NAIT Ooks women's hockey goalie Kaitlyn Slator is making waves this season as she races towards the ACAC women's hockey all-time wins record. Slator, the fourth-year student-athlete, is a former Personal Fitness Trainer and Medical Radiologic Tech student currently enrolled in the Open Studies program at NAIT. The ACAC record is held by Sandy Heim from the McEwan Griffins with 46 career wins; Slator is nine wins away from setting a new record.
The ACAC all-time career wins isn't the only record Slator had her sights set on this season. Slator set a new record for all-time NAIT women's hockey wins on November 4th against the RDP Queens. That win marked her 37th career win, passing alumni Jill Diachuk who finished her career with 36 all-time wins.
"It feels really cool to be able to break the NAIT record for wins. I'm super grateful that I have been a part of such strong teams to be able to reach this milestone. I am just a percentage of each of these wins, so I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches who were all a part of the wins," said Slator.
The NAIT Ooks women's hockey team is off to a great start this season with a 6-0 record. The team is leading the league in goals for with 28 and goals against with only eight goals allowed so far this season. Slator is at the top of the ACAC for both goals-against average (1.33) and win percentage (1.00). Slator is a veteran on the team.
"I have experienced winning and how it feels, but I have also felt a lot of heartbreak throughout my career at NAIT. I want to take those experiences and my passion for hockey, and hopefully, that can translate over to my goalie partners and other players on the team. I am more of a lead-by-example person, so I do my best to help pave the way through my work ethic and love for the game on the ice," said Slator.
NAIT Ooks women's hockey Head Coach Brendan Jensen has been the team's coach for the past two seasons, which has given him a chance to coach Slator and watch her grow as a player.
"Kaitlyn's mentality is definitely infectious! It starts in practice with how she competes and battles. She is a workhorse, and these career millstones are a direct result of that," said Jensen.
It takes a certain type of person to be a hockey goalie. Although it is a rewarding position, there is also a lot that goes into being able to perform at a top level.
"As a former goaltender myself, I can say that these milestone moments come as a testament to the diligent work day-to-day. A lot of people don't know or see what a goaltender goes through on a day-to-day basis, and that might be the most impressive thing that Kaitlyn does. No matter the moment, she is the same person with a calming presence each day!" said Jensen.
Slator, originally from Brandon, Manitoba, has played 3312 minutes over her career as a NAIT Ook with a win percentage of .704.
"I just want to thank all of my past and present teammates, coaches, and especially Dave, my goalie coach, for helping me develop into the goalie I am today and keep pushing me to get better day in and day out. My teammates are the biggest part of why I love hockey, and I get excited to come to the rink every day to put in the work needed to hopefully win a championship this year!" said Slator.
The NAIT Ooks women's hockey team is back in action on Sunday, January 8th, on the road against the Red Deer Queens. Catch all the action on acactv.ca or Telus Optik channel 1998. The NAIT Ooks' next home game is on Friday, January 13th, against the Olds College Broncos at 7 PM.