GUELPH, Ont. – At first glance, Olympians Brandon Maxwell and Mirela Rahneva do not appear to have much in common. After all, when the 2018 Winter Olympics officially get underway, the two athletes will be competing in different sports and will be representing different countries (Brandon Maxwell – Team USA men's ice hockey, Mirela Rahneva – Team Canada women's skeleton). But when you take a closer look at their respective journeys towards becoming Olympians, there is a common bond that ties the two together: a strong sense of Gryphon pride, which stems from their memorable time spent competing in varsity athletics at the University of Guelph.
 
Mirela Rahneva spent four seasons playing women's rugby at U of G (2007 to 2010) while Brandon Maxwell played one season of men's hockey with the Gryphons during the 2012-13 season before turning pro.
 
"Attending the University of Guelph was honestly one of the best hockey, and life, experiences that I've had," says 26-year-old Brandon Maxwell, a 6th round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
 
Maxwell was born in Winter Park, Florida but grew up playing minor hockey in Cambridge. His family moved to Guelph in 2007 after his father (Brad) joined the coaching staff of the OHL's Guelph Storm as an assistant. Brandon has spent his summers in the Guelph ever since.
 
After playing three seasons in the OHL (2009-10 to 2011-12) with the Kitchener Rangers, Sarnia Sting and Mississauga St. Michael's Majors, Maxwell decided to join the Gryphons for the 2012-13 season and quickly established himself as one of the top goalies in the OUA.
 
Appearing in 14 games with the Gryphons men's hockey team during the 2012-13 campaign, Maxwell put up some outstanding numbers, posting a record of 10-3-0 to go along with a Goals Against Average of just 1.92 and a save percentage of .935. Brandon's brief stint as a Gryphon would come to an end towards the end of the 2012-13 season after he was offered a pro contract from Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League. He is now in his fifth season of professional hockey in Europe, his last four coming in the Czech Republic.
 
From minor hockey in Cambridge, to the OHL, to the European professional ranks, to the Winter Olympics, Brandon Maxwell has experienced the game at almost every level imaginable.

Yet the former Gryphon netminder is quick to credit his year at U of G as a pivotal time in his life in helping shape his hockey future.
 
"I feel like my time at U of G really helped me to come to the realization that I could do this for a living. We had a good team when I was there and I made some really good friends, many of whom I'm still in contact with. (Gryphons head coach) Shawn Camp was great to me and I make sure to stop in and see him whenever I can."
 
On more than one occasion, Maxwell has taken the opportunity to re-connect with his Gryphon roots by returning to campus to practice with the Gryphons men's hockey team before returning overseas to the Czech Republic.
 

"Brandon made everyone around him better," says Gryphons head coach Shawn Camp. "He was one of the most competitive players we have ever had here. It was a pleasure to coach him and it has been great to see the amount of success he has had in the pro ranks since moving on from U of G. For him to be named to the U.S. Olympic Team is a tremendous honour. He has so much to be proud of with what he has accomplished."
 
When it comes to the list of accomplishments for Mirela Rahneva during her time as a Gryphons women's rugby player, the list gets quite lengthy. During her four seasons with the University of Guelph's women's rugby team (2007-2010), Rahneva was a three-time OUA champion and a four-time CIS bronze medalist.

During her senior season, she also earned a spot on the CIS Tournament All-Star team. But when Mirela, or "Mimi" as she was known by her U of G teammates, reflects back on her time on the U of G women's rugby team, the championship titles are not the first thing that come to mind. Instead, it is the Gryphons' unique team culture that Rahneva is quick to point out.
 
"When I think back on my time as a Gryphon, the biggest thing that comes to mind is family," says the now 29-year-old Rahneva.

"I can't think of any other team that I've ever been on that came together like we did. It was like one big family. It all started with our coach (Colette McAuley). Everyone had so much respect for her."
 
While the transition from embracing contact on a rugby pitch to battling G-forces on a skeleton track may seem like a substantial adjustment for many outsiders, for Gryphons women's rugby head coach Colette McAuley, it was almost a natural fit.

"Mimi was fearless on the field," says McAuley. "So much so that I closed my eyes half of the time she went into contact because she seemed to have no regard for her body! She was fit and fast and had a never-ending work ethic. She was a pleasure to coach, always humble and always wanting to learn. It doesn't surprise me at all that she is now an Olympian in a sport that requires courage, speed and focus."
 
Focusing on rugby was easy to do for Mirela during her first year at U of G. In fact, she had a constant reminder right outside her residence room window.

During her freshman year, Rahneva roomed in Dundas Hall in East Residence, with Varsity Field (home of the Gryphon rugby teams) viewable from her dorm room window.
 
The journey to her Dundas Hall dorm room was a long one for Rahneva, who was born in Bulgaria and immigrated with her family to Canada in 1998 when they settled in Ottawa. Mirela only applied to two universities and considered staying around home to attend Carleton. However, with her newfound love of rugby, and with the urging of one of her high school rugby coaches, who herself was a Gryphon, Mirela decided to enroll at U of G. Now, nearly 20 years after first landing in Canada, "Mimi" is set to make the latest stop in her long journey. And this stop promises to be the most memorable of all. The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are just around the corner.

The 2018 Winter Olympics run from February 9-24, with the opening ceremonies scheduled for 6am (ET) on Friday, Feb. 9.
 

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Additional Links:

Canadian Olympic Team Official Website: 
From the rugby pitch to skeleton podiums, Mirela Rahneva finds her niche

The Toronto Star / The Canadian Press (Joshua Clipperton): 
Canada's Mirela Rahneva honours mom with every run

Canadian Olympic Team Official Website: 
Mirela Rahneva bio

Official Website of Team USA Hockey: 
Brandon Maxwell bio

Official Website of Team USA Hockey (John Tranchina): 
U.S. Men's Olympic team goaltending on solid ground

Cambridge Times (Bill Doucet): 
Brandon Maxwell living out a dream started in 2002
 

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