Bradi Cochrane one of the rising stars of women’s hockey

-
As the sport of women’s hockey continues to experience unprecedented growth and foundations are set in place for a strong future, a key element will be the quality of coaching. Bradi Cochrane is not only a top quality coach but is one of the true rising stars in the game of women’s hockey.

While remarkable women such as Shannon Miller, Digit Murphy and Melody Davidson helped establish a presence of quality female coaching in hockey, a new generation of stars is helping to carry on their work. Coaches such as Cochrane and Kim McCullough (head coach of Team Ontario Blue in 2013) are part of this new group of female coaches building on their legacy.

Currently serving as the head coach of the Oakville Hornets in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League, quite possibly the most talented junior girls hockey league in North America, she has helped develop many of her players into competitors for the Ontario U18 teams (Red and Blue), Canada U18 national squad and post-secondary leagues such as the NCAA and CIS.

At the 2013 Canadian Under-18 Nationals, Cochrane would be the bench boss as Team Ontario Red claimed the gold medal. Of note, it was the second consecutive gold that she would win in her storied coaching career. In 2012, she was part of Team Ontario Blue’s coaching staff which grabbed the gold.

Part of her commitment to being a top coach is also surrounding herself with remarkable people. With Team Ontario Red, Cochrane had Kim Devereaux and Keven Schram as assistant coaches. Amanda Mazzotta, one of the greatest Ivy League goaltenders of the last decade, served as the video coach on her coaching staff.

At Oakville, one of her assistant coaches is Shannon Moulson. While Moulson’s brother is a competitor with the Buffalo Sabres, she is also in pro hockey. As a member of the Toronto Furies in the CWHL, she competes against some of the world’s finest women’s hockey players.

Of note, Cochrane has many remarkable ties to the CWHL. As a former player at Niagara University, past Purple Eagles players such as Jody Katz and Lindsay Vine would also carve remarkable careers in the CWHL. Vine commented on Cochrane’s friendship and her coaching influence,

“Bradi Cochrane is a good friend of mine. She has a great head for the game and helped me through my four years at Niagara. She really knows the game of hockey and helped us a lot.”

Every season that goes by is testament to Cochrane’s strong coaching talent. In addition to coaching, she also serves as an instructor at Amy Turek’s Victory Hockey School. While there is no question that she is equally deserving of one day earning a spot with Team Canada’s U18 coaching staff or with a coaching role in the CWHL, she is helping to positively influence a generation of young women’s players while serving as a role model for other former players looking to make the move into the realm of coaching.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cheyenne Matus looking to make her mark with Rowan University

-
The road that Cheyenne Matus followed on her way to university hockey is one that many have taken before her. Competing in boys’ hockey, the feelings of resentment add to an uneasiness that is all too often, a sad yet character-building rite of passage. While she competed in other sports, such as soccer and softball, the Friday Night Skate at the local armory had captivated her. Three years later, the experience of house league hockey and private lessons paid dividends as Matus became a budding star in the various Boys Leagues. Reality would rear its ugly head once Matus became of high school age. Despite the fact that her skills were such that she was invited to compete in the high school spring league (before her freshman year was to begin), she found herself unfairly isolated and ostracized because she was the only girl competing. Once summer became autumn and school bells filled the air, Matus had endured three difficult days of tryouts. Despite showing hard work and d
Read more

Sarah Davis contributes three points as Minnesota Golden Gophers capture first game of 2014 Hockey City Classic

-
Image
For a Minnesota Golden Gophers squad that has made its share of NCAA women’s hockey history, January 18 marked a new milestone for the proud program. Competing at TCF Bank Stadium, the Golden Gophers competed in their first home outdoor game. It was also the first NCAA Division I outdoor game ever held in the state of Minnesota. With an attendance of 6,623 fans, it was the largest attendance for a home game since November 2, 1997, the first game in program history (an 8-0 win against Augsburg). Of note, the Golden Gophers played in one other outdoor game, a January 29, 2011 contest on the road versus the Wisconsin Badgers. Attendance for that event was 10,668 fans, the highest attendance for a road game in program history. Playing against fellow WCHA rivals, the Minnesota-State Mankato Mavericks, the Hockey City Classic marked what fans hope can become an annual tradition. Improving their mark to 21-1-1 on the strength of three points by Sarah Davis, the Golden Gophers have
Read more

Acquisition of Bailey Bram by Sweden’s Linkoping a revolutionary step in women’s game

-
Image
While the world of women’s hockey is dominated in international play by Canada and the United States, the borders in the global game are slowly dissolving. Last season, All-World goaltender Florence Schelling spoiled Canadian hockey fans by competing with the CWHL’s Brampton Thunder. In January 2014, Sweden’s LHC Dam (also known as Linkoping) has reciprocated by bringing Bailey Bram into the fold. Truly a historic signing, it recognizes the value that women's players from North America mean to the growth of the game globally. Ironically, Bram was Schelling’s teammate with the Thunder for the 2012-13 season.   The sojourn to Sweden represents the third country where Bram shall play competitive hockey. In addition to her native Canada, she played four years of collegiate hockey in the United States with Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. Reputed as a great team player and a friendly personality, Bram is the perfect ambassador for the game in Sweden.     Having pla
Read more