toronto, Ont./York University, CIS) will serve as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for the 2009-10 season, including a three-game series versus the United States’ Women’s Under-18 Select Team in Calgary, Alta., in late August and the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship next spring in the United States.

In addition, it was announced that Pierre Alain (Mirabel, Que./St-Jérôme, Collégial AA) and Lisa Jordan (Westville, N.S./Saint Mary’s University, CIS) will join Church behind the bench as assistant coaches.

“All three of the coaches we have named today have extensive experience in Canada’s National Women’s Program,” said Julie Healy, Hockey Canada’s director of female hockey. “The National Women’s Under-18 Team is an important step in the Program of Excellence, and we are confident we have chosen three coaches who will continue the development of Canada’s up-and-coming female players.”

Dan Church, who has been the head coach of the women’s team at York University for the past five seasons, was the head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team during the 2007-08 season, leading it to a 7-0 record – the first perfect season in the history of the U22 program – and a gold medal at the 2008 Air Canada Cup in Ravensburg, Germany. He also served as an assistant coach of the National Women’s Under-22 Team during the 2006-07 season, winning a gold medal at the 2007 Air Canada Cup. As an assistant coach under former National Women’s Team head coach Karen Hughes, Church won a CIAU (now CIS) national championship with the University of Toronto’s women’s hockey team in 2001.

Pierre Alain moves to the under-18 program after two seasons with Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team, having served as an assistant coach during the 2008-09 season and as video coach in 2007-08, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Air Canada Cup and silver at the same event in 2009. He led St-Jérôme to a perfect 27-0 season and a CEGEP championship in 2007-08, the fifth championship in six seasons for the Cheminots. Alain was also head coach of Team Quebec at the 2007 Canada Winter Games, winning a bronze medal.

Lisa Jordan has been the head coach of the women’s team at Saint Mary’s University for the past 11 seasons, and served as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team during the 2007-08 season, winning a gold medal at the 2007 4 Nations Cup and silver at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Championship. She was also head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team in 2005-06, winning a gold medal at the 2006 Air Canada Cup, and was an assistant coach with the U22 team for two seasons (2003-05), winning Air Canada Cup gold in 2004 and 2005. Jordan has led the Huskies to three Atlantic University Sport (AUS) championships (1998, 2002, 2003), including a perfect 16-0 season in 2002-03, when she was named both AUS and CIS coach of the year.

The coaches, along with Canada’s scouting staff, will work together to choose Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for the 2009-10 season. The U18 hopefuls will gather in Calgary for the National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp from July 23-30.

The roster for the selection camp will be announced in early July.

For more information on Canada’s national women’s teams and Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, visit www.hockeycanada.ca.

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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