PHOTO COURTESY MEDICINE HAT COLLEGE RATTLERS
The Medicine Hat College Rattlers announced Tuesday that Chad Baron was named the head coach of the women's hockey team.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Chad Baron was part of the Rattlers’ women’s hockey team’s exhibition season and he will be at the helm for their first season in the ACAC.
The Medicine Hat College announced Tuesday afternoon that Baron, who was the Rattlers’ interim coach in 2022-23, will be taking over the team as they embark on their inaugural season competing against Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference schools.
Baron was excited to receive the official title and is looking forward to continuing on as part of the women’s hockey program.
“It’s going to be exciting for all of us, all of the girls who were around last year and those we’ve added for this season,” Baron said. “We’re just looking forward to getting everything officially off the ground and underway. There’s lots of things to still figure out but for now, we’re excited to be part of the league and to have a program we can build on for years to come.”
Baron split coaching duties last season with Terry Ballard, who is the manager of Athletics and Recreation at Medicine Hat College. In a press release, Ballard shared his excitement for Baron continuing his head coaching duties.
“Rattlers Athletics is happy to have Chad join our coaching staff and become Rattlers’ hockey’s first ever head coach,” Ballard said. “He brings many years of hockey coaching experience to the Rattlers and a high level of enthusiasm and passion for the sport. Chad is a strong supporter of developing the total student athlete, which fits well with the Rattlers Athletics’ three pillars: Athletics, Academics and Citizenship.”
Baron’s most recent coaching experience outside the Rattlers’ exhibition season was as head coach for the U16AAA SEAC Tigers from Sept. 2016 through 2020, serving as assistant coach with the same team the year prior. He also coached in the Medicine Hat Minor Hockey program, leading the U15AA team for two seasons and the U13AA team for three seasons. Off the ice, Baron is an instructor at the college in the steamfitting/pipefitting apprenticeship program.
Having that experience in the Medicine Hat hockey community is only a reflection of Baron’s desire to help grow the game locally.
“I’ve been a non-parent coach for years and it’s always been a passion of mine,” Baron said. “I want to help athletes get better as much as I can. The women’s game has been growing faster than the men’s, so it’s good for these girls to have another place where they can continue their careers and it’s nice to be part of that and help lead that.”
The women’s hockey team starts their inaugural season in the ACAC on Oct. 7 vs NAIT, with a full schedule to be released soon. All Rattler practices and home games will be played at the Moose Recreation Centre.
The Rattlers have announced 17 commitments for the hockey team, with a mix of returning and new players ready to don the black and gold. Baron says having returning players will make his job easier and sees potential in their team so far.
“We feel we’ve assembled a team that can be competitive right out of the gate,” Baron said. “It makes my job a lot easier having a sense of how to build, what we have already and where we maybe need to get stronger. It’s going to help with planning and our development.”
Baron says recruiting is ongoing for the upcoming season and anybody interested in playing can contact him via email at cbaron@mhc.ab.ca.
During the exhibition season, Rattlers practices all occurred at 6:15 a.m., a time slot Baron says will continue this season. He says that time slot allows the athletes the ability to practise before work or classes begin. The only change they plan to make is adding a third practice during the week, an evening skate that will allow the team to spend more time together during and after practice to further build chemistry.
“We want to create a team-building environment, so we’re going to have two early mornings, Tuesday and Wednesdays, and then Thursday will be an evening practice, so they can have that time to go out after, just to facilitate some team building atmosphere,” Baron said.
