Media Release - For Immediate Release

May 31, 2011

Larade Named Head Coach for Women's Hockey

Chris Larade is promising to build a team culture that promotes success and personal growth, as well as great hockey.

A Cheticamp native with Hockey Canada experience has been named head coach for the Saint Mary’s Huskies women’s hockey program.

Chris Larade, head coach of the Metro Boston Pizza in the Nova Scotia female midget AAA league, signed a three-year contract with the University last week.

He is a former assistant coach with the St. Francis Xavier X-Women and an assistant on Nova Scotia’s Canada Games women’s hockey team last February.

"My goal as a coach is first and foremost to develop great people and not just good hockey players," he says. "Secondly, players have to have fun. I aim to build and sustain a culture that promotes success and personal growth. I want players to be able to say at the end of the year, 'I learned a lot, I worked hard, and I had a blast doing it.'’’

That does not mean he will be a pushover. He believes discipline and accountability are the keys to success.

"Hard work and commitment need to be valued both in hockey and academically in order to continually be the model of achievement. Players that excel the most in our program are the most dedicated ones, the ones who define integrity through their off-ice choices and habits."

Athletics Director Steve Sarty said Larade was selected following a national search, impressing the search committee with a competitive, yet compassionate attitude.

"We’re excited to have him on board with the Huskies," says Sarty. "We feel strongly the Chris is the right person to lead this team into the future. His great enthusiasm, recruiting style and history of coaching women's hockey will prove to be tremendous assets moving forward."

Larade graduated from STFX’s Bachelor of Education program in 2008, with a major in physical education and a minor in French. While working for the past three years as a teacher at École du Carrefour in Dartmouth, he coached Metro Boston Pizza to three provincial and three league titles. He was twice named NSFMHL coach of the year. He has also coached various other sports including soccer, badminton and tennis.

He replaces Lisa Jordan who left the team in April.

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For More Information:

Steve Proctor
External Affairs
Saint Mary's University
(902) 420.5513
E-mail: steve.proctor@smu.ca
www.smu.ca

This page last modified Tuesday, 31-May-2011 16:17:26 ADT