Three-time Olympian Vicky Sunohara is returning to the University of Toronto women’s ice hockey team—this time as head coach.
The Scarborough-born Sunohara played on Canada’s Olympic team from 1998 to 2008, becoming one of Canada’s most celebrated women’s hockey players. She has seven world championship wins under her belt and three Olympic medals—two gold and one silver.
As of February 2010, she ranks number six on Team Canada’s list of top female hockey scorers, with 56 goals and 62 assists in 164 games.
In a media release dated August 4, Sunohara described coaching at U of T to be her “dream job.”
“I played here at U of T, I went to school here and graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education and Health and now I have a chance to give back to one of the most prolific women’s hockey programs in North America,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to the task at hand—making the Varsity Blues a national contender.”
Beth Ali, director of intercollegiate and high performance sport at the U of T’s Faculty of Physical Education and Health, expressed her appreciation for having Sunohara as a coach.
“[Vicky is] an outstanding leader and a proven champion at both the national and international level,” Ali said.
“Her knowledge of hockey and passion for the game is irrefutable and I’m confident that it will translate well with our student-athletes, our alumni, and throughout the CIS hockey community.”
The U of T women’s hockey team is a mid-pack player in the current Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings, finishing in sixth place in a group of 10 Ontario universities.
