Hilda Ranscombe and the Preston Rivulettes: Cambridge’s Hockey Legends

The Preston Rivulettes by the Numbers

Who Was Hilda Ranscombe?

Hilda Ranscombe was born in Doon, now part of Kitchener, in September 1913. She grew up in a large family with several sisters, and she learned to skate and play hockey outdoors, often with local boys, long before women’s teams were common.

She played right wing and captained the Rivulettes for all ten of their seasons. Bobbie Rosenfeld, one of Canada’s great early athletes, called her a natural and gifted player. Hilda was twice a finalist for the Lou Marsh Trophy, awarded to Canada’s top athlete.

• Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame: with the team in 1997 and on her own in 1998. In 1999 the Hall named her Cambridge’s female athlete of the 20th century.
• Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame: as an individual in 2015, and with the Rivulettes in 2022.
• Waterloo Region Hall of Fame: as an athlete and as a team member.

Hilda died in Cambridge in August 1998, at 84.

How the Rivulettes Became a Dynasty

The team started with a group of young women from Preston, including Hilda and her sister Nellie, who became the goalie. Other key players included forwards Helen and Marm Schmuck and defenders Grace Webb and Margaret Gabbitas. They played out of the Lowther Street Arena, and they beat nearly everyone for a decade.

They didn’t lose on the ice. They lost to money and war. The Ladies Ontario Hockey Association folded in 1940 as the Depression and wartime drained players and resources, and the Rivulettes never came back together after the war.

Women’s hockey took decades to grow back. It finally joined the Olympics in 1998, the same year Hilda died.

Why their record still matters

Few teams in any sport have gone a full decade losing only twice. The Rivulettes did it through the Great Depression, against the best teams in the country, at a time when many people thought hockey was not a game for women. Their success helped prove that women’s hockey could draw crowds and compete at a high level.

Hockey in Cambridge Today

Hockey is still a big part of life in Cambridge and the rest of Waterloo Region, with community arenas in every city and township, girls’ and women’s leagues, and the historic Galt Arena Gardens, one of the oldest arenas still in use in Canada.

Preston itself has changed a lot since the 1930s, but its older streets near the Speed and Grand rivers still have many homes from that era, and it’s one of the most convenient parts of Cambridge for getting to the 401. Browse homes for sale in Preston, or see our guide to the best areas for families in Cambridge.