Fifth-year women's hockey defenceman Alexandra Anderson has affectionately been known as "Sparky" for quite some time now. It's a nickname she firmly embraces.

"I think I have to go back to the beginning for that one," Anderson says of the name's history.

"It was just the competitiveness growing up with me and my brother just grinding each other out and playing rough all the time. I think it just stayed with me and who I was and it's just my nature now because of that."

While her toughness has helped define her on the ice, her two-way abilities have also created a spark for whichever squad she's suited up for.

Her pre-university accolades include being named division Rookie of the Year with West Kildonan Collegiate of the Winnipeg High School Women's Hockey League (WHSWHL) in 2011, as well as team MVP in 2012 and 2013. She then completed her high school career with the Winnipeg Avros in 2014, lighting up the scoreboard with 25 points in 28 regular season games at the AAA midget level.

Anderson recalls her time with West K fondly, however it was her senior year with the Avros – a roster that included many girls that she'd been playing spring hockey with for years – that truly bumped her level of play up another notch. It was also a story of redemption, as she had been cut when she first tried out at the AAA level earlier on in high school.

"I remember we'd just had one of the first try-outs. It was a drill involving going around cones and stuff like that. My footwork wasn't the best and my speed wasn't the best. But from the start of the try-out to the end of the try-out, I feel like I improved so much," she says of her second go-around.

"Then with the year itself, I think I improved even more. That's the beauty of playing with your friends, they always have your back and pump your tires and just motivate you. It was easy to improve."

Anderson's abilities both on the power play as well as her general two-way skill caught the eye of Bisons head coach Jon Rempel, who recruited her for the 2014-15 season.

She admits that at the beginning of her university career she struggled a bit in terms of discipline.

"In my first year, I wasn't very smart with my aggressiveness. I got a lot of penalties and was told I needed to change my ways a bit. I think that was a big turning point for me, where I could learn to still be aggressive but not get those penalties that hurt the team a bit."

The tides began to turn starting in her second year. Anderson ran one of the team's powerplay units, overcame a hip injury and had a huge impact in the Canada West playoffs, scoring both of Manitoba's game-winning goals in their semi-final series against Alberta.

"I think with anyone just gaining experience in the league, you get calmer and are able to think a bit more and be smarter," she says of the ice in her veins during the 2015-16 postseason.

The following year, everything came together for the special teams leader. She recorded 18 points, a jump of 15 from the prior year, and was honoured as a Canada West First Team All-Star and U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian.

"That's when I started developed more confidence in myself," she says humbly.

"I was fortunate not to have any injuries that year, and that's obviously a huge factor. I'm sure my coaches always had some confidence in me, but that's when I started earning more of a role. It's a lot of luck and development. It happened that year but it could have happened any year really."

Anderson's play also earned her a Hockey Canada Summer Showcase Camp invite in August of 2017, where she joined 20 other U SPORTS women's hockey players in Calgary for a nine-day camp. She had the opportunity to play exhibition games against Canada's National Women's Development Team and also engaged in off-ice workouts and media training.

"That was definitely a highlight for me," she says. "It was a great experience over all. Just seeing how everything was done and all of the testing and training and resources was very cool."

Anderson parlayed her Hockey Canada experience into a strong 2017-18 season, culminating in the program's first national title. She finished the year with double-digit points once more and was also a critical member of the conference's top power play, while adding a goal in the quarter-finals of the national tournament against Queen's.

"I think I went in front of the net to screen the goalie, and then [the puck] went off my butt and in," she says with a chuckle. "That was a cool feeling, knowing I just scored with my butt. Right on. You check that one off the list."

Now in her final season with the Bisons, Anderson has continued to demonstrate her hard-nosed toughness. This was on full display against Lethbridge in early November, when she took a nasty hit at the end wall in the third period but battled through and helped engineer the game-winning goal shortly afterwards.

"She's a warrior," Bisons interim head coach Sean Fisher said of the blue liner's toughness. "You don't find the mix of skill and grit that Sparky Anderson has very often, that's why she's an All-Canadian."