Never again should our women’s hockey team be the laughing stock of Ravens sports.
Pierre Alain took over the women’s hockey program on June 1, 2014, as Ottawa-Carleton’s Department of Recreation and Athletics named him head coach. To this day, I still don’t know why.
Who is Pierre Alain? The man has many coaching accolades, some of which include four gold medals at the national level with Canada’s U-18 and 22 teams, four silver medals, and a bronze. Additionally, he is a part of prestigious committees, being a Hockey Canada Member in Women’s High Performance Pool.
In the 2014 press release made by Go Ravens, the director of Recreation and Athletics at Carleton University stated that “Pierre’s exceptional hockey background and his many connections in both Quebec and Ontario are tremendous assets in building our women’s ice hockey program.”
The statement concludes by saying, “I look forward to seeing where he takes this program in the years ahead”—but, Alain has not taken this program anywhere in four, soon to be five years, and his track record proves that.
Analyzing his accolades, Alain has no award at the U Sports level—if we’re being honest, that is crucial. Meanwhile, Shaun Van Allen has been an assistant coach with the men’s team for seven seasons before taking over from Marty Johnston in 2017. The success that he had in his first season as coach was a result of excellent player-coach relationships and familiarity with a successful system.
The difference between Alain and Van Allen lies in experience. It didn’t take long for Van Allen to experience said success, taking his Ravens to a 17-7-4 record, good enough for fourth in the OUA and a spot in the playoffs. Alain’s first year coaching the women’s team resulted in an RSEQ worst 3-17, but that’s what you expect from a first-year coach in a new system. Perhaps the win total will increase to seven next year?
The following season, the women went 5-15, scoring just over 20 goals in 20 games. But that’s okay, right? His international experience is enough to guide us through!
The 2016-2017 season gave Carleton a 4-14-2 record, good enough for—you guessed it— last in the RSEQ. Keep in mind, there are still veterans on the team who have grown with this system.
Last season, the women finished with the same end result as they did during Alain’s first year, with a record worst 3-17 since his hiring.
Maybe I’m missing something because I don’t see any progression. The spiral of continuously disappointing seasons doesn’t attract recruits, something Carleton apparently doesn’t have.
With a 2-0 shutout win against the Gee-Gees last Friday, Alain has the Ravens in a playoff spot halfway through the season.
However, no Ravens player under Alain had any breakout season or playoff experience to share with their families. No player has reaped what they’ve sown, and despite fans not seeing their frustration at times, I know it’s there.
This Ravens hockey program shouldn’t be finishing seasons with less than 10 points. The team needs a culture change, and you do that by starting at the top.
