2011-12 Coaching Staff

Karen Nystrom , Head Coach
3rd Season
Contact e-mail: Karen.Nystrom@uoit.ca

Karen Nystrom enters her fifth year with the Ridgebacks, third as the head coach of the program.

Nystrom has quite an impressive hockey resume as a member of the Canadian National team for almost a decade. In her career with Team Canada, she won three World Championship titles (1992, 1994 & 1997), a 3 Nations Cup title (1996) and a Pacific Rim championship (1995). She also won an Olympic silver medal at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

Not only has Nystrom excelled on the ice, but in coaching as well. She served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Jr. Aeros and for an U-18 team Ontario which won a gold medal. For the past two seasons, she has gained valuable experience behind the bench with the Ridgebacks as an assistant coach.

Nystrom will bring the same intensity to the Ridgeback team as she did on the ice throughout her playing career, with a focus on conditioning, team speed and aggressiveness. She is looking forward to the new challenges she is about to face as a head coach in the CIS, striving to build the program into a one of the top teams in the country.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Scored three goals and two assists in five games at the 1992 World Hockey Championship
• In 1996-97, she was the leading scorer in the COWHL playing with the Newtonbrook Panthers
• From 1988-89 to 1996-97, she was named to the OWHA All-Star team in every year
• Silver medalist at the 1994 Provincial Championship with the Scarborough Firefighters
• She was the highest scorer in COWHL from 1991 to 1993
• From 1984-85 to 1990-91, she won the OWHA Championship with the Scarborough Firefighters
• In 1985 and 1987, she won gold medals at the Ontario Winter Games
• Played in the NWHL for six years where she was an All-Star and league scoring champion
• UOIT Ridgebacks assistant coach from 2007/08 to 2008/09
• U-18 Team Ontario Assistant Coach - Gold Medal
• Former assistant coach of the Toronto Jr. Aeros

NATIONAL TEAM INVOLVEMENT
1998 - Winter Olympics (Silver)
1997 - World Championship (Gold)
1997 - 3 Nations Cup (Silver)
1996 - 3 Nations Cup (Gold)
1995 - Pacific Rim (Gold)
1994 - World Championship (Gold)
1992 - World Championship (Gold)

Pete Perram, Assistant Coach
3rd Season

Pete Perram has been coaching for over 20 years, which includes working with female hockey programs in Alberta, Ontario and Europe.  Pete's coaching career includes many highlights including the position of Head Coach of Switzerland's Women's National team for three seasons.  After returning to Canada, Pete accepted a coaching position with the Senior AAA Durham Lightning team of the National Women's Hockey League, and remained their Head Coach for six seasons. Most recently, he has worked for five years as Coach Mentor for the Etobicoke Dolphins Hockey Association and coupled that experience with coaching their Intermediate AA (Junior) program for two seasons.

Trevor MacIsaac, Assistant Coach
2nd Season

MacIsaac is from Nova Scotia, where played all his minor hockey and junior prior to moving to Ontario to begin a high school teaching career. He represented the St. Francis Xavier University Women's hockey program as an Ontario Scout for four years, scouting the PWHL and Midget girls hockey. He has spent three years as an assistant coach with the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs of the PWHL until joining UOIT. Trevor has also coached high school girl's hockey for five years winning two OFSAA championships.

Ellie Seedhouse, Assistant Coach
1st Season

Seedhouse joins the Ridgebacks coaching staff after a dour year career with the Western Mustangs. She was the Mustangs leading scorer for three consecutive years and the team captain in her senior season. On March 23, 2010, Seedhouse was part of a team of OUA All-Stars which played the Under 18 National team at the Mastercard Centre in Toronto. In January 2011, Seedhouse got the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2011 Winter Universiade. She is currently enrolled at UOIT in the one year bachelor of education program.

Coaching Staff:

Mark Fitzgerald – Strength and Conditioning Coach (5th Season)
Tim Whitehead – Equipment Manager (2nd Season)
Sandy Sampson – Goalie Coach (4th Season)