In 2012-13, Stephanie Schaupmeyer was part of the greatest single season turnaround by any team in the history of Canadian university sport.
Five years later, the Kelowna product is bidding farewell to a fulfilling and memorable career with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s hockey program.
Earlier this month, with Schaupmeyer serving as team captain, the T-Birds closed out the 2016-17 campaign with a bronze medal effort at the U Sports national women’s championship in Napanee, Ont.
It marked the end of a long and successful run at UBC for Schaupmeyer who won three Canada West titles with the T-Birds (2013, 2016, 2017), as well as a national silver medal last spring. The 22-year-old Kelowna native also holds the all-time Canada West record for regular season games played at 139.
As her career at UBC wound down to its conclusion, Schaupmeyer made sure to appreciate and savour her time in blue and gold.
“I think by the time you get to your senior year, the whole season is pretty much a reflection of all the past years,” said Schaupmeyer, a graduate of Okanagan Mission Secondary. “When we went back to the finals again this year, there was just a lot of reminiscing about the whole journey, all the time I was here, all the successes we had as a team.
“It’s been a really great five years.”
And Schaupmeyer couldn’t have asked for a much better initiation to Canadian women’s university hockey.
In her freshman season, under the guidance of newly-hired head coach Graham Thomas, the Thunderbirds won the 2013 Canada West championship in Calgary.
It marked a most improbable turn of fortunes for the UBC program which had won just a single game the previous year.
“That first year, when we won in Calgary, seeing the turnaround of the program as a freshman, that was really special, probably still the highlight of my career,” said Schaupmeyer who played more than 200 career games at UBC, including playoffs. “Graham came in and changed the culture and the program and we got results right away. That was very exciting to be part of and I know will always stay with me.”
A natural born leader, Schaupmeyer was named an assistant captain in just her second season with the T-Birds. She also wore an A in her third season, before becoming a co-captain in her fourth, and UBC’s sole captain in her final year.
Thomas, who has watched Schaupmeyer’s progress every step of the way, said the Kelowna product was a crucial part of the T’Birds success the last five years and will no doubt be missed.
“She’s been an integral part of this program right from when she was a freshman,” Thomas said. “She’s been such a big part of creating and defending the culture we have here now, I can’t say enough about her.
“Seeing her grow and develop into the leader she became was really amazing. We’re really going to miss her.”
For the time being, Schaupmeyer has no plans to continue playing competitive hockey, instead turning her attention to a career in the work world. Upon completing her science degree at UBC, Schaupmeyer plans to become a registered nurse.
As for her five years at UBC, Schaupmeyer said the journey exceeded all expectations.
“Honestly, it was so much more than I expected,” she said. “I knew I would love it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the education and, of course, the hockey and being part of a team. It was so much more than I thought it would be, I’m just really grateful.”
Schaupmeyer was the third Kelowna hockey product to serve as a T-Birds’ captain in the last five years, joining Sarah Casorso and Christi Capozzi.
Carsorso wins NWHL title…
Kelowna product and former UBC captain Sarah Casorso enjoyed a triumphant conclusion to her first season of pro hockey in North America.
Earlier this month, Casorso, 25, helped the Buffalo Beauts to the 2017 National Women’s Hockey League championship.
The Beauts defeated the Boston Pride 3-2 in the one-game winner-take-all format on Sunday, March 19 in Lowell, Mass.
Casorso played 20 games with the Beauts this season and registered eight assists.
Coming up through Kelowna Minor Hockey, Casorso went on to play four seasons at UBC, serving as the T-Birds’ captain in 2014-15.