Sarah Hilworth, Head Coach

Bio

The 2026-27 Atlantic University Sport season marks Sarah Hilworth's tenth season as head coach of the REDS women's hockey team, including the 2020-21 season which was lost to the pandemic.

Hilworth was hired in June of 2017 and spent the 2017-18 season preparing and recruiting ahead of UNB's return to AUS and U SPORTS competition.

The 2022 AUS Coach of the Year, Hilworth led the REDS to a fourth AUS championship in five seasons in 2025-26 (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24) and a historic bronze medal at the U SPORTS championship tournament, the program's first medal at the national championship level. Under Hilworth, the REDS have made five consecutive appearances at the national championship tournament.

In 2025-26, Hilworth's REDS went 20-6-1-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) in the regular season before beating St. Thomas and STFX in the conference semi-finals and championship round respectively.

In 2023 Hilworth served as an assistant coach with Canada's women's hockey entry at the FISU World Winter University Games, in Lake Placid, New York. Canada won the gold medal, beating Japan in the championship game.

In 2021-22, Hilworth led the REDS to the AUS regular season title, the first league championship in UNB women's hockey history and a 1-2 record at UNB's first national championship tourney. She was named the AUS Coach of the Year, becoming the first REDS coach to earn the honour, and in June of 2022, she was named recipient of Hockey Canada's BFL High Performance Female Coach of the Year Award.

Hilworth led UNB’s return to Atlantic University Sport and U SPORTS competition in 2018-19, guiding the REDS to a 4th place regular season finish and a second round playoff berth.

She came to UNB after an extensive playing and coaching career in western Canada.

Hilworth attended the University of Alberta from 2008 through 2013, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sport, Recreation, and Tourism.

She played five seasons with the Pandas women’s hockey team, accumulating 100 points (50 goals and 50 assists) in 100 games, helped Alberta win a national championship in 2010, and captained the team in her final season. Hilworth returned to her alma mater to serve as an assistant coach with the Pandas, helping guide the team to consecutive first place finishes and the 2015 Canada West title. Later that year, she was named the first coach of the Olds College Broncos, of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference.

Hilworth spent two seasons building the Broncos. On top of coaching at Olds College, Hilworth pursued a Masters in Science in Coaching Education, from Ohio University, and graduated from the program in 2017.

Hilworth has served, in a volunteer capacity, as a head coach with Hockey Alberta’s U16 Bantam Female Challenge Team, a guest coach and evaluator with the U18 Team Alberta program, assistant coach with the U16 Alberta Winter Games Team, guest coach for the U16 Team Alberta Top 40 Camp, head coach of the U16 Jr. Pandas Elite AAA Team, head coach of the Northern Alberta All Stars Europe U18 AAA Team, head coach of the Edmonton Wolf Pack U14 Pee Wee(male) AAA Team, and assistant floor hockey coach with Special Olympics of Edmonton.

She served a two-year term (2012-2014) as the program manager for the Alberta Triathlon Association, where she supported triathlon athletes and programs, worked on community development initiatives, and oversaw all triathlon events in the province.

Hilworth's passion for volunteering has followed her to Fredericton. She is involved with Hockey New Brunswick camps and initiatives, and continuously creates opportunities for female athletes in the Fredericton area, fostering future generations of female hockey players in New Brunswick.

Hilworth resides in Fredericton with her wife Cassidy (Delainey) Hilworth, daughter Gray, and their dog, Olive.