McCloskey Commits to St. Francis Xavier X-Women

On October 26, 2022, Ireland McCloskey announced her commitment to play hockey with St. Francis Xavier University X-Women hockey team starting in the 2023-24 season.

Born and raised in Barrie, Ontario, Ireland McCloskey has played as a Shark for 13 years, first joining the BWHA’s U7-Fundamentals program in 2010. Ireland joined our Jr. Sharks in the 2021-2022 season and led the team with 15 goals and 6 assists in tournament, league, and playoff games during her rookie season.

Off the ice, Ireland is an honours student at St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Barrie, where she will graduate in June, 2023. McCloskey is excited to attend St. FX and is looking forward to new experiences: “I wanted to leave Ontario for a new experience and I really liked St. FX because it was a small school in a small town which I think is best for me.”

Located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, St. Francis Xavier University is home to just under 4,000 students. The St. FX X-Women hockey program is a USports team that plays in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference. The X-Women play regular season games against teams from through the maritime provinces - including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

“The X-Women were in the AUS finals last years and just fell short to UNB so I knew they would continue to grow and be a good team for the years to come,” said McCloskey, “and I think it will be really exciting to be a part of that. Additionally, I thought St FX would be a school that would help me get better and reach my full potential as a student and hockey player.”