Jana Head holds rare distinction during 2013-14 CWHL season

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Of all the players currently competing in the CWHL, Jana Head (formerly Harrigan) can proudly state that she is the all-time scoring leader among active players. With over 130 points in CWHL play, she is one of the veteran leaders on a Brampton Thunder squad missing the likes of Gillian Apps and Jayna Hefford to Canada’s centralization camp.

As the league features over 100 active players, it is a special honor that makes her a must-see player this season. So far this season, she has logged four points in six games played. Of note, every game in which she has registered a point has resulted in a Brampton victory.

After a stellar career with the now-defunct Burlington Barracudas, Head sat out the 2012-13 CWHL season. During that last campaign with the Barracudas (2011-12), she would log 10 points and a +7 rating. Of note, her final goal as a member of the blue and orange came in a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Furies on March 3, 2012.

Returning to CWHL play with the Brampton Thunder this season, her finest performance this season may have come in a December 1 victory against the Montreal Stars. The game would also the mark the 150 career CWHL game of Lindsay Vine, a former teammate of Head in Burlington. Assisting on one of two goals scored by Laura McIntosh, the win would help provide the last-place Brampton squad with the confidence needed to make a push for the playoffs.

Ironically, Head and McIntosh both played their collegiate hockey with Ohio State University. During the senior season of Head (2005-06), she was an All-America selection who led the NCAA in short-handed goals. Of note, she would also graduate as the program’s all-time leading scorer. Adding to the irony is the fact that McIntosh would graduate from Ohio State in 2012 having surpassed her as the all-time leading scorer.

One of the feel-good stories of this season, Head’s return to the CWHL is a welcome one for fans and players alike. With a Brampton squad trying to ease the loss of key leaders such as Apps, Hefford and Courtney Birchard, Head’s comeback could not have come at a better time.


Photo credit: Richard Scott, Obtained from Flickr

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