Music: {allcanada} Women's hockey pioneer Sunohara to coach U of T

Thursday, August 4, 2011

{allcanada} Women's hockey pioneer Sunohara to coach U of T

Vicki Sunohara has been hired as the women's hockey team head coach at the University of Toronto, it was announced on Thursday.

"This is a dream job for me," Sunohara said in a statement. "I played here at U of T, I went to school here and graduated from the faculty of physical education and health, and now I have a chance to give back to one of the most prolific women's hockey programs in North America. This is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to the task at hand — making the Varsity Blues a national contender."

Sunohara, 41, spent nearly two decades in Canada's burgeoning women's hockey program beginning in 1989.

The forward played in three Winter Olympics (1998, 2002, 2006), winning two gold medals and a silver.

She scored 56 goals and 62 assists in 164 games with the national team, and spent several seasons in the Canadian Women's Hockey League with Brampton.

Since retiring in 2008, Sunohara started a family and served as director of women's hockey at The Hill Academy in Vaughan, Ont.