Hockey Nova Scotia is very proud to announce that Kori Cheverie is the winner of our 2023 President's Award.

This President's Award was instituted in 1988 by former Hockey Nova Scotia President Ken Mantin. The recipient is selected on an annual basis by the President of Hockey Nova Scotia and the award is given to an individual who, in the opinion of the selector, has made a remarkable contribution and has provided outstanding service to amateur hockey throughout Nova Scotia.

In March of 2023, head coach Kori Cheverie led Team Nova Scotia to its first-ever women's hockey medal at the Canada Games. The province's previous best finish in women's hockey was 5th at the Canada Winter Games in Bathurst, N.B. in 2003. Cheverie was a member of that team.

Cheverie brought a winning pedigree and a golden resume to the Nova Scotia's women's team. A three-time Atlantic University Sport first team all-star with Saint Mary’s University in her playing days, Cheverie’s coaching career has been even more decorated.

Since stepping behind the bench, Cheverie has won gold medals as an assistant coach at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, as well as at the 2021 and 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championships. She also won a gold medal in 2019 as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team.

“The province of Nova Scotia has always been an amazing and supportive province [when it comes to] my career as a player and now as a coach,” Cheverie said. “One of my mentors once said to me that there is always something to learn with every experience at any level of hockey, so I jumped at the opportunity to continue to grow as a coach and hopefully give the athletes and staff an amazing experience along the way.”

A 2014 Clarkson Cup winner with the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s Toronto Furies and a long-time member of Hockey Nova Scotia’s High Performance Program, Cheverie became the first female full-time assistant coach in Canadian university men’s hockey history in 2016 when she was hired by the Ryerson Rams. She also holds the distinction as the first woman to serve as a coach with one of Canada's national men's teams, something she accomplished at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship.

Working alongside her colleagues Sonya Lynk (assistant coach) and Briden Cohen (assistant coach), Cheverie made sure that her team was prepared weeks ahead of the event. She was meticulous in her preparation and game-planning. They met regularly online. Expectations were established. Presenters were brought in.

Come puck drop, her team was ready to go.

After going 2-1 through the preliminary round for the first time at the Canada Games in a four-team pool, Nova Scotia defeated Saskatchewan in a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime thriller in the quarterfinals.

That set the stage for a semifinal showdown with powerhouse Team Ontario. Relying on a strong defensive structure and stellar goaltending from netminder Rhyah Stewart who turned in a 49-save performance, Nova Scotia got goals from captain Samantha Morrison, Jessica McKinnon and Rachel Walsh en route to another comeback 3-2 victory.

“We knew we were not going to be able to compete with skill alone against teams like Ontario and Saskatchewan and BC,” Cheverie said.

“We had to figure out as a group a way to win games and that’s what we focussed on. It was about the collective. There were no individuals on our team and they came together at the right time.”

Just over 12 hours after defeating Ontario in the semifinal, Nova Scotia faced British Columbia for gold. Despite putting up plenty of fight once again, the group settled for silver as they fell 3-0.

It was the province’s first hockey medal since 1979 when then men’s team captured a second consecutive silver medal.

“We said from Day 1 that we had the most heart in the tournament and I think we rode that throughout [the Canada Games],” Cheverie said.

The team was the talk of the tournament, garnering attention and well-wishes from those in the hockey community across the continent.

On behalf of everyone at Hockey Nova Scotia, congratulations on this award, Kori!