Zacharias in familiar territory

A year ago, Jordy Zacharias was a early season replacement when Jon Rempel went on medical leave from his post as head coach of the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team.

Rempel returned to his job in summer only to tender his resignation late last month.

The solution, in the short term, was for Zacharias to be handed the interim head coaching tag again. The job is expected to be filled on a permanent basis after a formal hiring process next spring.

“It’s a great opportunity for her and there’s a level of comfort because she’s done it previously and she has a deep knowledge of the way this program works,” said U of M director of athletics and recreation Gene Muller. “For me, it was a bit of an obvious solution. I didn’t think too much beyond Jordy.”

The 53-year-old Rempel spent 18 years at the U of M, earning Canada West coach of the year honours five times while guiding the program to six trips to the national championship.

He was also named the U Sports coach of the year following the program’s only national title in 2017-18.

“He has resigned and he is no longer involved with the team,” said Muller. “Is it a surprise? I don’t know. He has some other opportunities available…

“What I can say it was entirely his decision and I understand it. I was a coach for decade and a half and didn’t want to do it anymore. It is a position that requires obsession and vigilance continual.”

Zacharias, a 27-year-old from Winnipeg, has been close to the program since 2016.

She spent four years as a member of the Bisons, including her final season as captain in 2019-20. She had also served as an assistant coach for two seasons prior to 2023-24.

Zacharias intends to be a candidate for the permanent post next spring but in the meantime, she’s hoping to guide the Bisons to the Canada West playoffs again.

Manitoba, after going 10-18 and finishing sixth in conference play, lost seven players to graduation while adding six newcomers to the mix.

The turnover is typical of the player movement in U Sport hockey.

“I think that (the departing players) helped set a really good foundation for the program but we still have a lot of great players that have learned from them and that are now starting to step up so,” said Zacharias. “I always find that the biggest jump for a lot of players is that second to third year.”

Zacharias has added assistant coaches Maggie Litchfield-Medd and Kelsey McHolm to her staff but she won’t be able to depend on the support of former Bisons men’s coach Mike Sirant.

Sirant came out of retirement to help the women’s program last October but recently joined the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League’s Glasgow Clan as an assistant coach.

Zacharias has placed a lot of faith in her current 25-player roster. Two fifth-year veterans — blue-liners Camryn Gillis and Camille Enns — are the last remaining teammates from Zacharias’s final season as a player.

“What’s going to be healthy for the group this year is they know what the whole year looks like and Maggie and I can kind of put our stamp on it in the way that we want,” said Zacharias. “And I think that the girls are buying into that and that will go really far.

“It might not show immediately in the first half, but I think as long as we can grow as we move to towards the end of the season, they’ll be in a pretty good spot.”

Zacharias, who is also completing a masters degree in counselling psychology, is on the road with her team this weekend to Yorkton, Sask., for pre-season games against the Regina Cougars and Saskatchewan Huskies.

Later this month, the Bisons also have a pre-season tour of Minnesota, playing St. Cloud State, Minnesota State and St. Thomas before opening the Canada West regular season on Oct. 12 and 13 against the visiting Alberta Pandas.

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