St. Thomas University’s women’s hockey team captain, Ekaterina Pelowich, was selected to play for Canada at the 2025 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World Winter University Games in Torino, Italy.
On top of her selection, she was named as an alternate captain.
Pelowich is in her fifth year at STU currently completing a Bachelor of Education. This season, the Stouffville, Ontario native is tied for the team lead in points, putting up 12 points in 16 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) games.
The 2025 games kicked off on Jan. 11. That day, Pelowich and her teammates took on the Chinese Taipei. Canada dominated the opener from start to finish, winning 16-0. Pelowich finished with an assist.
Team Canada defeated the UK 14-0 on Jan. 13. Then, on Jan. 15, they won 6-2 against Slovakia. Finally, they recently defeated Japan 3-0 to advance to the finals on Monday, Jan. 20, against Czechia.
Pelowich has two goals and one assist so far in the tournament.
Peter Murphy has been Pelowich’s coach during her time with the Tommies. Murphy has seen her grow and develop into a leader and become an important part of the team’s success, learning from the captains that came before her.
He said it didn’t come as a “complete surprise” that Pelowich was selected to represent Canada.
“She is a good selection. If you’re picking from the Atlantic Conference, you’re going to pick offensive players who can skate at the level, especially when they’re playing on bigger international ice. Kat can definitely help you out in that capacity,” said Murphy.
He added that her leadership in STU is “without question.”
“The girls all respect her for the work she puts in on and off the ice and the way she leads and speaks to them in the dressing room.”
Pelowich is the third STU player to be involved with Team Canada. According to Murphy, the first was Kelty Apperson.
Apperson represented Canada during the 2016-17 season when the games were held in Kazakhstan.
The other player selected was Alex Woods. Woods was invited to the under-22 summer festival in Calgary but declined the offer to play in the official tournament to help the Tommies during their AUS championship run in 2019.
STU Athletics Director Meagan Donahue Wies said she received updates on Pelowich before the roster was officially released. She added that she “wasn’t allowed to tell anyone” when she got the official word, making it difficult to contain her excitement.
“It’s just a huge opportunity. It’s a huge honour for Kat. It’s a huge honour for St. Thomas. It’s just so exciting to see her out there wearing the maple leaf,” said Donahue.
Donahue Wies has only been in her position with STU Athletics for a short time, stepping into her role in October 2023. During that time, she has seen the immense impact that Pelowich has had on the program, both on and off the ice.
“It is so easy to see the impact that she’s had on the team and the department in the time she’s been here. She’s our captain [and] our top scorer. She was our athlete of the year for St. Thomas Athletics for women’s programs last year,” said Donahue.
Donahue said the recent announcement is ranked “solid top five” in the most important moments while being the Athletics Director.
“We love to see our teams succeed. We love to see our individuals succeed and so, it’s up at the top for sure.”