Former Rocket excelling at SAIT
It’s fitting NorKam secondary graduate Cora Sutton is pursuing a career in civil engineering.
The SAIT Trojans rookie defenceman has proven her game on the ice is structurally sound.
Sutton is second in scoring on the Calgary-based Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) squad, with three goals and eight points after 12 games.
Trojan bench boss Terry Larson is thrilled with her progression.
“Defensively, you can’t ask for much more from Cora,” Larson said.
“She battles hard in our zone and barely ever loses those battles.
“She doesn’t get caught out of position. She doesn’t use her stick, she uses her body. She does all the little things right.”
Sutton honed her skills with the Kelowna-based Thompson-Okanagan Rockets, a powerhouse in the B.C. Female midget AAA ranks.
Driving to and from the Little Apple for practices and games is no small task for parents and players alike.
Sutton’s dedication to the game has not gone unnoticed at SAIT.
“She’s always in position to be on the ‘D’ side,” Larson said.
“If you’re chasing those players, you’re going to get those stick penalties like hooking and tripping. You’re putting yourself in position to get called for penalties. She’s always in the right position, so she doesn’t get called.”
Sutton, who scored in a 4-2 loss to the Red Deer College Queens on Friday, Jan 11, has racked up just two penalty minutes this season.
SAIT (3-8-0-1) is tied for third in the four-team ACAC.
The 5-foot-7 rearguard also knows what she wants away from the rink.
“You can either go with a municipal or a construction stream and my goal is to go the construction route — working on high rises and big projects, eventually as a project manager. I want to be the boss,” Sutton said with a laugh.
“Even in high school, I loved design as well, so I see myself working pretty closely with architects on big projects.”
Larson and his staff rated Sutton — a provincial all star — as one of the top young female blue liners in B.C., so they were elated when she committed to the Trojans in July.
She has never looked back since being paired with sophomore Bethany Roy of Bear Canyon, Alta., at training camp.
“Cora and Beth have clicked,” Larson said.
“They read and understand each other really well and that’s huge with ‘D’ partners.
“She’s getting better and better at jumping up into the play and being that fourth forward. We’re really excited about Cora.”
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