Bringing the game home

Currently working as a chief financial officer of Longhorn Oil and Gas based in Kindersley, SK and as part of the organizing committee for the U SPORTS Women’s Hockey National Championship, Ervine’s passion for business and hockey has continued since graduating.

I work for a junior player in the oil and gas industry that is owned by a local family. I am responsible for financial management and strategic planning for the business. After I graduated with an accounting major from Edwards School of Business, I spent time in public practice at Virtus Group in Saskatoon articling while I pursued my Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc). The MPAcc program was a great option for me to gain practical experience for an eight-month period then return to campus during the spring/summer terms to focus entirely on my studies. This was a two-year process, which qualified me to write my CPA exam, and introduced me to a diverse and great group of people. Shortly after obtaining my CPA designation, I moved back home to Kindersley and took a position as an accountant with G-Mac’s AgTeam and got a feel for working in industry. After a few years at G-Mac’s, I was approached by the owner of Longhorn Oil and Gas and have been with them since.

My proudest moment was winning the Canada West Championship in 2014. It took 17 periods in a best-of-three series to determine a winner. A double OT win in game one, a quadruple OT loss in game two and finally a double OT win to seal it in game three. We had won our last regular season series against UBC to solidify a bye to the semi-finals. Two weeks later, UBC returned to Rutherford Rink to play a best-of-three semi-final series. After winning game three in that series, we were set to play in the Canada West Finals. At the time, we didn’t realize we would be hosting the final, but Regina upset the number one seed, University of Alberta, and we got to play at home. Rutherford was a small rink, with not much more than standing room. Our families were putting blankets out at 5 pm to save their seats for that 7 pm game. It was an experience I’ll never forget to play that Canada West Championship series in our own rink filled with our families and fans.

It was exciting to be playing in a tournament with the other top five teams in the country. At the time, it was a six-team tournament with round-robin play. Our families followed us to Fredericton, New Brunswick to support us after such a thrilling Canada West Championship. After we won the bronze medal (first in WHKY history at USask), we returned to the hotel and could hear noise coming from inside when we got off the bus. All of our families and supporters were lined up the lobby, clapping and cheering for us as we walked in with our medals. It was a memorable way to end the season because, ultimately, we wouldn’t have been successful without our families, friends, and fans. It meant a lot to have their support throughout our journey.

After finishing my playing career, I knew I wanted to remain involved with the game. When I was playing with the Huskies, Robin Ulrich (BSc’09, BEd’14) was one of the coaches. She had started coaching immediately following her career as a player. I always admired her ability to connect with players by sharing her personal experiences as she wasn’t too far removed from playing, herself. I believe she helped players see choices made by the coaches through a different perspective that they wouldn’t have seen otherwise. She is a fantastic mentor and one of the most influential people in Saskatchewan hockey.

I love working with the U15 age group. These are some of the most formative years for these kids. They are maturing, able to carry conversation with adults, and are very driven. Many of the girls that I coach started playing on all-girls teams much earlier than players of my generation. Now there is the option in urban centres to start on an all-girls team, whereas 10 years ago, you were likely registering in co-ed hockey for the first few years. I truly believe this has helped players’ confidence. The pace and physicality of the game has changed so much, and the players are becoming more creative. It’s inspiring knowing that some of the players I coach will pursue not only a scholarship at the collegiate level, but go on to pursue a professional career in the sport.

The bond is like no other. When we get together, we pick up right where we left off. We have memories and stories for a lifetime. Through alumni events, we get together at least annually. Weddings and babies have made for more frequent touch points, so it’s a fun season to move in to with these girls. The hockey community is a small one. We see each other in passing at rinks, I reach out to get coaching advice from people I played with, and I even coach a fellow alumna’s daughter now. I am a proud alumna and will always feel connected to other alumni, old and new.

Being involved in this capacity has been such a great way to stay connected and give back to the organization. It’s exciting for the city and the province to be hosting nationals. The “See Them, Be Them” slogan couldn’t be more true. The event will be well-attended by minor hockey teams from across the province. Over the past five years, the Huskies have done a phenomenal job integrating with the Saskatoon Comets organization and are great role models for these young players, not only at the rink, but away from it too. While there may be a hint of jealousy, I remind myself the players today have never experienced an infamous Rutherford rust delay. Those were the days!

Embrace it. You are about to embark on a journey that no other Huskie women’s hockey team has been on: to play a national championship game in your own rink. There are hundreds of Huskie alumni and fans supporting you on this journey. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Enjoy every minute of it.

The Green for Life U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship presented by Connect Energy is March 14-17 at Merlis Belsher Place. Buy tickets.