Ottawa Native Abbey McMillan Lives her Varsity Hockey Dream

For the past five seasons, Ottawa’s Abbey McMillan has been living out her lifelong dream of playing Ontario University Athletics (OUA) hockey.

McMillan, who grew up attending several Ottawa 67’s and Ottawa Senators games, played and excelled in a variety of sports, including hockey, where, as a skilled forward, she had success playing with the Nepean Wildcats U18 AA team before going on to play for the York Lions Women’s Hockey team.

“This was a lifelong goal,” McMillan, who studied software engineering, said, “To further my education and to further my hockey career. York has a newer Engineering program that was appealing to me.”

In terms of playing varsity hockey, McMillan stated, “It’s definitely a big jump (going from Nepean Wildcats AA to varsity hockey), especially jumping up two levels. There’s an increase in speed, and decision-making is faster.”

Showing her true commitment, McMillan worked on her skating, which she believes was a bit of a weakness. “I trained hard in the off-season. I’m way faster now,” she said.

Reflecting on her experience, McMillan offered valuable advice to players about to enter their rookie season with the Lions.

“Putting on the jersey was really cool. It was surreal,” McMillan said. “I would say enjoy it. It goes by really fast. Be present in the moment and be proud of yourself.”

Shortly into her rookie season, on October 22, 2021, McMillan scored her first OUA goal in a 5-2 win against Brock.

“It was really cool to score my first goal so early in the season,” McMillan said. “It showed that I can score at this level and can succeed.”

McMillan, who believes her strengths are a strong work ethic, a lethal shot, and a strong hockey IQ, received heavy praise from her York Lions coach, Dan Church, who couldn’t say enough about this talented veteran.

“Abbey is a leader off the ice,” Church said. “She’s one of the hardest workers on the team and has made tremendous strides year over year. She’s a power forward type player and really brings grit and intensity to our lineup,” Church also went on to add, “She is a great forechecker and an excellent penalty killer. She plays in an Emery role for us and really has helped a couple of our first years develop this season. I can’t say enough good things about her character and work ethic.”

The five seasons playing for the York Lions female varsity team were filled with numerous life-long memories, with McMillan’s greatest highlights being “Lifelong friends and building connections.”

Unfortunately for McMillan, the Lions didn’t qualify this year for the playoffs.

“There’s a lot of sadness that it’s coming to an end,” McMillan said. “In the second half, we didn’t win games. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it done.”

Reflecting on her entire hockey career, a big thrill for McMillan occurred in 2010, when playing U10 hockey for the Ottawa Ice, she scored the Provincial Gold Medal-winning goal. Years later, she would once again be the hero as she scored the OWHA Provincial Gold Medal-winning goal while playing on the U15 Nepean Wildcats.

“The one from U-10, I remember it was an OT game winner,” McMillan said.

In terms of what she would like to eventually do with her degree, McMillan stated,

“I would like to become a software engineer. Making software that will make a difference in the world.”

Playing varsity hockey was a lifelong dream achieved by McMillan, whose only regret is not winning a championship.

“Obviously, that would have been a really cool way to end my career,” she said.

McMillan definitely made her mark by showing she could be a force, playing five years of OUA hockey with the York University Lions women’s team.

Photo: via yorklionswhky