By Reegan MacAulay

It took just two years for the Holland Hurricanes’ women’s rugby program to achieve glory in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).

Nov. 12, 2023, was the day the Hurricanes added another championship banner to the McMillan Centre walls, after a title battle for the ages.

For people who had been with the program since the beginning, the beginning wasn’t long ago, as the program didn’t even exist before 2022.

For years, women rugby players graduating out of high school in Atlantic Canada who wanted to continue playing whilst pursuing college academics had limited options.

Only five institutions operated women’s rugby programs in the ACAA; the University of New Brunswick (UNB), University of King’s College (UKC), Mount Allison University, St. Thomas University (STU), and Dalhousie Agricultural Campus (Dal AC).

That was about to change.

Craig Inward had been coaching women’s rugby teams at all levels on Prince Edward Island and in Ontario for over 25 years. He moved to P.E.I. about a decade ago, coaching teams such as Montague High School and a provincial U18 team along the way.

At some point, something became clear to Inward.

“There was a great gulf in rugby playing opportunities for athletes once they aged out of the school/U18 level, particularly young women who wanted to pursue a non-university centric career path. The lack of opportunity was not the case for college-oriented men as they were able to play for UPEI on the Island or college-level programs in other provinces,” Inward said.

To Inward, it was a “no lose” proposition for both prospective student athletes and for Holland College to tap into an open field market and provide female athletes with a place to play rugby.

Five years ago, he approached Holland College Athletics Director, Albert Roche, asking, “what if?” 

It was agreed that it wasn’t the right time. Two years later, he tried again, and lucky for him, the college was considering adding another varsity women’s sport.

“I was asked to put a formal proposal together and over the next year, we finalized the details and put in place the plans to start the program,” Inward said.

The go-ahead was called in early 2022, and the official announcement was made on April 20, 2022.

Excitement was built as people like Roche, Holland College Vice-President, Doug Currie, and players Kathleen Curran, Rachel MacKay, and Avery Bradley preached about the growth of the sport, giving athletes an opportunity to keep playing, and gender equity.

Inward was hired as the head coach in May. As the season approached, he and other coaches knew they were going into year one blind.

“We had no idea what to expect from the level of play. We could basically only recruit existing students and committed academic recruits. We managed to scrape together a squad of 23 players – a number of whom had never played before – in fact, we were recruiting right up until our first game,” Inward said.

Regardless of the challenges, the program’s first training camp proved strong, and players gelled well together. The team won its first exhibition game against the STU Tommies, and the momentum continued onward into the 2022 season.

“The season played out better than we expected. The team fought hard every game,” Inward said.

The ‘Canes concluded the regular season 4-3, finishing in the third seed. Holland defeated the Mount Allison Mounties in the semifinals, capping off a perfect revenge effort after previously losing to them. The championship game against the UNB Reds was a dogfight, but Holland’s effort and confidence were slashed as top player Kat Curran broke her ankle. A heartbreaker, but a result that certainly exceeded expectations.

Going into 2023, the mindset was simple – maintain momentum.

“With a very strong coaching team of Keturah Fraser and Maegan Roche, we felt we could manage our on-pitch challenges, but our greatest challenge was proving to be recruiting. We had tremendous turnover. This impacted our ability to plan and to build consistency. However, we knew this going in and felt that, with a good track record, the exposure of an existing program would get easier, and eventually players would start coming to us,” Inward said.

Indeed, players came. Nine returnees, including Tori Hogan and Madison Tingley, and 17 new recruits. Many recruits reached out before the school year had started. One of them was Annik Whiten.

Whiten, from Charlottetown, hadn’t touched a rugby ball in over three years.

“I was extremely nervous about playing rugby again, but right away, that changed. My new teammates made me feel beyond welcomed and the coaching staff that consisted of three amazing coaches and one awesome physiotherapist made sure me and every other player on the team had every resource to play amazing while also doing well in school,” Whiten said.

Whiten was named one of the team’s captains alongside Madison Tingley, rookie Ashler Lake, and experienced USPORT standout, Marissa Themeles.

Heading into the 2023 season, coaches had low expectations, but for good reason.

“When we put together our initial proposal for the program, our goal for year two was one to two wins. That original plan had us competing for a championship in year five. With the experience of our first year under our belts, we thought we stood a good chance to do well and at least match our first year’s success, and we hoped to get a chance to face UNB again in the final,” Inward said.

A rare case of low expectations, high results. The team went on to win all eight of its regular season games. Undefeated, yes. An easy season? Not even close, according to Annik Whiten.

“As the season progressed, we continued to win, and my team pushed themselves hard through injuries, bad weather, and tough competitions. It was not easy, but we did it as a team and that is what rugby is all about. You cannot win with just a few people. Everyone needed to want it and we all pushed ourselves 100%,” Whiten said.

Inward said the team’s greatest challenge was maintaining focus and intensity.

“While you’re on a winning streak, your main adversary is yourself. You need to guard against the twin demons of over-confidence and complacency. To counteract that, we took every game one at a time and never looked beyond the week in front of us. We tried to maintain a high tempo in each practice and have the players focus on personal development and team cohesion,” Inward said.

While the ‘Canes managed to beat nearly every team by a massive score, one team kept close with them every game – the Mounties. In each game, Mount Allison proved to have a big, dominant pack, strong outside runners, and rapid counter attacks.

“Mount Allison emerged as our toughest opponent. We worked all year on playing a complete game leveraging our strengths by having the forwards create a strong platform to build our attack and then moving the ball quickly and attacking wide,” Inward said.

After the Hurricanes defeated the STU Tommies with ease (ease as in 63-0), they were set to face the Mounties in the finals at the Canada Games Alumni Field at UPEI. On paper, it was looking like a hot ticket for all sports fans.

“Going into the final, we might have had our hands full, but we were quietly confident. The final proved to be way tougher than we imagined and was one of the most stressful experiences I can remember as a coach. Mount Allison had done their homework and were very well coached,” Inward said.

In a match filled with back-and-forth action, close battles, and strong forward packs, Holland seemed to be at a disadvantage, but they refused to back down.

Luckily, Tori Hogan was awarded a penalty kick in the second half. Inward was concerned for her as she had been struggling with her foot earlier in the game. But Hogan insisted on taking the kick.

She succeeded.

The next few minutes went down to the wire as players, staff, and fans had their hearts in their mouths watching penalty after penalty get called. Three players were red-carded. Inward described those minutes as one of the grittiest athletic displays he had ever been a part of.

“It definitely defined the season for us. Winning the gold at home in front of our families and fans was a tremendous bonus and meant a lot to the team,” Inward said.

The ‘Canes won 21-17, completely defying the odds with a championship in just the second year of the program’s operation. Inward was named the ACAA Coach of the Year and Hogan was named the ACAA Player of the Year. Hogan, Bella Walsh, Marissa Themeles, Madison Tingley, Annik Whiten, and Kinslee Sorrie-Acorn were named to the ACAA All-Conference Team.

Whiten said the season was one she was blessed to be a part of.

“Of course, winning every single game and becoming undefeated champions was such an amazing experience. It was all the little moments and memories that I will remember forever. I’m proud to call myself a captain of the team and I’m even more grateful that my teammates are more than just that. They are now my friends for life.

“We had amazing players that I was honoured to play with, like Tingley, Bella, Marissa, and Tori, who undoubtedly used their knowledge, talents, and skills to make us stronger. Every person on our team, including the coaching staff, helped turn my dream of becoming champions into a reality, and for that, I’m thankful,” Whiten said.

Inward commended several players for their excellent performances and strong leadership.

“Tori Hogan stepped up and filled the void that Kat Curran left as our on-field leader. She demonstrated what great looks like almost every time she touched the ball, and was by far our points scoring leader. 

“We had a very strong half-back pairing of the experienced scrum half Bella Walsh with a tremendous rugby IQ, and the raw rookie of fly half Kinslee Sorrie-Acorn, who grew in confidence every game and was a force to be reckoned with at the end of the season.

“Ella MacLean was a dynamic addition to the back three. Up front, we had some great power from Madison Tingley, Asher Lake, and Marissa Themeles. Annik Whiten proved to be our most versatile and impactful leader as she transitioned seamlessly from center to flanker and back again. Bella Sibbick put in a tremendous season despite fighting a badly damaged shoulder all year,” Inward said.

Looking forward to the 2024 season, Inward said everyone is excited, but cautious for the new season.

“I think our success has bought us some time and space to develop the program further. Ideally, we can become a standard bearer of the sport on P.E.I. and in Atlantic Canada. But, we can’t rest on our laurels. Everyone involved has tasted victory and knows that it’s a rare privilege. We are very conscious of the effort and care involved in attempting to capture that feeling again. We are determined to make that happen!” Inward said.

According to Inward, the team is expected to have somewhere between nine and 14 returnees depending on educational choices. Annik Whiten, Ella MacLean, Asher Lake, and Bella Sibbick are expected to return to the ‘Canes lineup. On the recruiting front, it’s an interesting area of conversation.

“We have had a lot of interest, but I hate to count my chickens before they hatch, so I won’t consider a player truly recruited until they step on the pitch at training camp. Having said that, we do have a number of great prospects coming into the program from P.E.I., the Maritimes, and across Canada that we are excited about and that we anticipate will make an immediate impact.

“It’s hard to predict what our year will look like. However, I anticipate that our opponents will be stronger and that, as defending champions, we will be the team to beat. We won’t be able to surprise anyone. We’ll have to work extra hard and play every game like it’s a playoff game because that’s how our opponents will look at it. We’d love to cap off the season by battling for the championship again on home soil!” Inward said.

For the 2024 women’s rugby team, Hurricanes fans should expect a continuation of player-centric, smart-flowing rugby that will give them exciting and thrilling games to witness and celebrate.

The women’s rugby program thanks everyone for their support throughout a historic season. Check back soon for the release of the 2024 ACAA Women’s Rugby schedule as well as Booster Club details. 

Connect with the women’s rugby ‘Canes at www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanesrugby.

For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, please visit www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.x.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.