COWHL
Encyclopedia
The Central Ontario Women's Hockey League (COWHL) is a defunct hockey league in Ontario
, Canada
. In 1998, the COWHL became the National Women's Hockey League
as the teams from the former league began to compete against teams from Quebec .
1996-97)
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1998, the COWHL became the National Women's Hockey League
National Women's Hockey League
The National Women's Hockey League was a women's ice hockey league. This League was in service between 1999 and 2007.-History:The NWHL superseded the old Central Ontario Women's Hockey League in 1998-99. After the old COWHL dropped down to three teams in 1997-98, the new league expanded to...
as the teams from the former league began to compete against teams from Quebec .
Teams
- Guelph Eagles
- Hamilton Golden Hawks
- London Devilettes
- Mississauga ChiefsMississauga ChiefsThe Mississauga Chiefs was a professional women's ice hockey team that plays in Mississauga , Ontario. The team has played in the National Women's Hockey League and after in the Canadian Women's Hockey League...
- Newtonbrook Panthers
- Peterborough Skyway
- Peterborough PiratesPeterborough PiratesPeterborough Pirates was an English ice hockey team. It was established in 1982, as the senior adult semi-professional team of the newly formed Peterborough Ice Hockey Club....
- Junior Aeros
- Scarborough Firefighters
- Scarborough StingScarborough StingThe Scarborough Sting was a professional women's ice hockey team in the National Women's Hockey League . The team played its home games in Mid Scarborough & Malvern Arena at Scarborough, in Ontario.-History:...
- North York Aeros
- Toronto Red Wings
1992-93
| No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Aeros | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 101 | 42 | 46 |
| 2 | Scarborough Sting | 30 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 49 | 64 | 28 |
| 3 | Scarborough Firefighters | 30 | 9 | 15 | 6 | 58 | 79 | 24 |
| 4 | Guelph Eagles | 30 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 51 | 74 | 22 |
1993-94
| No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Aeros | 30 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 152 | 32 | 54 |
| 2 | Scarborough Firefighters | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 103 | 62 | 33 |
| 3 | Junior Aeros | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 101 | 73 | 32 |
| 4 | Scarborough Sting | 30 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 63 | 67 | 31 |
| 5 | Mississauga Chiefs | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 60 | 60 | 29 |
| 6 | Hamilton Golden Hawks | 30 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 28 | 223 | 1 |
1995-96
| No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North York Aeros | 30 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 166 | 42 | 53 |
| 2 | Toronto Red Wings | 30 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 169 | 60 | 47 |
| 3 | Mississauga Chiefs | 30 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 98 | 57 | 38 |
| 4 | Peterborough Skyway | 30 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 82 | 115 | 26 |
| 5 | London Devilettes | 30 | 4 | 23 | 3 | 81 | 159 | 11 |
| 6 | Hamilton Golden Hawks | 30 | 2 | 27 | 1 | 45 | 208 | 5 |
1996-97
| No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North York Aeros | 36 | 29 | 1 | 6 | 255 | 39 | 64 |
| 2 | Newtonbrook Panthers | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 210 | 58 | 58 |
| 3 | Mississauga Chiefs | 36 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 213 | 37 | 57 |
| 4 | Scarborough Sting | 36 | 12 | 19 | 5 | 64 | 129 | 29 |
| 5 | Peterborough Pirates | 36 | 11 | 21 | 4 | 99 | 127 | 26 |
| 6 | London Devilettes | 36 | 7 | 27 | 2 | 81 | 204 | 16 |
| 7 | Hamilton Golden Hawks | 36 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 37 | 385 | 2 |
1997-98
For this last season, there was only three teams in the COWHL. The three teams played each other five times at home and five times on the road. In addition, they will play exhibition games against the Ottawa Senior AAA and the Brockvill Senior AAA teams .| No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North York Aeros | 20 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 94 | 29 | 35 |
| 2 | Mississauga Chiefs | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 65 | 49 | 25 |
| 3 | Scarborough Sting | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 25 | 101 | 0 |
Players
- Geraldine Heaney began playing for the Toronto Aeros at the age of 13, winning six provincial championships.
- For the first 17 years of her participation in the COWHL, Cathy PhillipsCathy PhillipsCathy Phillips was a Canadian ice hockey player. She was a goaltender in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League.-Life:Cathy attended Burlington Central High School from 1974 to 1979 where she participated in both basketball and track and field...
played for two different teams: Burlington and Hamilton. She was voted Top Goaltender 14 times and Most Valuable Player twice during her years of play in the COWHL.
IIHF women's worlds
- Mirjam Baechler, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team Switzerland 1992-1997)
- Amanda Benoit, North York Aeros (Team Canada 1996)
- Cassie CampbellCassie CampbellCassie Campbell-Pascall is a former Canadian female ice hockey player. She was the captain of the Canadian ice hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics and led the team to a gold medal...
, North York Aeros (Team Canada 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997) - Lori DupuisLori DupuisLori Dupuis is a Canadian women's ice hockey player.-Playing career:She was born in raised just outside of Cornwall, Ontario. Dupuis is a former member of the Cornwall Wolverines of the OWHA. She started with the Wolverines at the age of 10, and won Provincial "C" and "B" Championships...
, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team Canada 1995, 1996, 1997) - Kelly Dyer, North York Aeros (Team USA 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995)
- Marianne Grnak, North York Aeros (Team Canada 1994, 1995, 1996)
- Geraldine Heaney, North York Aeros (Team Canada 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997)
- Jayna HeffordJayna HeffordJayna Hefford is a women's ice hockey player. Hefford played forward for the Canadian women's team at the Winter Olympics in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010...
, Mississauga Chiefs (Team Canada 1997) - Andria Hunter, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team Canada 1992, 1994)
- Angela JamesAngela JamesAngela James is a Canadian former ice hockey forward, who played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League , and represented Team Canada internationally...
, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team Canada 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997) - Sari Krooks, North York Aeros (Team Finland 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996)
- Sue Merz, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team USA 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997)
- Karen NystromKaren NystromKaren Nystrom was a member of the 1998 Canadian National women's team that participated in ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics.-Playing career:...
, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team Canada 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997) - Margot Page, Mississauge Chiefs (Team Canada 1990, 1992, 1994)
- Marion Pepels, London Devilettes (Team Netherlands 1990-1996)
- Cheryl PounderCheryl PounderCheryl Pounder is a women's ice hockey player. Pounder plays defense for the Canadian Women's Hockey League's Mississauga Chiefs, and competed in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics....
, North York Aeros (Team Canada 1994, 1996) - Nathalie Rivard, Mississauga Chiefs (Team Canada 1992)
- Laura SchulerLaura SchulerLaura Schuler was a member of the 1998 Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team.-Playing career:Schuler played six sports in high school. She was captain of the volleyball, field hockey, ice hockey, and soccer teams. She earned MVP awards in field hockey, ice hockey and soccer. Schuler won three...
, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team Canada 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997) - Jeanine Sobek, Newtonbrook Panthers (Team USA 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996)
- Vicky SunoharaVicky SunoharaVicky Sunohara is a three-time Olympian and is known as one of Canada's all-time most popular female ice hockey players. She was once considered to be the best female ice hockey player in the world and was described as the "Wayne Gretzky of women's hockey"...
, Scarborough Firefighters (1990 to 1994), Toronto Red Wings (1994 to 1996), and the Newtonbrook Panthers (1996 to 1997) (Team Canada 1990, 1996, 1997)
Olympians
The following players from the COWHL represented Canada in ice hockey at the Winter Olympic games.| Player | COWHL Team | Event | Result |
| Cassie Campbell Cassie Campbell Cassie Campbell-Pascall is a former Canadian female ice hockey player. She was the captain of the Canadian ice hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics and led the team to a gold medal... |
North York Aeros | 1998 Winter Olympics | Silver |
| Cassie Campbell | North York Aeros | 2002 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Cassie Campbell | North York Aeros | 2006 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Lori Dupuis Lori Dupuis Lori Dupuis is a Canadian women's ice hockey player.-Playing career:She was born in raised just outside of Cornwall, Ontario. Dupuis is a former member of the Cornwall Wolverines of the OWHA. She started with the Wolverines at the age of 10, and won Provincial "C" and "B" Championships... |
Newtonbrook Panthers | 1998 Winter Olympics | Silver |
| Lori Dupuis | Newtonbrook Panthers | 2002 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Jayna Hefford Jayna Hefford Jayna Hefford is a women's ice hockey player. Hefford played forward for the Canadian women's team at the Winter Olympics in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010... |
Mississauga Chiefs | 1998 Winter Olympics | Silver |
| Jayna Hefford | Mississauga Chiefs | 2002 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Jayna Hefford | Mississauga Chiefs | 2006 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Jayna Hefford | Mississauga Chiefs | 2010 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Geraldine Heaney Geraldine Heaney Geraldine Heaney is an Irish-Canadian ice hockey head coach and retired defenceman. She is head coach for the University of Waterloo women's hockey team... |
North York Aeros | 1998 Winter Olympics | Silver |
| Geraldine Heaney | North York Aeros | 2002 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Karen Nystrom Karen Nystrom Karen Nystrom was a member of the 1998 Canadian National women's team that participated in ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics.-Playing career:... |
Scarborough Firefighters | 1998 Winter Olympics | Silver |
| Laura Schuler Laura Schuler Laura Schuler was a member of the 1998 Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team.-Playing career:Schuler played six sports in high school. She was captain of the volleyball, field hockey, ice hockey, and soccer teams. She earned MVP awards in field hockey, ice hockey and soccer. Schuler won three... |
Scarborough Firefighters | 1998 Winter Olympics | Silver |
| Vicky Sunohara Vicky Sunohara Vicky Sunohara is a three-time Olympian and is known as one of Canada's all-time most popular female ice hockey players. She was once considered to be the best female ice hockey player in the world and was described as the "Wayne Gretzky of women's hockey"... |
Newtonbrook Panthers | 1998 Winter Olympics | Silver |
| Vicky Sunohara | Newtonbrook Panthers | 2002 Winter Olympics | Gold |
| Vicky Sunohara | Newtonbrook Panthers | 2006 Winter Olympics | Gold |
Awards and honors
- Angela James, Most Valuable Player, COWHL, 1991
- Karen NystromKaren NystromKaren Nystrom was a member of the 1998 Canadian National women's team that participated in ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics.-Playing career:...
, Won COWHL scoring title in 1991-92 (runner-up in 1990-91, 1992-93 and
1996-97)
- Karen Nystrom, COWHL All-Star Team every year from 1989 to 1997
- Karen Nystrom, OWHA champion with Scarborough Firefighters, 1991
Esso Nationals
Over the years, teams from the COWHL represented the province of Ontario in the Canadian National Women’s Hockey championships (also known as the Esso Nationals). The winner of the gold medal was also awarded the Abby Hoffman Cup.- Beatrice Aeros, Silver medal, 1996
- Beatrice Aeros, Bronze Medal, 1999.