Cougars goaltender reflects on time in U SPORTS as she prepares for potential PWHL career |

Truman Bartman, Staff Writer | 

Five years have passed since Mount Royal University Cougars goaltender Kaitlyn Ross began her U SPORTS hockey career. It’s been a long and rewarding journey for Ross, as earlier this week, she became the fastest goalie in Canada West history to reach 50 career wins, something that she is honoured to have achieved.

“It’s very exciting, especially because it hadn’t been done in Canada West before,” Ross said. “It was nice to honestly get a little bit of recognition. But I give part of it to my team. They’ve been solid defensively in front of me for years, and they’ve been helping me backstop those wins.”

Reflecting on a Championship Career

As Ross’s university career comes to a close, she reflects on her time with the Cougars, recalling Mount Royal’s 2023 National Championship win, the standout moment of her tenure.

“Winning the National Championship and just that whole year in general was so special,” Ross said. “We all got along so well, we were super close, and we had trust and confidence in each other… I’ve always thought when building a new team, or when we bring in new players, that we should strive to create an environment like the one on that team.”

One player who has been by Ross’s side both during the National Championship and for a large part of her hockey career is captain Lyndsey Janes. The two joined the Cougars back in 2019, coming over from the Notre Dame Hounds. They will end their collegiate careers together this year as all-time Cougar legends.

Ross is thankful that she’s had the chance to share the ice with Janes and appreciates the friendship that they have built away from the rink.

“We’ve been teammates forever,” Ross said. “This is the ninth year, and I think it’s helped us on and off the ice. We have a lot of chemistry and a strong bond. We’ve gone through a lot together, and I know, at the end of the day, no matter what, she’s somebody that will always be there for me.”

Setting sights on the Pro Level

After this season concludes, Ross will embark on a new journey within the hockey sphere. Although she isn’t quite sure where she will end up, Ross has her sights set on playing professional hockey.

“I want to play in the PWHL,” Ross said. “That’s my ultimate goal. I know that coming from U SPORTS, it can be a little bit tricky… I’m going to play pro somewhere. I’m just not sure where yet, but playing in the PWHL remains at the top of my goals.”

For most athletes, the ability to become a pro in one sport is impressive enough. In Ross’s case, she is also a high-level baseball player who competed for Canada’s Baseball World Cup team as their catcher. However, at this moment in time, Ross plans to keep hockey as her first priority.

“I’d say hockey is still number one for me, but women’s baseball just announced that in 2026 they’re going to start a pro league,” Ross said. “If I could do both, I would. The only thing that might prevent me from doing that is being tied into a contract in the future.”

Ross has maintained an unbelievable 93.8 per cent save percentage for her entire U
SPORTS career, averaging over 21 saves per game in her quest to be the first Cougar
to play in the PWHL. Photo courtesy of Adrian Shellard

From University to the Pros

Ross has never questioned her abilities as a goalie, but she admitted that before high school she never thought that playing university hockey was a realistic goal, let alone having the chance to play pro someday.

“I honestly didn’t even start thinking about playing college until I was playing midget at Notre Dame,” Ross said. “Once I got to college, it was still a couple of years before I realized, ‘Hey, girls go off to play in Europe.’ Then the PWHL came along, and more girls are starting to play pro. It wasn’t until recently that I thought this is something that I could do. Now, it’s not just something I am thinking about, but something that I’m going to strive to accomplish.”

Ross is well on her way to achieving exactly that, as she is already beginning to grow her personal brand away from the rink through brand deals and sponsorships. She hopes to continue to put herself out into the world, hoping opportunities within hockey will follow.

“I’ve gotten a couple of sponsorships with Perfect Sports and Rawlings, which has helped me to become more comfortable with being on social media and in building my personal brand,” Ross said. “I am hoping that teams can see, ‘Oh, this is somebody that we would want to bring on our team.’”

A Cougar Legend

Ross’s time in college may be coming to a close, but that has opened a whole new set of potential opportunities that are just waiting to present themselves. As she stretches out beyond her posts in a quest to become a professional, the decorated moments that she has had as an MRU Cougar will forever make her a legend of the sport.

Truman Bartman is a Staff Writer for The Reflector 2024-2025