"I honestly still couldn't even believe it was happening."
Swift Current's Kamryn Johnson is a national champion.
She was an alternate captain for Bishop's University as they won the U Sports national women's hockey championship.
"It was kind of an unbelievable experience," Johnson said. "We're a new program, but we've been building. We had a lot of success. We really believed in this group. It was an amazing experience. We were treated like celebrities."
Bishop's came into the eight-team national championship tournament as the third seed.
They beat UBC 4-3 in overtime, Toronto 2-1 in the semifinal, and shut Waterloo out 3-0 in the final.
"One of our main attributes is our defensive corps," Johnson said. "We have a lot of fun and that really plays into our energy and how we work on the ice together. Our goalie is phenomenal... our team putting our bodies in front of the puck and putting our defence just as high as our offensive side of the game."
This was Johnson's fourth season with Bishop's.
"I feel like I've gone in the upward direction," she said. "My game has always been defensive minded. I think I've been able activate a lot of offensive stuff as far as getting shots away and playing a key role in the penalty kill. It has allowed my game to get quicker and quicker."
The former Swift Current Innovation Federal Credit Union Wildcat described what it was like to hoist the championship trophy over her head.
"It was an amazing feeling," Johnson said. "We had a bunch of family and friends there. It was kind of like we were at home winning it honestly. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I was just really grateful to be a part of it and that team."
Johnson plans to play one more season with Bishop's and finish her undergrad in biochemistry.
