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University of Calgary Dinos forward Hayley Wickenheiser was named Canada West women's hockey player of the year Wednesday. She finished tied for the conference lead with 40 points this season despite playing in just 15 of 24 games due to injury and national team commitments. Wickenheiser, of Shaunavon, Sask., led Canada West with 17 goals and a plus-22 rating. “Hayley was a great addition to our team, raising the level and intensity for our players,” head coach Danielle Goyette said in a release. Also Wednesday, Dinos teammate Jenna Smith was named rookie of the year, Megan Bach of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns was named top student-athlete and Howie Draper of the University of Alberta Pandas was named coach of the year. The national Canadian University Sport awards will be handed out March 10-13 in Waterloo, Ont. Wickenheiser, who is studying kinesiology and plans to attend medical school, captained Canada to an Olympic gold medal last year.

By Kim McCullough, M.Sc., YCS What is the most common injury in female hockey? It is NOT knee injuries. It is NOT shoulder injuries. It is NOT back injuries. One injury happens more than any other and can have the most devastating effects of all. Concussions are the most common injury in women's hockey. In fact, the NCAA sport with the highest concussion rate (by far) is women's hockey. It is not men's hockey or men's football. At the university level, female hockey players suffer 1 concussion for every 1000 "exposures" to the game - with each practice and game counting as one exposure. On a team of 20 players, that means 1 concussion every 50 exposures. Female hockey players are TWO TIMES more likely to suffer a concussion than male hockey players and almost THREE TIMES more likely than football players. Pretty amazing for a sport that doesn't allow full body-checking, isn't it? Although statistics on younger players are harder to come by, I would guess that their concussion rate would be just as high (and maybe even higher) than with the women. Girls are having more exposures than ever to the sport - they compete on school teams, club teams, travel teams, Olympic development teams and weekend tournament teams. Girls' hockey players are playing just as much as the boys - but are getting hurt twice as often. Knee, shoulder and back injuries can be devastating to a young player who wants nothing more than to play the sport they love at the highest level possible, but they rarely have the same long-term effects as a concussion. THE SOLUTION? Here are two suggestions on how you can help to prevent concussions in girls hockey players. 1) Girls have to be better prepared physically. An overwhelming number of you believed that a lack of strength and conditioning was a big reason for the alarmingly high incidence of concussions in girls' hockey. The stronger a player is, the better she will be able to hold her ground when she is hit unexpectedly (which is how a large number of concussions happen in girls' hockey). By building better core stability, balance and overall strength, players are better able to control their bodies in space and withstand the force of impact. Another important prevention strategy is making sure that players warm-up prior to hitting the ice. A proper 10 minute off-ice warm-up will ensure that a player's mind and muscles are ready for the intensity of the on-ice session - and will go a long way towards preventing all injuries (not just concussions). 2) Girls need to be taught how to take a hit. In every girls' or women's game I have ever watched or played, there is always at least one instance where I think, "Good thing we don't have full body-checking because that player would have been run-over". The female game may not have full body-checking, but girls are going to get hit. We are doing our players a great disservice by not teaching them how they can protect themselves if (and when) they do get hit. If more coaches, teams and associations start showing girls how to take a hit properly, it will go a long way towards preventing concussions, as well as a whole slew of other injuries. Bottom Line: It is our responsibility to make sure that our players are prepared, both physically and mentally, each and every time they step out on the ice.

”Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”