Three former Stratford Aces win ACHA Div-One hockey title

Pictured from left to right are Victoria Campbell, Kiara McGregor and Jaden Greenlee, a trio of former Stratford Aces who helped Midland University in Fremont, Neb., win their first-ever ACHA Division-One National Championship in women’s hockey in St. Louis, Miss., March 16-22.

Victoria Campbell and Jaden Greenlee of Stratford and Kiara McGregor of St. Marys, three close friends who grew up together in the Stratford Aces minor hockey program, helped Midland University in Fremont, Neb., capture their first-ever American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division-One women’s hockey championship St. Louis, Miss., March 16-22.

Greenlee described the experience of her first year of university hockey as allowing her to grow in many ways.

“Being able to play at Midland University this season has been a great opportunity for me,” said Greenlee. “I’ve learned a lot both on and off the ice, and it’s helped me grow a lot as a person and player. Over the course of this season, I feel like I’ve grown significantly. My time at Midland University has helped me develop a lot of discipline and confidence on the ice that I have been able to translate into my life off the ice, too.”

For Campbell, the environment at Midland allowed her to feel welcomed immediately.

“This season at Midland has honestly been such an incredible experience,” Campbell told the Times. “Coming in as a freshman, I didn’t really know what to expect, but the team culture, the competitiveness and the support from everyone made it really special.

“I think I’ve developed a lot in my confidence and consistency. At the start, everything was new and more intense, but over time, I adjusted to the pace and became more comfortable making plays and trusting myself. I think I’ve also grown mentally just learning how to stay composed and focused in big moments.”

The trio has spent many years playing alongside one another after growing up as teammates in the Stratford Aces system, which McGregor described as adding to her first year of university hockey. 

“To me, it was a really cool experience playing with Victoria and Jaden,” McGregor said of playing with her lifelong friends and teammates. “They're two of my best friends. We played most of our minor hockey days together, and then being able to experience playing collegiate-level hockey together was a cool experience.”

Campbell and Greenlee echoed the sentiments expressed by McGregor.

“It’s honestly so special playing with Jaden and Kiara,” Campbell remarked. “We’ve come such a long way from playing minor hockey together, so to be able to share this experience at this level is pretty surreal.”

“It’s incredibly special to play with Kiara and Victoria,” added Greenlee. “We grew up playing minor hockey together, so being able to continue our careers at the collegiate level and win a national championship together is unreal.”

McGregor explained the team’s mentality heading into the national championship.

“When we went to the national tournament, we just knew we had to have fun and see what we could do, and we ended up winning. The atmosphere is what stands out most to me. Some of our men's team came down to support us, and all the parents who were there and fans everywhere and interviews going on, in addition to such good hockey, it just made it an even better experience.

“I knew that we had to win every game,” McGregor continued. “We couldn't lose. We couldn't take our foot off the pedal, and just had to keep our heads focused. Being a freshman, I wanted to take in the experience as well, and our team made that happen for us. Just being able to have fun, and we made sure that we just focused on the games, but then also got to enjoy it after, which made it a less stressful experience.”

Midland met the first-place team in the country, Liberty University, in the championship final, which ended up going into triple overtime before Midland fired home the game-winning tally to claim their first-ever women’s hockey title, with McGregor noting the lengthy final battle was an exhausting yet thrilling experience.

“It was definitely a mental battle making sure that we were able to get pucks deep, and Liberty (University) being very experienced and winning. We knew that we had to take the chances where we got them and not waste too much of our energy, especially in the first and second overtime. We were trying to cycle pucks and use each other and pass as much as we could, so we weren't wasting as much energy as needed.

“There were a lot of nerves,” McGregor continued. “Everyone was just trying to support each other and have each other's backs. We definitely tried to ease the nerves as much as possible. But obviously, in those situations, you can't really, so you’ve just got to try to play through it.”

Campbell described playing into triple overtime before the game-winning goal finally went in. 

“It was crazy,” said Campbell. “Physically and mentally exhausting, but at the same time, you’re so locked in that you almost don’t feel it in the moment. Every shift felt huge, and the energy being so high. It’s the kind of game you dream of being part of. Honestly, it didn’t even feel real at first (when the overtime winner went in). I think it was just pure excitement and adrenaline. Seeing everyone jump on the ice and celebrate together was such an unreal moment.”

McGregor added it was the team’s top leader who came up clutch for the sudden-death game-winner.

“In the moment, it was crazy since it was our captain (who scored in overtime),” noted McGregor. “It was our senior teammate who led us through the whole year and scored our goal. No one could really believe it. I don't even think it's hit me now, but just being able to win and do it with such an amazing team was great. No one could believe that it actually happened.”

According to Campbell, the win was a cap-off to her rookie campaign she couldn’t have dreamed up any better.

“Especially as a freshman, you come in just hoping to contribute and learn, so to be able to be part of a national championship team in my first year is something really special,” Campbell stated. “That’s what you work for all season, so to see all the hard work pay off and share that moment with the team is something pretty special.”

Greenlee felt similarly, noting it was incredibly fulfilling to help Midland win its first-ever women’s hockey title.

“Coming in as a freshman and winning a national championship in our first year was an incredible experience,” said Greenlee. “It was so rewarding to see all the work we put in over the season finally pay off, especially since we clicked as a group so early in the season. Having lost to Liberty in conference finals, and then coming back to beat them in triple overtime for the national title was huge. It’s a memory I’ll never forget.”

McGregor gave credit to the team’s veterans for helping the younger players, including the three former Stratford Aces, learn how to embody the team’s culture and spirit.

“I feel like we had such a great senior corps where they had worked so hard for four years and they'd put in everything they could, that we just wanted to really do it for them as well and make sure that they could experience it just as much as we could,” McGregor said. “They’ve helped us freshmen to never give up and make sure that we’re always supporting each other and having each other’s back, as no one should ever stand alone.”