A Conversation with X-Women Head Coach Ben Berthiaume: Reflecting and Looking Forward

During the X-Women Hockey team’s preseason, I sat down with head coach Ben Berthiaume to discuss how last season’s success is impacting his approach to this season. We discussed the X-Women’s participation in last year’s U SPORTS National Championship, the atmosphere and goals of this year’s training camp, the values that shape the X-Women’s identity, and the players that fans can expect to excel this season.

XW: How has your team evolved from last year to this year?

Ben Berthiaume: The number one thing is more bodies. We brought in 12 new players this year. Last year, we went through a lot of injury issues, so we needed to solve that problem. We are also a bit of a quicker team this year than we were last year, in all areas.

XW: What was the X-factor that brought your team to nationals last year?

Berthiaume: The X-factor was our resiliency. If you look back at last year, we started off with injuries in September, when we were away on a road trip. The girls stepped up all year—at times we were playing with the equipment manager in the line-up, we called up a kid that was essentially not playing hockey, and we had our number one centre playing defense. That resiliency and toughness flowed throughout the year. It was the X-factor for sure.

XW: How would you describe the X-Women’s style of play?

Berthiaume: We are very quick, like I mentioned before. We are going to be very fast, especially up front. We are going to have an in-your-face style of play, using our speed to our advantage. In

all aspects of the game, we are going to be the first to the puck. We are going to be a gritty hockey team this year—that will be the difference maker for us.

XW: Who is the most dynamic player on the X-Women roster?

Berthiaume: If you look at the season that Maggy Burbidge had last year, she led the country in points. I think she went only one game without a goal last year—if she has time and space, she is going to bring it. We’re going to look to her to lead that charge again, although there are a lot of kids in the line-up that have potential. Kamdyn Switzer came back playing well this year; we have big expectations for her. She came back this year ready to prove something. We have a lot of good players down through the line-up that are ready to chip in.

XW: What was your message to players going into training camp this year?

Berthiaume: The biggest change for us this year has to be the way we practice on a daily basis. We needed to get better at having a high intensity approach every single day—practicing like it’s a game. So far, we’ve done that. We’ve been practicing intensely, and at game-speed, which will make a big difference, I think.

XW: Who will your biggest rivals be this season?

Berthiaume: If you don’t bring your A-game, you will struggle against any team in this league. But, if I look at our biggest rivals over the years, Saint Mary’s has always been a huge rival, UNB is there, and UPEI has been a big rival, too. You could keep going down through the league, to be honest. Every team is a rival, and every team wants to beat us on any given night. That’s the biggest message—we have to be prepared for whoever we play.

XW: What is the most important small detail of hockey that translates into success?

Berthiaume: The players without the puck, playing away from the puck. A big thing for us is secondary support. We also talk a lot about thinking about the game and being proactive rather than reactive. If you are reacting to the game, you are always chasing. The players away from the puck are very important.

XW: What was the most crucial moment of the season for the team as a group last year?

Berthiaume: There were a lot of key moments last year. We had to play short-staffed many times, and we realized early on that we couldn’t feel sorry for ourselves—it was just the situation we were in. A lot of people stepped up right from the get-go. Like I said, our equipment manager not only covered our equipment manager duties, but also played a lot of minutes in the line-up. I think it was the realizations that we had to be resilient, we couldn’t be down on ourselves, and we just had to push through.

XW: What defines X-Women hockey?

Berthiaume: Our grittiness, our passion for the game, and our culture. Our culture is very good, it’s something we work on consistently. We started making progress on it back in the spring when we knew what our team was going to be. If you have a good culture—a group that wants to come to the rink every day, and a group that wants to compete for each other—then you have a solid chance of winning.

XW: What is the most exciting part of your team’s offensive game?

Berthiaume: I think it’s our speed. There is a lot of talent up-front. We’ve brought in a lot of talent this summer. If you look at the two exhibition games we’ve had, especially game one here [at StFX], our speed was on display. We joke about the fact that speed kills, so using that speed to our advantage will be a big thing for us this year.

XW: What is one player on defense that fans should pay attention to this year?

Berthiaume: Right through our defensive line-up, one through eight, all of them are capable of getting the job done. We have a really good defensive core this year. I don’t know if I can point out just one in particular. They all move the puck very well—we have a very skilled group back there.

XW: UNB has been at the top of the league the last couple of years, winning the U Sports Championship back-to-back the last two years. How do you think the X-Women matched up against them in the AUS final last year?

Berthiaume: I think we played them very well during the playoffs last year. In game one, we played very well, and won. In game two, we played pretty well. It was a 1-0 game, but they have a very good goalie. [UNB Goaltender] Woodland is a very good goalie—she is very difficult to score on. In game three, we only had four defensemen on the bench. It went into double overtime, and we hit three or four posts. It was a very good game—we played well, there was just a lot of difficulty scoring against Woodland. Going into this year, she’s back, so we have to do a better job of getting in her face, and making sure the game is difficult for her.