It has been a massive adjustment for student-athletes across all sports this past year. With university competition absent, student-athletes have had to tweak their routines and get accustomed to restrictions that have eliminated the opportunity to practice or play.
Fourth-year women’s hockey goalie Cohen Myers has been one of the busiest goalies in the OUA over the past three seasons. Winning two team MVP awards while also being named an Academic All-Canadian this past season, Myers has been a workhorse for the Golden Hawks.
Without competition this year, Myers has remained focused, changing her routine and staying committed throughout these past two terms.
“It was definitely a big transition at the beginning. Obviously from last year being on the ice every day to not at all this past year,” Myers said. “I’ve found that it has been a big adjustment in time management.”
Entering her senior year this past season, Myers was able to make key adjustments and stay connected with her teammates.
“I have found that this whole situation has given me more of a routine with my workouts. I’ve gotten into a routine of talking to my team once a week, keeping up with my workouts and focusing more on school this year,” Myers said.
Myers has played 63 career games for the Golden Hawks over the past three seasons,accounting for over 45 hours of time on the ice. With a 0.926 save per centage and a goals against average of 2.2 and three shoutouts through those 63 games, Myers has cemented herself as a top goalie in the OUA.
Given the pandemic and OUA cancellation, many seniors across USPORTS lost their final year of eligibility. Myers, who was a senior, contemplated her decision for a while but has decided to return to the Golden Hawks for next fall, granted OUA sports return.
“I had debates but have luckily been able to stay next year. Hopefully, we will be back to play next September,” Myers said.
The goaltender explained that she is able to get an upgraded degree if she were to graduate next year and is hopeful that hockey competition will resume along with that.
While the women’s hockey team has not made the playoffs in the past three seasons, having not endured a ton of success, Myers has enjoyed all the memories to this point and credits her family and teammates for helping her along the journey.
“My parents have always been there for me,as well as my teammates and my goalie coach, Nathan Kreiss,” Myers said.
“We have been trying as a team to at least stay in a hockey culture by talking weekly about workouts and communicating through Zoom, so that we don’t forget about the sport,” she said.
While struggling throughout the course of last season, the Golden Hawks were one of the few teams to defeat York, the University of Toronto and Nipissing, three of the top teams in the country. The last women’s hockey game for Laurier resulted in a 1-0 win over the York Lions, the ninth-ranked team in the country at the time. Myers led the way, stopping all of York’s 28 shots in the season finale.
“We haven’t had any great season in the three years that I have been here but that was a pretty big accomplishment last year, and the team felt pretty good,” Myers said.
Over her three seasons, Myers has been one of the best players both on and off the ice for Laurier. A two-time Laurier athlete of the week, Myers has also seen her impressive highlights showcased on the OUA plays of the week as well.
Along with many others, Myers is hopeful to return to action this September and continue recording shutouts and making highlight reel saves for the purple and gold.
