Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – As a young girl, Sydney Hughson remembers sitting in the Calgary Stampede grandstand cheering on her father Clark as he competed in one of the world's premier calf roping (now tie-down roping) events.

Also a six-time Canadian Finals Rodeo qualifier, Clark Hughson and his family travelled the circuit in the summers, leading to plenty of memories for Sydney, now a defenceman on the MacEwan Griffins women's hockey team.

"It has definitely brought us closer together, especially in the summer," she said. "Instead of going camping on the weekends, we would get on the rodeo trail and live in our living quarters trailer, so it's definitely a family bonding experience. 

"It's ultimately a sport for us. We practise it in the evenings and it's just something we like to do as family."

Sydney has long been a barrel racer, while her brother Quade landed a scholarship at Clarendon College in Texas for bull riding and calf roping. Her father Clark, now head coach the Foremost Rodeo Academy, won a Permit Award from the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) in 1992 and competed on some of the biggest stages in the world.

"I remember me and my brother and sister being in the stands watching him and cheering for him," said Sydney of going to the Calgary Stampede. "My brother also competed in the Stampede in steer riding, so it was really cool to get that experience, as well, and being a bit older and remembering more."

When she hit high school, though, Hughson moved away from home to Devon, Alta.-based NAX hockey academy and made the puck pursuit her No. 1 sport. 

"That's really where I dedicated myself to the game because I knew I wanted to get to the post-secondary level," said Hughson.

And here she is, now in her third season with MacEwan, suddenly finding herself as the most veteran member of the Griffins' blueline.

Hughson will lead the Griffins into weekend action vs. Calgary on Friday (7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena) and Saturday (7 p.m. in #YYC, both Canada West TV).

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Sydney Hughson is the most veteran member of the Griffins' blueline corps and is serving as an assistant captain for MacEwan this season (Joel Kingston photo).

"I've known her previously and just coming into this season, she put in a really committed and intentional off-season," said Griffins interim head coach Chris Leeming. "She came back and had superior fitness compared to what she had before. I think it's translated onto the ice, for sure. She leads by example off the ice and now she's been able to step up into a leadership position as part of the leadership group. 

"She plays in key situations for us every game and she's a great role model both on and off the ice for our younger players."

Off the ice, Hughson sets a strong example of community service through her work with the Boys & Girls Club of Edmonton's Big Sisters program.

"Growing up in a small community, I really valued always giving back," said the product of tiny Foremost, Alta.– a village of less than 1,000 near Medicine Hat. "I had a very supportive community. I always valued them supporting me and felt I wanted to give back, so when I moved to the big city, I wanted to find ways to help. 

"I'm currently volunteering with the Boys and Girls Big Sister program I've been a mentor for this little girl for about two years now and I've really enjoyed it, really enjoyed the relationship that I've built with her, and I really encourage others to do the same."
From the farm in Foremost to the capital city of Alberta, Hughson brings a strong work ethic that's transferred onto the ice as well. If there are parallels from rodeo to hockey, that's it.

"I would definitely say the dedication, the commitment and the practice of it," she said. "It's the same with hockey. You have to put in the hours of riding your horse, roping, training your horse – it's very much like a relationship. And you can't just give up on it. It can get frustrating at times, especially when you're not placing or you're getting injuries with your horses. It's definitely a process, you just have to trust it. It's the same with hockey. If you keep working on it and don't give up, I think you can be very successful."

Robyn Short and the Griffins posted a 5-3 win over the University of Windsor on Dec. 31 to close out their play at the U of A's Presence Cup exhibition tournament (Connor Hood photo).

That could certainly be the mantra for the Griffins, who finished the first semester on a seven-game losing streak. But Leeming notes a Christmas exhibition tournament at the University of Alberta reignited their fire. The Griffins lost close games to the host Pandas (4-2) and the University of New Brunswick (3-1) before finishing with a 5-3 win over Windsor on Dec. 31.

"I think it was a lightbulb moment where the first semester got a little heavy towards the end," he said. "They were able to experience what it's like to have a love for the game again and get back to doing the things that they know they're capable of doing. 

"Overall, as a coaching staff, we were really impressed by our game play. I think we had three or four disallowed goals in the three games. That could have made a difference. Our final game, we were down 3-1 to Windsor and we came back to win 5-3. That was something we hadn't done yet this year and that was a big boost to our group."