Ben Gagnon
Ben
has been playing hockey since a young age. He played minor hockey in his
hometown of Hawkesbury, ON and played summer AAA hockey in the Ottawa region.
After finishing minor hockey, he played for the Hawkesbury Hawks Junior A program
before earning a full scholarship in the NCAA Division I where he played for
Western Michigan University. After graduating University, he finished his
hockey career playing Senior AAA. Throughout his years as a player, he also
worked at various hockey schools. Ben joined the Ice Cats program 5 years
ago by helping with the Ice Kittens program and has been coaching Rep A hockey
ever since. For Ben, development is key for the players. His coaching
philosophy is to create a positive team environment (with players and
families), promote fun on and off the ice, focus on development, knowledge of
the game, and improve skating skills while being competitive. He hopes for all
his players to love the game as much as he does. Matt Myers
Matt has been coaching with the BGHA for the past 4 years at the House
League, DS, and Rep levels, most recently as Head Coach of the 2017/2018
Atom C Ice Cats. In addition, Matt has been involved with Girls Rural Softball
as a coach for the past 6 years. Matt strives to create a fun and encouraging
environment and takes great joy in helping young athletes excel as hockey
players and develop a life-long passion for the game. His coaching philosophy
emphasizes fundamental skills development, hard work, and team play. Paul Taylor
While this will be Paul’s second season coaching with the BGHA, he has coached for Flamborough Minor Hockey Association (U18- AA) and the Provincial Women’s Softball Association (U10).
Paul’s focus will follow the Hockey Development Pathway by continuing to develop player hockey skills with a focus on the knowledge of the game (player/team tactics). His plan is to incorporate this during on- and off-ice (dryland) development.Brianne Kilgour
After playing AA and Junior Hockey for the Hamilton Girls Hockey Association, Brianne received an NCAA full scholarship to play forward for the Division I University of Maine Black Bears. In her time at Maine, from 2009-2015, Brianne was successful in earning both an undergraduate and a graduate degree, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. In her Senior year, Brianne was awarded team MVP while also being named to the Hockey East All-Academic team. Brianne has a passion for coaching and has been involved in on ice and office development for several hockey teams throughout Ontario. Brianne is in her 5th season as a head coach with the BGHA where she values player development, strong work ethic, and most importantly, a love for the sport. John Edgar
Winner of the Silver Medal at the Provincial Championships in 2017 with
Brantford's Senior A team, John has a long career of successes as
head coach with BGHA and Paris District High School. John's experience both on
the ice as a coach and off the ice as a business owner are huge
assets for the high calibre University and Junior players he coaches
as they continue their careers as players and pursuing
their professional careers.