Ice Hockey
Hockey Athletic Scholarship from St Lawrence University 2005-2009
St Lawrence University Record Holder - Most Career Goals 101
Canadian National Silver Medalist 2004
Czech League Professional Hockey Champions 2010
Numerous Rookie of the Year, MVP and Athlete of the Year Awards
Provincial Championships in Badminton and Softball
From an early age it was
easy to see that Carson Duggan was a naturally gifted athlete. Growing
up at Ma-Me-O Beach, Carson participated in school and community sports
including Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton and Track on Pigeon Lake
Regional Junior High and Senior High School teams and Hockey and
Softball on Wetaskiwin and Falun community teams. Carson did win a
Provincial Title in Badminton in high school and her Falun Fireball’s
Girl’s Softball team was also successful at winning a Provincial
Championship. However, Carson’s true passion was hockey. Carson played
NCAA Division I women’s hockey at St Lawrence University in Canton, New
York for four years and had an exceptional, record-breaking career.
Because of her outstanding achievements in hockey, Carson is being
inducted into the Wetaskiwin & County Sports Hall of Fame.
Natural Goal Scorer Advances Team to 'Frozen Four'
Carson received her basic
hockey skills playing in the Wetaskiwin Minor Hockey program. She
played from Tom Thumb to second year Midget on teams composed of mostly
boys. In her last year of Midget AA, Carson was the assistant captain
on her team. Carson’s first experience playing on a female hockey team
was as a member of the famed Edmonton Chimos for the 2003-2004 season.
The Chimos played in the now defunct Western Women’s Hockey League and
that year the Chimos captured silver medals at the Esso Women’s Canadian
National Championships. In 2004-2005,after being the leading scorer in
the top 40 camp, Carson was chosen to be a member of the Team Alberta
U18. In a best of three series, her Alberta team defeated the BC team.
In
2005 Carson was awarded a full four year hockey scholarship from St
Lawrence University. During the four years her SLU women’s hockey team
made the NCAA Playoff Tournament every year and two of those years they
advanced to the NCAA “Frozen Four, quite a feat! Carson kick-started
her own record breaking career as the co-recipient of the Eastern
College Athletic Conference ”Rookie of the Year” becoming the first
player in SLU program history to win the Award. (the ECAC is a
consortium of 300 schools) Also, Carson was “Rookie of the Year” on her
St Lawrence Saints Women’s Hockey Team. In the Saint’s 40 league game
season, Carson reached the 30 goal plateau in her first and second years
and came close in the other two years tallying 21 and 22 goals. Being a
dual US/Canadian citizen, Carson was invited both in 2006 and 2007 to
the Team USA National Camp in Lake Placid. All four years at SLU
Carson’s school grades qualified her for the ECAC All Academic Team. She
is also a member of the St Lawrence chapter of the International
Economics Honorary Society.
Record Breaking NCAA Scorer Heads to Professional
League
In her fourth year Carson
became the first SLU women’s ice hockey player to reach 100 career
goals. It was in the 2009 ECAC quarter finals that Carson scored her
100th and the 101st goals, both within 97 sec. This made Carson the
all-time leading goal scorer at SLU for both men and women with 101
career goals (tied with Brian McFarlane, class of 1955). Carson
finished her amazing career with 101 goals and 159 points. In her final
year Carson was named the Martha Finch “Female Athlete of the Year” for
SLU. Additionally, she was the SLU women’s hockey team’s MVP. Besides
that Carson made the first round nominations for the Patty Kazmaier
Award emblematic of the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice
hockey. In 2009-2010, after her college career was over, Carson signed
to play on the HC Slavia Praha professional women’s hockey team in the
Czech Women’s Professional League. Her team captured the Czech League
championships. All in all, quite a remarkable hockey career!
Carson’s successful hockey
career gave her the opportunity to enter the coaching ranks in women’s
hockey and she made the transition seamlessly. In 2010 Carson was
hired to coach NCAA Div III at Trinity College in Hartford,
Connecticut. Carson spent three years at Trinity (2010-2014), the first
year as assistant coach and the next two as head coach. In her second
year Carson was named NESCAC “Coach of the Year” as well as the New
England Div II/III “Coach of the Year”. From 2014-2016 Carson moved to
Ohio State, a Div I team, and served as assistant coach. Carson ended
her coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of
Connecticut coaching there from 2016-2018. In 2018 her UConn team were
Hockey East Tournament Runners-Up.
Coach of the Year Earns Two Masters Degrees
Through Drive and Determination
While coaching at Trinity
College Carson completed a Master’s of Economics Degree. In Ohio she
also completed a Masters of Sports Administration from Ohio University,
the top ranked sports administration program in the world. Being able
to earn two Masters’ Degrees while also coaching is a testament to her
organizational skills and diligence. Carson continues to give back to
her sport by tutoring young female hockey players looking for advice on
scholarship opportunities and the recruiting process as well as
mentoring young coaches throughout Hockey Alberta events.
Carson had a brilliant,
record-breaking playing career at SLU and followed it up with a stellar
run as a celebrated coach. Carson played the game with drive and
determination and has been described by one of her coaches as a natural
goal scorer. Carson has influenced many female hockey players through
her coaching and counseling and continues to do so. Her hockey career is
definitely an inspiration for young athletes of our community.
Congratulations Carson, you are very deserving of this recognition and
we are honoured to induct you into the Wetaskiwin & County Sports Hall
of Fame.
Read the Presentation Speech by Sandy Wright
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