Head coach Les Lawton is pleased to announce high scoring forward Samantha Rhainds has committed to the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey program.
Rhainds, a native of Valleyfield, Que., comes out of Stanstead College where she played for the Spartans in the North American Prep Hockey Association (NAPHA).
Under the tutelage of Stanstead coach Sarah Vaillancourt, a Canadian Olympian, Rhainds’ game made great strides. She was named to the NAPHA first all-league team in 2014 and 2015. In her senior year, Rhainds played 39 games collecting 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points. She also blocked 29 shots and was +36. She is respected for her intensity, determination and work ethic.
The 18 year old was highly recruited by NCAA and CIS schools and chose Concordia after serious reflection on her academic and hockey future.
“I have a lot of respect for her with regards to the discussions we had,” said Lawton. “She was very thorough and very mature and we had good discussions. In the end, we all felt she was a perfect fit for our team.”
The Stingers were looking for a goal scorer and Lawton feels Rhainds will make a difference on the attack.
“She has an edge to her game,” Lawton said. “And she can definitely put the puck in the net. She is going to be an impact player.”
While at Stanstead, Rhainds was also the goalkeeper with the soccer team. The Spartans won the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) national championship last fall.
