Amy Maitre (BHK ‘20) returns to the Lancers as a coach after serving as assistant captain for three seasons. [photo courtesy of Amy Maitre]
By Sara Elliott
Having cultivated her craft since age four, former Lancer hockey star Amy Maitre (BHK ‘20) seemed destined to become a coach.
Now, the five-year veteran of the women’s hockey team has returned to campus to become a full-time assistant coach of that very team.
Maitre played from 2016 to 2022, serving as assistant captain for three seasons. She was named most valuable player in 2019-20 and was a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian.
“Being in the leadership role as a player, you start to get that perspective of how much goes into it and how to handle the team dynamics,” she says.
“It’s definitely a part of the coaching aspect that I’m super passionate about and it was a natural progression in my journey.”
Never straying far from the team, Maitre began her coaching path after graduation as a volunteer assistant and then part-time assistant coach.
“One of the most rewarding parts is when you’re working with an athlete and they see what they’ve been working on and are able to use it in a game,” she says. “They have that ‘aha’ moment — they’ve put a lot of work into this and it’s paying off.”
Maitre does not take having female coaches for granted, as she grew up mainly playing on boys’ teams with male coaches.
Amy Maitre (BHK ‘20) returns to the Lancers to become a full-time assistant coach. [photo courtesy of Amy Maitre]
“I think I had one female coach until I got to university and I think they’re just better able to connect with the athlete,” she says.
“At this point, there’s been a lot of really great female athletes move over to the coaching side and I think the more opportunities we’re able to have a voice in the room, the better the game is. They’ll help promote the growth of the game as a whole.”
Maitre says she has been fortunate to have had a lot of great coaches throughout her career. In addition to her parents, current Lancer head coach Deanna Iwanicka — who started with the team in 2018 — is one of her notable mentors.
“As soon as she got here, she saw potential in me on the playing side and the leadership side,” says Maitre. “When I graduated and got into coaching, she’s been a constant.”
“She pushes me outside that comfort zone, making sure I’m willing to go out on that limb and challenge myself. She’s been a great resource and I’m very grateful.”
The admiration is mutual. Iwanicka says Maitre has been a major asset to the program.
“Amy has enhanced the student-athlete experience by adding to both the quantity and quality of coach-athlete relations and support,” says Iwanicka.
“Windsor was the final women’s hockey program in Ontario University Athletics to hire a full-time head coach (myself, in 2018), so we’ve got some catching up to do — and Amy, in her role, is allowing us to do so.”
Maitre’s full-time position was created through a Coaches Association of Ontario female apprentice coach grant.
Keen to recruit more women to the sport locally, Maitre took the lead this summer in running the Lancer Women’s Hockey Girls Summer Hockey Camp as part of the University of Windsor’s Lancer Camps.
She has also helped grow other community offerings and partnerships, including the Junior Lancer Player’s Club, which supports players in learning about the university level of hockey.
Soon, the coaches’ corner will become a bit of a family affair. Maitre’s twin sister Ashley, a former Lancer and team captain herself, will join the staff this season as a volunteer assistant coach. Maitre says it all contributes to the team’s success and fuels her love of the game.
“As you get through your years, there’s kind of a deadline on your playing time,” she says.
“But I wanted to stay involved and I think coaching was always something I would do. I feel really fortunate to be able to do it.”
The Women's Hockey home opener is on Oct. 17, 2025 at Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex at 7:30 p.m. For tickets head to goLancers.ca/tickets.