By Saskatoon Stars

The Female U18 AAA Saskatoon Stars want to congratulate Robin Ulrich on her appointment as an assistant coach with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s hockey program. While we are sad to see our head coach leave, we see this as another progression in our involvement in the furthering of female hockey accomplishments and truly appreciate her past commitment to our players and program. We know she will be an asset to the Huskies in her continued pursuit to advance her career. Good luck, Robin!

Further to the above, the Saskatoon U18 AAA Stars are proud to announce the appointment of the following individuals whom will form the coaching staff for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Alana Serhan 

We are thrilled to introduce our new Head Coach Alana Serhan. Building upon the foundation of excellence and dedication established by those before her, Alana brings a fresh perspective to our female hockey program. With a profound respect for tradition and a vision for the future, she is poised to guide our team to new heights. Alana is a SFU18AAAHL alumnus that went on to spend five years playing for the University of Manitoba Bisons. During that time, Alana was part of many big wins and program firsts, the most significant being the U-Sport national championship title in 2018. As she transitioned into coaching, her passion for empowering female athletes became her driving force. Her playing career has shaped a lot of who she is as a coach, which is centered around continued growth and development. Alana held several assistant and head coach positions at all levels from U11 A to U18 AAA and also spent time coaching at the University of Manitoba. In addition to those accomplishments, Alana has also been part of both the Manitoba and Saskatchewan U18 AAA Female Programs of Excellence, and is currently the head coach for Team Saskatchewan U18 who is set to compete at nationals this November in New Brunswick. Alana is also completing her Hockey Canada Professional Skills Coach certification which she knows will be an asset in her new head coach role her with the Stars. Outside the realm of hockey, Alana works in the agriculture industry and has many hobbies that keep her busy.

Tess Houston

We also welcome Assistant Coach Tess Houston. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Tess played minor hockey within the Titans organization. Looking to further her education through hockey, Tess played two years with the Balmoral Hall Blazers prep team and represented Team Manitoba at the Canadian Winter Games in 2011. Tess went on to further her hockey career with the University of Alberta Pandas from 2011-2016, including winning the Canada West championship in 2015. She received a number of individual accolades during her career including being named team Rookie of the Year, team MVP, assistant captain and a CIS West All-Star in 2015. She was also selected to represent Team Canada in the International University Sports Federation’s Winter University Games in Granada, Spain, where she won a silver medal. Tess balanced a busy schedule during her university career and graduated with a bachelors of science in nursing. After hanging up the skates as a player, Tess turned to coaching. Tess spent two seasons coaching the U15 AA Female Twins in Winnipeg and went on to be an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Avros in the Manitoba Female U18 AAA Hockey League 2021-2023. In 2022, Tess was awarded the BFL Canada Female Coach of the year, a testament to her commitment and dedication to advancing female hockey. After moving to Saskatchewan in fall of 2022, Tess continued to stay involved with Hockey Manitoba's Program of Excellence for two years while also co-head coaching the U15 AA Rebels in Regina. Tess is an ICU nurse and spends her free time outside of work coaching and developing herself as a coach.

Autumn Garnham

Assistant Coach Autumn Garnham is a former collegiate athlete, making significant strides in the game of hockey. Autumn's collegiate hockey journey began as a player at the University of Toronto, where she played for four seasons. During her time there, she distinguished herself both academically and athletically, earning scholarships in both domains. Her playing career also includes representing Manitoba at the U18 national championships. Autumn is an HP1 certified coach and has been working with U15 AA and U18 AAA players for the past several season. Since 2022, Autumn has been involved in Hockey Manitoba's Program of Excellence (POE). She has served as a coach for the U16 program and is currently an assistant coach for the U18 Female program for the 2024 national championships. Last season, Autumn took on the role of head coach for the U15 AAA Central Plains Female Capitals. Her leadership and coaching acumen have been instrumental in guiding the team through a successful season. Beyond the rink, Autumn is a civil engineer by profession. She holds a bachelor of science in engineering (civil) from the University of Manitoba, blending her analytical and strategic skills from engineering with her passion for hockey. Autumn has a passion to a blend of technical proficiency, athletic excellence, and a deep commitment to fostering growth and development in young athletes within the sport of hockey. Autumn will be relocating to Saskatoon this summer as she takes on a new career opportunity here in the city and we are thrilled to have her joining the Saskatoon Stars coaching staff.

Samantha Ridgewell (returning)

Most of you are familiar with Sam from her participation with the Stars the last several seasons. Sam is a Saskatoon Stars alumnus that went on to play and study at NCAA Division I Merrimack College from 2015 to 2019 where she was named to Hockey East All-Rookie Team in her first season, and named Women’s Hockey East Second All-Star Team in 2018-19 season. After graduating she pursued hockey in Sweden and Switzerland and played in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League. In early-2020, Sam returned to North America and signed with the Toronto Six of the NWHL. We are fortunate to have someone with Sam’s well rounded depth of knowledge in female hockey.

This group’s proven leadership and positive attitude will be valuable assets to the continued growth and success of the Saskatoon Stars hockey program.