For Jane Pancoe, hockey continues to be an important part of her life, while she has her sights on establishing a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner.
Pancoe, now in her third year playing with SUNY Canton Women’s Hockey Program of the NCAA Division III, reflects on her start in the sport and the influence her family has had on her.
“I got into hockey because I come from an athletic family. Although my mom never really played hockey, her dad was a goalie [who] played with Bobby Orr [and he was a] very competitive [and a] good hockey player,” she said. “My dad was a very good hockey player as well. He grew up in St, George, played in the OHL, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although he never played in the NHL…he helped my brother and I learn how good of a sport it is and how much hockey can help you as a person.”
However, Pancoe grew as a hockey player along with her brother Jack, who is currently captain of the Brantford Titans of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL).
“When my brother started to play, I did too…I started in a house league, and then I developed by playing for the boys until major Banham [and eventually] I went on to play double Bantam A with the girls. And then halfway into that experience, I went up a level to midget AA, playing three years in Brantford, and then I moved away in my Grade 12 year to go play juniors,” said Pancoe.
Pancoe would play a year with the Whitby Junior Wolves (U-22 Elite) of the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA), which gave her an opportunity to grow both as a hockey player and person.
“I lived with a billet family, which were my great aunt and uncle and they were amazing. It was unfortunate, though, that it was COVID [because] we didn’t really have a lot of league play [but] I made some lifelong friends there, [and the time away from home] taught me independence and responsibility,” she said. “Although I was only about two hours [away], I still didn’t come home a lot because I had school, and we still practiced a lot throughout the week…[but] during that time, my coach, Blake Prior, was great, [and] helped me develop not only as a hockey player, but as a person.”
After Grade 12, Pancoe came back and did a year at St John’s College before getting an opportunity to play for the Toronto Leaside Jr. Wildcats of the OWHA, which prepared her for the rigors of Division III hockey.
“The level that I was playing at during my last two years before coming to college [was] very competitive. I was playing against very talented women who have gone to play at the Olympic level…playing for Team Canada [and with some even] winning world championships,” she noted. “Making that jump to Division III was not as big as one might have thought it was, because of where I played before and how focused and determined you had to be to do well there.”
After a long recruitment process, Pancoe ended up choosing SUNY Canton which is situated in Canton, New York, and has relished her experience.
“I think I’ve really developed as a hockey player, but more as a person since I came here…my freshman year was great…the coach that recruited most of our team was gone before we started…[but] we got a new coach [by the name of] Kalie Hart. She’s helped all us develop and I have learned a lot from her…in being a good person on and off the ice,” Pancoe said.
Nevertheless, along with some personal successes, including amassing strong offensive numbers in her freshman year, as well as, notching a few game-winning goals, Pancoe continues to be driven by what the team continues to achieve as a whole.
“Since my junior year, we’ve developed so much as a team…[recently,] we beat the second-ranked Adrian College Bulldogs 1-0 in overtime and then another big accomplishment was beating the fifth-ranked Cortland Red Dragons,” Pancoe said. “We beat them last year and won against them again recently 2-1. That was great for our team, and I will never forget that moment. Also, I can’t wait to compete for a senior championship this year, [and] hopefully have a chance to compete for it and win it next year.”
While Pancoe has been thriving at the ice rink, she has also remained focused on her studies and looking to get her degree as a Registered Nurse with a minor in psychology.
“I eventually want to be a pediatric nurse practitioner [because] I’ve always loved helping people [and] working with children…I think this nursing path has really found me [as I] couldn’t picture myself doing anything else,” she stated.
With her eye on becoming a nurse, Pancoe would still jump at a chance to play hockey at a professional level.
“When I graduate, I plan to go back to school, either for 12 months in the United States, or to do a program in Canada which would be for two years, [and] get my nurse practitioner and then eventually work in a hospital to become a pediatric nurse practitioner,” she said. “If I could play in Europe [or competitively,] I would pursue that. I will still be very young when I graduate, so I would never count any of those types of opportunities out.”
