For 22-year-old female coach Cassie Hogman, mentoring girls in hockey has reignited her own passion for the game.
“I’m just loving it,” said Hogman of completing her second year of assistant coaching with the female peewee rep team within the Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association.
“It’s helped me find my love for the game again. I love passing down my knowledge and seeing the girls achieve their goals.”
From breaking down the movement for a shot or the mechanics of a stride, Cassie said she has always found hockey fascinating.
Hogman was born in Williams Lake but moved to Prince Rupert with her family when she was two years old. She grew up being one of the only girls to play on a boys’ teams. She didn’t mind the experience at the time, however, now sees the real benefits of all-female teams.
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“Hockey brings people together, It’s such a social thing,” she said.
The family returned to Williams Lake 14 years later when Hogman was going into Grade 11.
The fact that she played hockey made making new friends easier, said Hogman, who went on to play Midget house hockey within the WLMHA that year, and Midget Female rep hockey for her Grade 12 year.
“It was probably one of my best years of hockey.”
Following high school graduation, Hogman, who works for Margetts Meats, joined the women’s three-on-three league as well as the South Cariboo Female Hockey League, but was looking for more when she met hockey coach Lindsey Wood. Hogman was volunteering as an on ice helper during the Esso Girls Fun Day which introduces girls to the sport and Wood encouraged her to become an assistant coach under his mentorship.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s really awesome to see the game growing and being a part of that.”
Hogman said she hopes to continue coaching girls in hockey in the future.
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