Cape Breton University Names Victoria MacIntyre Head Coach of CAPERS Women’s Hockey Program

Cape Breton University (CBU) is proud to announce the appointment of Victoria MacIntyre as the new Head Coach of the CAPERS Women’s Hockey program. MacIntyre, a Glace Bay native and former CAPERS captain, will succeed Derrick Hayes following the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season.

CBU will formally introduce MacIntyre in her new role during the Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Awards Gathering in the Yvonne LeVert Hospitality Suite on Saturday, March 7. As we celebrate International Women’s Day this weekend at the Kehoe Forum, the Home of Women’s Hockey, it is a fitting milestone that MacIntyre will now lead a 100 per cent female coaching staff.

The transition brings MacIntyre’s journey with the program full circle. During the team’s 2019-2020 season, she wore the “C” and helped lead the CAPERS to an unforgettable ACHA Championship victory. After graduating from CBU with a Bachelor of Arts in 2020 and subsequently earning her Bachelor of Social Work from Dalhousie University, MacIntyre returned to the CAPERS bench, serving as an Assistant Coach under Hayes for the past three years.

“I didn’t have university-level women’s hockey to watch as a child, so I know exactly what this team means to young girls in Cape Breton,” says MacIntyre. Having previously coached many current CAPERS players in local minor hockey, the hometown connection is deeply personal for her. “I watched some of these girls grow up as players, and they watched me grow as a coach.”

As she prepares to take the helm at the Kehoe Forum, MacIntyre credits Hayes for preparing her for the top job behind the bench. Over the last three seasons, Hayes has increasingly trusted MacIntyre to run practices and contribute to critical decision-making, allowing her to seamlessly step into the Head Coach role with the full confidence of the staff and the locker room.

“Derrick’s calm, support-first demeanour has been an incredible balance to my high-energy, intense style, and I want to maintain some of that balance moving forward,” MacIntyre added. “I want to be the kind of coach who pushes this team to reach for their highest potential, while always making sure the women on this roster know I have their backs, no matter what.”

Looking ahead to 2026-2027 for her first official season in charge, MacIntyre’s immediate priorities are clear: maintaining and building the incredible momentum the program has built, on and off the ice, this year and pushing the team to achieve even more than they have so far.