A former Interlake Lightning hockey coach is facing a litany of charges after police charged her last Thursday with sex offences involving a female player who was under the age of 16 at the time.
Madison Biluk, 28, of Winnipeg coached teams under Hockey Manitoba’s authority between 2018 and 2023, Winnipeg police spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said Friday.
At the time of the alleged abuse, which occurred between 2019 and 2021, Biluk “forged an inappropriate relationship by grooming and gaining the trust of the survivor,” said McKinnon.
McKinnon noted that the abuse continued after the teen stopped playing hockey.
“It was over a period of approximately two years…so this wasn’t just limited to a rink scenario, this was a relationship that extended after hours, over the course of this time, with solitary meetings between the two,” said McKinnon.
Biluk’s charges include:
Sexual interference.
Invitation to sexual touching.
Luring a person under 16.
Two counts of luring a person under 18.
Two counts of transmitting, making available, distributing or selling sexually explicit material to a person under 16.
Two counts of transmitting, making available, distributing or selling sexually explicit material to a person under 18.
Making, printing, selling or possessing for the purpose of publishing child pornography.
Importing, distributing, selling or possessing for the purpose of distributing or selling child pornography.
Possessing child pornography.
Assault with a weapon.
Assault.
McKinnon said that an individual at Hockey Manitoba received information in October about the alleged relationship between Biluk and a player and contacted sex crimes investigators.
Kyle Willis, the director of Interlake Minor Hockey, was unavailable for comment on Monday but he did tell CBC Manitoba that his organization was first made aware about the situation from a social media post that contained allegations of abuse. Governing hockey bodies at the city and provincial level along with RCMP and Winnipeg police were promptly contacted, he said.
“We took it super serious. It’s a child and a coach,” he told CBC Manitoba. “The reaction was kind of shocking, but there wasn’t really time for anyone to be shocked because we had to make sure that the survivor that put the post up was taken seriously and everything was going through the right channels, to the right people, and it did.”
Sex crimes investigators have since interviewed the player.
“She’s a phenomenal person – this is a very brave action,” McKinnon said. “She took some steps on her own to reach out to the public, to some family members, and eventually (spoke) with police and the report was formally carried on into the investigative stage.
“Sport is supposed to be safe, so it’s difficult for the entire community, it’s difficult for me, who has teenagers playing sports, as a parent. It’s a difficult, sensitive topic.”
Biluk has no prior criminal convictions and is next due in court on Jan. 9. She was released from police custody under court-ordered conditions.
Police said that supports are available thorough WPS Victim Services at 204-986-6350 and the Klinic Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 204-786-8631.
