Danika West was in bed when her phone alerted her with the news she’d been patiently waiting on. Article content

The Sault College Cougars were officially going Division 1. Article content Article content

“I was pretty excited,” she said. “Our team has worked so much for this. It’s definitely well deserved.”

For West, only in her second season, the move hit as both validation and a promise fulfilled. She’d been chasing higher-level hockey from the minute college became an option.

“It means a lot,” she said. “I’ve wanted to play at a higher level since I even thought of coming to college.”

Her teammate Matea Glavota, a second-year defender, echoed that idea of stiffer competition — games that punch back, rinks where nothing comes easy.

“Just having more competitive, back-and-fo

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