With 1:50 left in double overtime, Mika Chang, U3 Engineering, found the back of the net to secure Martlets Hockey’s victory over the Montreal Carabins on Nov. 17. The left winger from Toronto sat down with The Tribune to talk about her ice hockey career, balancing athletics with academics, and her goals for the rest of the season.
Chang first hit the ice at five years old when her parents enrolled her in hockey, following in her older brother’s footsteps. Determined to keep up with him, she developed a competitive drive that sparked her love for the sport. She spent the first 10 years of her hockey career playing on men’s teams and shared how that set her up for a successful future.
“[Men’s hockey] is very fast-paced and skilled, and everyone holds themself to a very high standard,” she said. “Even 10 years ago, girls’ hockey was a lot less developed than it is now, so there were less opportunities for girls to play. So, I think the opportunity for exposure was greater and there was greater competition because there were so many boys playing minor hockey in Toronto.”
While playing men’s hockey, her team, Ted Reeve Thunder, won the prestigious International Silver Stick tournament. She started playing women’s hockey in grade nine, and the following year, McGill coaches scouted her at a local tournament. Before coming to McGill, Chang played for the Brampton Junior Canadettes and the Mississauga Junior Hurricanes. She lost most of her grade 11 and 12 playing years due to an ACL tear and the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these setbacks, she earned a spot on the McGill Varsity team as a freshman in 2021 and has been a valuable member ever since, playing 73 games and scoring 5 goals and 7 assists in her first three seasons.
Chang shared that the Martlet’s victory on Nov. 17 was a team effort and an important win.
“Our team has […] come so close to winning in so many games but [they] just weren’t going our way,” she said. “To finally secure a win made it feel like all our work was built up for something, and that we are more than capable of beating great teams. It instilled a level of confidence, and it meant a lot to our team. Everyone contributed so much in all different areas; it was a big team effort.”
As a senior on the team, Chang is a leader on and off the ice. She told The Tribune that her biggest goal this season is to support the younger players.
“I [want] to help foster and develop the younger people into gaining confidence earlier on in their careers,” she explained. “I feel like, for me, this season is the first where I really feel confident on the ice and feel like I can contribute, so hopefully [I can] kind of [spread] that and just [create] a better team environment for everyone.”
Chang is a talent not just on the ice, but also in the classroom; she was one of the 12 Women’s Ice Hockey members to be initiated into the 2024 President’s Student-Athlete Honour Roll. There is nothing easy about studying bioengineering while playing a varsity sport, but Chang says her support system of teammates and friends has been vital for her success.
Playing a high-level, highly competitive sport for 16 years teaches an athlete many lessons, and Chang highlights one specifically for young athletes.
“I think the most important thing that I’ve taken away is always to just have fun,” she said. “Obviously, there are times when you need to take things seriously, but at the end of the day, if you don’t love it, then you’re not going to have fun. And having fun with your teammates […] on the ice is always the most important thing because that can make or break your experience.”
