Greig Becomes Colgate’s First PWHL Champ

Dara Greig ’24 graduated from Colgate having enjoyed a stellar career with the Raiders, winning three conference championships and piling up more points than games played.

Weeks after her graduation, she was drafted by the Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which was gearing up for its inaugural season.

Greig — along with several of her Colgate teammates — was now a pro hockey player in North America. It was an outcome she never thought was possible as a first-year college student.

In Montreal, Greig was teammates with three stars she looked up to while in college — Ann-Renee Desbiens, Marie-Philip Poulin, and Laura Stacey, who are among the best to play the game. It was a special opportunity for the former Colgate forward.

But there’s another reason why she’ll never forget her time with the Victoire. In June, Greig became a PWHL champion when Montreal defeated the Ottawa Charge in the finals to win the Walter Cup.

In doing so, she was now the first Colgate hockey player to win the ultimate prize in professional women’s hockey.

“I’m obviously a proud Colgate alumna, so to be the first one from Colgate to win the Walter Cup is pretty special,” said Greig, who recorded an assist in Montreal’s title-clinching game — her first career playoff point.

“It was such a fun playoff run and to win it with that group in Montreal was incredible,” she said. “Definitely the best hockey feeling I’ve had and something that I’ll remember forever.”

Meanwhile, the victory marked another milestone for Colgate Women’s Hockey. The Raiders already have a player taken No. 1 in the PWHL Draft, a feat pulled off by Kristyna Kaltounkova when she was selected by the New York Sirens in 2025. Now, the Raiders have a league champ in Greig.

There are at least 16 Raiders in the PWHL at the moment, along with former Colgate head coach Greg Fargo, who helms the Sirens. And more Raiders could be drafted next year.

Greig, who signed with Ottawa over the summer after two seasons in Montreal, said she’s happy to see a large Colgate presence in the league. The group includes several players who were teammates with Greig.

“That representation, it kind of puts Colgate on the map and speaks to what a strong program the women’s hockey team is at Colgate,” Greig said.

Colgate women’s hockey head coach Stefan Decosse, who was an assistant when Greig was on the team, said he was blown away when he saw Greig hoist the Walter Cup.

“I was watching the deciding game and to see Dara out there playing her game, her brand of game, and to witness her raising the Walter Cup, it’s just fairly surreal,” Decosse said.

Her success, he said, is an example of the progress women’s hockey has made over the years.

“Where women’s hockey has come in my 11 years of working with it, is incredible,” Decosse said. “When I first got into the sport, I’m not sure folks had the imagination to envision the possibilities of a league of this magnitude taking shape in such a quick time. And so, I’m absolutely thrilled for Dara, incredibly proud of her accomplishments. And knowing her as a person and what she’s invested in her career, and during her time here at Colgate, it’s just exceptional to see.

Greig was born in Camden, N.J., and later moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, where she grew up playing hockey with her brother and sister. She’s the daughter of Mark Greig, who played nine seasons in the NHL. After retiring, he became a scout for the Flyers.

Dara Greig played two seasons at Wisconsin, winning a national championship. Then she transferred to Colgate, where success continued to follow her. 

As a Raider, she finished with 57 goals and 64 assists for 121 points in 118 games. She won three conference titles at Colgate, and helped the Raiders reach the Frozen Four in 2023-24. 

She was part of a class that featured standouts such as Danielle Serdachny and Kaltounkova, who are Colgate’s top two all-time point leaders.

But winning hockey games was only part of the reason her time at Colgate was memorable. Coming from a big school like Wisconsin, Colgate was a refreshing change.

“Colgate has such a strong community, and it really felt like a family,” she said. “Hamilton felt like home really fast. That’s a big part of why I loved my experience so much. The classes are small. You know everyone in your classes. All the sport teams cheer each other nonstop. I really enjoyed my time and I was lucky to go there.” 

Greig, a film & media studies major, was an active participant with Rising Raiders, an initiative launched by the women’s hockey team that allows student-athletes to become mentors for area young girls who wish to play the sport. 

“We enjoyed giving back to the community,” she said. “Rising Raiders is something that really filled my cup and I learned how important it is to integrate yourself into different communities and introduce people to the sport. Going to Montreal and now Ottawa, that’s something I’ve really tried to do outside the rink. I owe a lot of that to Colgate.”

On the ice, Greig was loved by her teammates and coaches. Not only did she bring a flair for goals, she was fearless and played a physical game that made opponents uncomfortable.

“I love Dara as a player,” Decosse said. “She’s old school. She’s good old Western Canada from Lethbridge, Alberta. She’s got that blend of physicality and crafty puck skill. She can make plays. She can score goals. She’s mean. She’s competitive.”

Decosse said he’ll never forget Greig’s first shift in a Frozen Four game against Wisconsin in 2023-24. Greig stepped on the ice and delivered a vicious hit on one of Wisconsin’s top players.

The misdeed earned her a trip to the penalty box. But since the hit put fear in the opponent, the Raiders were happy to kill the penalty.

“She was intimidating,” Decosse said. “But again, she was creative. She was a beautiful player, made exceptional plays and was just a winner. Her teammates loved her.”

It was midway during the 2023-24 college hockey season when Greig realized it was possible to pursue a professional hockey career in North America.

The PWHL had launched its inaugural season with six original teams. Greig, like many others across college hockey, was watching with interest.

But she kept her enthusiasm in check. There had been other attempts in the past to start a professional hockey women’s league in North America, only for each one to fail.

Success came quickly for the PWHL, however. Teams were playing in front of large crowds, and as time went by, attendance continued to grow.

For collegiate hockey players, playing pro hockey no longer meant packing up and moving to Europe. Now there was a league in North America — one with plans of expansion after just one season.

“I remember going into my senior year and thinking about quitting hockey after college because there weren't a ton of places to play and make a living,” Greig said. “But I was really lucky with my timing that the PWHL was created just in time and then to see it have so much success in its first season.”

The PWHL is now entering its fourth season. When the puck drops on Dec. 5, the league will welcome four new franchises, bringing the number of teams to 12.

There are other signs of progress as well. The league signed a broadcast deal with Hockey Night in Canada, and will play its first All-Star Game in the upcoming season. 

Decosse said he’s thrilled that the PWHL’s success has allowed collegiate players to pursue their dreams. It has also drastically changed how college programs develop players.

“At Colgate, player development has always been our primary mission,” Decosse said. “And I think that’s more the case than ever at the collegiate level. We are the primary development league for the PWHL. It’s incumbent upon us as coaches in the NCAA to have a really good grasp of how the game’s played at the PWHL.”

Greig said she’s excited about playing in Ottawa, where she has friends and family. The city has always been a second home for her.

She has spent the offseason training with former Colgate teammate Kayle Osborne, a goaltender with PWHL Hamilton, one of the four expansion teams. She’s also remained good friends with other former Colgate teammates.

Greig said she loved her experience at Colgate, whether on and off the ice.  In the classroom, she had exceptional professors. In the locker room, she and her teammates built a strong culture and played under coaches who cared deeply about the development of each student-athlete.

“I can’t say enough about my experience at Colgate and how it helped me grow not just as a player, but a person.”

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