Team Nova Scotia has taken home silver in women’s hockey at the Canada Winter Games — marking the first time in the team’s history it has reached the podium in women’s hockey.
The gold-medal game, which was held Sunday afternoon in P.E.I., saw Team British Columbia win 3-0 over the Nova Scotians.
Team Nova Scotia’s previous best finish in women’s hockey at the Canada Winter Games was in 2003 in Bathurst, N.B., when they placed fifth.
Kori Cheverie was a member of that 2003 team. This time around, the New Glasgow, N.S., native is head coach of Team Nova Scotia.
“It was definitely an amazing feeling with the entire — felt like the entire country — cheering us on and supporting our Cinderella story,” Cheverie told Global News.
“The fans from Nova Scotia are absolutely amazing. And people who made the three-and-a-half-hour drive on gold medal day, I can’t thank them enough.”
The team’s history-making run at the games included a 3-2 win on Saturday against Team Ontario in the semi-finals.
Cheverie said the team had to make a lot of “adjustments” game to game, and even mid-game, due to the competition they were facing this week.
“We were able to make those adjustments and we’re able to really rely on our players to execute and implement. And that’s how we were able to get as far as we did,” she said.
Cheverie was an all-star player with Saint Mary’s University and has become a decorated coach behind the bench. She won gold medals as an assistant coach at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the 2021 and 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championships and in 2019 with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team.
She’s also the first woman to serve as a coach with one of Canada’s national men’s teams.
But this Canada Games win has special meaning for her.
“Our group was an extremely special group and we had a lot of trust for each other and the players really bought into everything we were trying to accomplish,” Cheverie said.
“It has been a surreal ride and something that I’ll cherish as the coach for the rest of my life.”
Overall, Team Nova Scotia earned 24 medals during these games, which includes seven gold, seven silver and 10 bronze. This represents the highest medal count ever for the province at the winter games.
Among the winners was 19-year-old Para Nordic skier Emma Archibald, who took home three medals — two gold and one silver.
Both the men’s and women’s curling teams won gold, and Team Nova Scotia took home bronze in gymnastics trampoline – synchro female.
A full list of winners can be found on the Canada Games’ website.