SAULT STE MARIE—Goaltender Gabriella (Gabby) Corbiere, of Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation and her Sault College Cougars women’s hockey teams wrapped up a very successful season last week at the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II national championship. This was the first year Sault College has qualified for the championship.
Ms. Corbiere is a first-year goaltender playing for Sault College while studying fish and wildlife.
She was outstanding in net during the Central division playoffs, being a key player in the Cougars successes, recording a 5-2 win over Adrian College, a 4-4 tie against Northern Michigan University and a 2-1 loss in the championship game against Lake Superior State University. By finishing second, the team advanced to the nationals which took place in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Sault College team posted a 10-5-1 record playing in the Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association this year. The only losses the team suffered this season were to Lake Superior State University and Assiniboine University, which both entered the national championship event as the top seeds in their respective divisions.
While the season had been one of adjustment for Sault College, with a huge turnover on the roster and adjusting to COVID-19 restrictions, coach Brianne Veale called advancing to the ACHA national championship ‘huge’ for the program.
The team won their first two games of the nationals, with a shutout by Ms. Corbiere in the first game and a 6-1 win over the University of Vermont in their second game. In a battle for a semi-final spot in their third game, Sault College dropped a 3-1 decision to Assiniboine Community College to finish the tournament with a 2-1 record.
