for girls and if you wanted to play at a higher level , you needed to go to Notre Dame or Warner or Pursuit of Excellence or down to Minnesota and play for Shattuck .
“ That was a really expensive option , but I had talked to Notre Dame when Balmoral started its program in 2007- 08 . So I went to BH for Grade 12 , right after we won the Midget Double A championship at Pembina Trails . I had already been named captain for the following season , but I sat down with my family and we decided to join the BH program in its second year .”
That was a great team , a team that included Canadian Olympic team member Bailey Bram , Toronto Furies star Jenelle Kohanchuk and former UND leading scorer Michelle Dufault .
It didn ’ t long for the scouts to notice Zacharias and in her Grade 12 year , she narrowed down her NCAA Division 1 scholarship choices to Syracuse , Niagara and Brown .
“ Most of my life , I think I ’ d always had the goal of going to an Ivy League college ,” she said . “ So I got the offer from Brown and I just loved the campus on my visit there . However , there are no athletic scholarships at Ivy League schools , so it would have been very , very expensive .
“ So I sat down with my family and we discussed it and my parents were ready to make the sacrifices necessary to send me there . But in the end , I just couldn ’ t do that to my family . And I didn ’ t want the pressure that I knew would follow me , knowing that I had to succeed simply because of the expense involved in sending me to Brown .
“ So I chose Niagara and the full scholarship and had four wonderful years there , on another campus I just loved and then I returned home and my life changed .” Upon returning home she went to work for Kevin Chief at WASAC ( Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre ). Her mom is the Aboriginal Academic Affairs consultant for the province and she liked and respected Kevin , so she found it was a good fit . “ But at the time , the BH assistant coach went off for maternity leave ,” Sarah recalled . “ They needed a coach to replace Anne ( Hedley ), but I wasn ’ t thinking about applying for the job . I was happy at WASAC . I was program director there , working with Kevin and the kids , I was really happy , but it just so happens that Darlene Sveinson , the BH strength and conditioning coach … well , I ’ m best friends with her son . I was over at their house for a family dinner and she said , ‘ Zach , you have to apply for this job . You ’ re the perfect person for it .’ “ The deadline for applications had passed and I didn ’ t know if they ’ d even take my application , but
Gerry ( Wilson ), my old coach , was the head coach , my best friend ’ s mom was one of the coaches and they said put your name in . So I did and within a week I had the position . All of a sudden , my life was on a totally different trajectory . Now , here I am coaching .”
This year , Zacharias is in what she called “ a bit of a rebuilder ,” but with the solid group of Grade 9s and 10s entering BH this year , the Blazers should be a powerhouse by 2018-19 .
And of course , at Balmoral Hall , winning isn ’ t everything . As head coach , Zacharias is focused on getting her young players to the next level – NCAA Division I , U Sport and even NCAA Division III programs .
“ We ’ re focusing on options for all of our players ,” she said . “ We ’ re still sending more than 50 per cent of our girls to NCAA Division 1 schools , that ’ s always been the gold ring , but we ’ re looking much more closely at U Sport programs . These Canadian programs are terrific and they are a wonderful next-level option for many of our players .”
As Sarah Zacharias once said : “ The trajectory of my life changed when I enrolled at Balmoral Hall and that ’ s why I love this place .
“ And I ’ m so proud to be taking on this role as the first female Director of Hockey in program history , while also having the first all-female Prep coaching staff in our province ,” Sarah added . “ I grew up with my dad and other dads as coaches and while it was great , there ’ s something positive about our girls having a female role model to look up to -- someone who has walked their path and can relate to what they are going through .
“ Female hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in Canada , and I ’ m just proud and honored to be a part of it .” ❍
Left ; Regan Boulton at Quinnipiac . Above ; Balmoral Hall coach Sarah Zacharias
124 | GAME ON | SEPTEMBER 2017