During her playing career, she was a member of the Canadian national ice hockey team and was a three-time IIHF Women's World Championship medallist.

She tallied her first career point on an assist in her college ice hockey debut on October 5, 2007, against the St. Lawrence Saints.

During her freshman year of 2007–08 with the New Hampshire Wildcats, she accumulated 28 points (13 in Hockey East play).

On February 16, she established career highs in goals (two) and points (four) versus the Vermont Catamounts.

One of the highlights of the season was notching a career-high three assists in the Sun Life Frozen Fenway game on January 8 vs. the Northeastern Huskies.

[3] Birchard-Kessel was part of the 2007–08 Hockey Canada women's national under-22 team that competed in the MLP Cup.

[4] She travelled to Bratislava, Slovakia to participate in the 2011 IIHF High Performance Women's Camp from July 4–12.

[5] On April 17, 2012, Birchard-Kessel along with Meghan Agosta, Gillian Apps, Caroline Ouellette, and head coach Dan Church took part in the opening face off of the playoff game between the Ottawa Senators and the New York Rangers at ScotiaBank Place.

Birchard-Kessel served as the head coach at Havergal College in Toronto and also as an assistant in the Oakville Hornets organization.