A North Bay hockey player who has been a pioneer for women's hockey in North Bay will be inducted into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame.
Ann Renée Guillemette started playing women’s hockey in North Bay when the sport was in its infancy.
After five years of success in the sport of Ringette, she joined the North Bay and District Girls Hockey Association, participating from 1997–2003. Her team competed against male teams at the local level which prepared them for competition at a higher level. Serving as team captain for the 1999- 2000 season, the team attained an elevated level of success, winning gold in over 75% of the events they competed in.
After that season, she was the recipient of the Coaches Award for heart, perseverance, and commitment.
Her success continued into 2002-03 when her winning goal secured the OWHA provincial championship for her Midget B team.
As her game skills improved, so did her opportunities to advance to higher levels of play. In the 2003-2004 season she decided to play for the Sudbury Lady Wolves AA Intermediate team. This was a much higher calibre of play and she was highly scouted for Universities in both Canada and the USA. She caught the eye of international scouts and was offered a four-year scholarship to Yale. Aside from her high skill level, her coaches acknowledged that she had tremendous
potential and was a strong skill-focused player.
While Yale was not considered a women’s hockey powerhouse, during Guillemette’s four years at the school that standard increased as they saw their team record a 16-win season, setting a school record. Yale also beat Harvard for the first time in twenty years, a historic rivalry. Yale qualified for ECAC playoffs every year that she played for the Bull Dogs and competed in the ECAC semi-finals for the first time. In her first three years as a defenseman Ann Renée appeared
in 82 games, scoring 2 goals, and adding five assists
Ann Renée was elected Team Captain by her teammates in her senior year based on her ability as a stay-at-home defensive player, her maturity, and her leadership skill. A measure of her impact on the team was being awarded the Bingham Cup in her senior year for outstanding
team leadership.
“Ann-Renée is quiet, but she is willing to take on responsibility,” said Yale head coach Hilary Witt in 2007.
“She has been through a lot, but she has always handled adversity like a pro. Whenever something did not go her way, she just worked harder to overcome it."
See related: Guillemette named Yale Captain
During her four years at Yale her team won 53 games, second in team history, she played in 111 games and was named ECAC All-Academic in her senior year in 2008.
Ann Renée Guillemette entered a program that was not strong by NCAA standards. She received the ultimate praise from her coach Hilary Witt speaking about Ann Renée and another graduate by stating through their contributions, they enhanced the program to the level where they could compete at the top level.
After graduating from Yale, she went to Guelph to complete a Master of Science Program.
Ann Renée Guillemette, as a pioneer in the growth of Women’s Hockey, will be inducted at the 43rd Annual Induction and Awards Dinner to be held at the Davedi Club on Saturday, May 11th, 2024.
Tickets are available by calling Larry Tougas at 705-303-8104, Trista Grant at 705-472-0009, the Davedi Club at 705-474-4190, or by contacting any Board Member.
