Making matters even more emotional for Mount Royal's women's hockey team was that their last legitimate shot at a national title – in 2020 – was taken away at the last second due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering it got cut short last year, the heart-breaking season, it was just filled with so much emotion and excitement to see what our program has become and where it’s going to continue going to.” “It was really exciting and emotional,” Kaia said. “It obviously meant a lot to the program, not only because we worked so hard for it, but it just felt like all the hard work paid off.
It was a magical way to cap off what was overall a Cinderella-inspired season for the Cougars, who were considered one of the national tournament's biggest underdogs.Ĭougars players Abbey and Kaia Borbandy, two sisters from Langdon, were still in celebration mode a few days after returning home to Rocky View County from the trip to Quebec, in an interview with the Rocky View Weekly.Ībbey is a third-year defenseman for the Cougars, while Kaia is a second-year forward. They each said it was a surreal experience to play a part in MRU's women's hockey team's first ever national championship. In a thrilling final, MRU equalized with just a few seconds left on the clock in the third period, before Emma Bergesen scored the winning goal for the Cougars in the additional stanza. The Calgary-based university squad bested the Concordia Stingers 4-3 in overtime on March 19 to claim gold at the 2023 U Sports women's hockey championships in Montreal. Two sisters and competitive hockey players from Langdon are basking in a career highlight, after winning a historic national U Sports championship as members of the Mount Royal University Cougars.