Bettez, a 5-foot-4 forward from Sept-Iles, Que., wrapped up her record-setting university career with the highest individual honour in the CIS, winning the Jim Thompson Trophy as the 2011-12 CIS athlete of the year at the BLG Awards gala.
CAREER PROFILE:
McGill University’s Ann-Sophie Bettez had a record-breaking season for the RSEQ champion McGill Martlets hockey team in 2011-12, culminating in her winning the Brodrick trophy as CIS women’s hockey player of the year, Gladys Bean Trophy as McGill athlete of the year and the Jim Thompson Trophy as CIS female athlete of the year (in all sports combined) at the BLG Awards gala in Calgary.
A native of Sept-Iles, Que., Bettez earned two academic degrees from McGill University, graduating with a B.Com. in 2011 followed by a certificate in public relations (2012).
She had a storied hockey career at McGill, beginning with CIS women’s hockey rookie of the year honours in 2007-08. The two-time league MVP was named a first-team all-star in Quebec in each of her five seasons and was also a five-time CIS all-Canadian, including three first-team honours. She is among only five McGill female athletes to become a five-time All-Canadian in the same sport, joining a group that includes Charline Labonté (hockey 2006-09, 2010-12), Sarah Ali-Khan (track & field, 1997-02), Vicky Tessier (basketball, 1992-97) and Linda Thyer (cross-country running, 1990-1995).
She graduated as McGill's all-time leader in goals (85), assists (87) and points (172) in 91 regular season games. She also owns the team’s overall records in all three categories with 148-175-323 in 196 career contests.
Prior to her arrival on the Montreal downtown campus, the Martlets had never claimed the CIS banner. Bettez is one of a select few who played at the CIS national championship in five consecutive years and collected gold medal victories in 2008, 2009 and 2011, along with silver (2010) and bronze (2012).
A former member of the Canadian national under-22 team, she helped the Canadian under-22 squad capture gold at the MLP Nations Cup in Germany and then guided the national senior team to a silver-medal finish at the IIHF world championship in Finland. In 2011, she once again triumphed with the Maple Leaf jersey on her back, this time claiming gold with a group of CIS all-stars at the Winter Universiade in Turkey.
"Her growth and development as a player, student and person has been incredible," says McGill head coach Peter Smith, who served seven years with the national women's program and was an assistant coach on the squad that won Olympic gold in 2010. "She is a coach's dream -- keeps it simple, plays an uncomplicated style of game and brings a great combination of skill and grit. She is the hardest workers on a team full of hard workers and I hold her work ethic up as the standard for the young players on our team to strive for."
In her fifth and final season at McGill, she was an alternate captain with the Martlets, finishing second in the RSEQ conference in both points (37) and assists (24), while tying for the league lead with four-game winning goals in 20 contests. The 5-foot-4 forward guided McGill to a 18-1-1 record in the RSEQ standings, where they finished first for the seventh straight year.
Now that her university career is over, Bettez continues to play hockey at a high level and is currently playing for the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. She also serves as a special skills coach with the McGill Martlets.
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman, McGill Athletics & Recreation, 514-398-7012, earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
