Canadian Olympic Hockey Coach Laura Schuler Returns to Hanover

HANOVER, N.H. – After spending the past year coaching the Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Team, Laura Schuler is back stateside and ready to begin her second season as head coach of the Dartmouth women's hockey team in 2018-19.

Upon being named head of Team Canada in May of 2017, the busy schedule began with a three-week long boot camp first held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, followed by an eight-month pre-Olympic training period in Alberta, where the Canadian team played approximately 54 games. Included in that were six pre-Olympic games against the United States, the 2017 4 Nations Cup, and a 24-game schedule versus Alberta's premier midget boy's hockey league, the AMHL (Alberta Midget Hockey League).

"We had one of our best pre-Olympic seasons to date, having beaten the U.S. in five out of the six pre-Olympic series games, as well as winning the "Esso Series" against the AMHL," Schuler said. "I could not have been prouder of our players. They gave us everything they had and bought in from day one all the way to that final Gold Medal game. They were truly inspirational."

With less than a week before the opening ceremony, the Canadians won a pre-tournament game against Switzerland, 10-0, in Goyang, South Korea and, a few days later, the players and staff made their way to PyeongChang.

Canada played three preliminary games, defeating Olympic Athletes from Russia (5-0), Finland (4-1) and the United States (2-1), before playing OAR again in the semifinal and winning by the same score.

Facing USA in the gold medal game, two second-period goals gave Canada the lead, but, after a scoreless overtime period, the Canadians fell just short in a 3-2 shootout loss to earn the silver medal. Prior to the game against the United States, Canada had established an Olympic record of 24 consecutive wins.

Five months later, Schuler has returned to Hanover in preparation of the 2018-19 season at Dartmouth.

"It is great to be back on campus with everyone again," Schuler continued. "Dartmouth is such a special place. Our veterans have done an outstanding job of cultivating a strong foundation of excellence and I am so excited to continue to move forward with this great group of young female student-athletes."

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