Autumn attended CIHA from 2012-2015 and during her time here she made an impact on and off the ice and was a role model for her peers.
Off the ice, Autumn was a leader and a voice among her fellow students. She was elected for Vice-President of Student Council in 2013 and then President in 2014. She’s not one to shy away from the spotlight as seen in this Youtube video created to promote her run for Student Council. On the ice, Autumn was once again looked up to and leaned on in all situations. She was an assistant captain in her last two seasons and while no stats are available, she was among the top scorers in each year.  Autumn used her three years at CIHA to her advantage which helped her reach that next level in her career. “Having the opportunity to get on the ice every day and have the facilities to workout allowed me to improve my game tremendously,” Autumn said. “I was able to develop a lot as a hockey player throughout those three years.” Our female program ran from 2011-2016 but unfortunately had to be discontinued due to financial restrictions. Autumn was at the forefront of the program during her three seasons and was part of an undefeated squad in 2014-2015. While we are always exploring options to bring a female program, we have implemented numerous female camps and skill sessions year round to continue to grow the game.  “It’s unfortunate that CIHA doesn’t have a female program anymore as we had so much success in my years there,” said Autumn. “I think the more schools that promote female sports and help with the development at an early age play a huge role in the success of female athletes and maybe one day down the road CIHA could have a female team which would be great for the school!” This season, we had our first female student-athletes join us since 2016. We currently have four student-athletes taking part in our Day Program, which includes in-class education, on-ice training, off-ice training, and player/coach evaluation. After her three years at CIHA, Autumn committed to the University of Alberta starting in the 2015-2016 season. She would go on to play five seasons and won the USPORTS National Championship in 2016-2017. Autumn compiled 125 points in 139 games and was either 1st or 2nd in team scoring in four out of her five seasons. She also set program records for power-play goals (24), game-winning goals (18) and her 125 points is the 6th most in program history. Autumn, along with countless other alumni have taken the next step to play university hockey and their time at CIHA has prepared them accordingly.“Living in the dorms at CIHA and having all the facilities on campus helped me a lot with the transition to university life,” Autumn said. “All the staff were amazing in helping all of us achieve our dreams. On the academic side we were able to learn with smaller class sizes which allowed us to have one on one attention with the teachers.” On April 29th, 2020, Autumn’s hard work, dedication and passion for the game led her to being selected by the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women’s Hockey League. The NWHL is the top professional women’s hockey league in the world and began operations in 2015. They employ current and former Canadian and USA National Team members and it is often used as a developmental league to recruit top players. The NWHL was set to hold a short tournament in a bubble from January 23rd-February 5th to determine the winner of their championship, the Isobel Cup. Unfortunately, they had a few positive COVID-19 tests part way through and were forced to suspend their tournament. Autumn had an admirable showing in her first games as a Beaut, notching 3 goals in 6 contests.We look forward to continuing to watch Autumn to grow as a person and a hockey player, and wish her the best of luck with the Buffalo Beauts and beyond!