Brynn Van Wiechen (right) talking to a player after Team P.E.I.’s 14-6 win over Team Nova Scotia on Feb. 20, 2023, at Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre, Three Rivers, P.E.I. (Photo taken by Tanya Caron)
By Pratik Bhattarai
Mar. 8, 2023
Brynn Van Wiechen was at the Islanders’ game, cheering for her boyfriend in the stands. The glass in front of her was missing. Suddenly a puck flew into the stands and hit her in the eye.
The 18-year-old had to be rushed to the hospital.
Van Wiechen suffered six broken facial bones and a cut to the left side of her eye.
She lost her vision temporarily and the doctors feared she might not get her full vision back.
The injury happened nine years ago, back when Van Wiechen was the captain of the P.E.I under-19 ringette team.
The doctors’ prognosis came true. The injury left her with blurry vision and a bad concussion. Her season was cut short and eventually her career as a ringette player came to an end.
But she couldn’t stay away from the sport she loved, that she started playing when she was five years old.
She got into the sport because her elder sister played, and her parents were big supporters. She played on the provincial team ringette from the age of 12 to 22. The ringette community became her second family.
After she could no longer play, still still wanted to be involved, and to give back to the sport.
“Playing over 15 years I have a lot of knowledge, so I wanted to pass it onto the next generation,” she added.
“The injury left me with migraine and headaches,” she said. “I wanted to be in the sport but do it in a way that I could be safe.”
This year, the 27-year-old Van Wiechen is a defense coach for the P.E.I Ringette team.
“Teammates were like sisters and coaches were second parents for me,” she said.
Her goal as a coach is to encourage the players as much as possible because P.E.I. is a small province and players often doubt themselves.
Even during the 2023 Canada Winter Games, Team P.E.I exceeded everyone’s expectations. Their notable performance was the 14-6 win over Team Nova Scotia and finishing fourth in the tournament.
When she’s not at the rink, Van Wiechen is at school. She get a master’s degree in education and teaches Grade 4 mathematics at Central Queens Elementary School in Hunter River.
“I’m pretty used to it. I used to play such a competitive ringette that I always had to balance school and sport.”
Teaching and coaching ringette are pretty similar, she said.
“It’s just problem-solving.”
Van Wiechen plans to take a break from coaching after the 2023 Canada Games, however, she still wants to remain involved in the sport.
She might continue coaching for a few years or act as an advisor for the coaches.
She is not ready to walk away from the sport, she said.
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