The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

Emerging as one of the surprises of the 2015-16 hockey season, Valeria Lamenta’s fairy tale season continues with recognition as the most outstanding player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s ice hockey. Only in her second year with the Guelph Gryphons, the resident of Montreal has made a significant impression. From the outset, her nod as the Brodrick Trophy winner makes her the first recipient in Guelph program history. In addition, she is only the third goaltender honored, joining a class that includes former Canadian national team members Kim St. Pierre, who starred at McGill in 2003 when she won the trophy, and Wilfrid Laurier’s Liz Knox, who garnered the honor in 2010. As a side note, the other nominees for the honor included AUS representative Kelty Apperson of St. Thomas and a pair of former Brodrick Trophy winners, Sochi Winter Games gold medalist Melodie Daoust (2013) with RSEQ powerhouse McGill and Iya Gavrilova (2015), a superstar with Canada West’s Calgary Di...

As the Canadian national women’s baseball team looks to capture gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games, a proud women’s hockey connection adds to an unforgettable group of characters. As this is the first-ever women’s baseball tournament contested in a major multi-national sporting event, the women’s hockey connection is testament to the potential of women in sport and their ability to excel in multiple arenas of competition. Having played with the national team since the inaugural Women’s World Cup of Baseball in 2004, Ashley Stephenson comprises a group of five remarkable women with roots in women’s hockey. A versatile infielder who is able to play at both shortstop and third base positions, Stephenson’s strong leadership skills can be traced back to a proud hockey career that involved five remarkable seasons with the nationally prominent Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks program. Suiting up for the Golden Hawks, her greatest legacy included the 2005 CIS National Championsh...

As the Montreal Carabins look to return to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national championship game, a unique group of five recruits sets a new precedent. Of note, two of the five players recruited to compete for the Carabins during the 2015-16 CIS women’s ice hockey season shall include two players with prior experience at the university level. Casandra Dupuis is a familiar name among Carabins fans, having competed for the program from 2010 to 2013, which also included the national championship season (2013). Having spent the last two seasons with the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), she appeared in the championship game of the 2015 Clarkson Cup. With two years of university eligibility remaining, she has opted to return to the Carabins, providing a strong leadership role for a program in a rebuilding phase. Joining Dupuis shall be Maude Laramee, a 2014 CIS All-Canadian Second Team selection. Having spent the first three seasons of her ...

The premier rivalry in Canadian women’s hockey played itself out on the ice at Grant Harvey Centre in St. Thomas University as the McGill Martlets faced off against the Montreal Carabins in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Championship. With a rivalry as intense as Duke vs. North Carolina in basketball or Miami vs. Florida State in football, these two hockey powerhouses provided another epic confrontation. With McGill legends Charline Labonte and Melodie Daoust (both competed with Canada in a gold medal effort at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games) participating in the ceremonial face-off, it provided the fans at St. Thomas with a rare chance to see two of the finest in the game today. Complemented by Tessa Bonhomme providing on-air commentary (the match was broadcast on SportsNet 360), there was definitely a major league feeling to the contest. Gabrielle Davidson, who led her conference with 28 goals scored, would open the scoring for McGill at the 5:55 mark of the openin...

Concordia University in Montreal held its own super Sunday for women’s ice hockey. Ed Meagher Arena would serve as the backdrop for a doubleheader featuring some of the finest talent in Canadian Interuniversity Sport and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Generations intersected at the arena as Concordia holds a unique place in the hearts and minds of the many remarkable women that graced its frozen surface. Three-time Clarkson Cup champions, the Montreal Stars hosted the Brampton Thunder in CWHL play while the defending CIS national champions, the Montreal Carabins were the visiting team against the Concordia Stingers. Of note, many Stars players have polished their game at the renowned university. Stars founder Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux led the Concordia Stingers to the CIS championship as a player. She would follow it up by becoming the first captain in CWHL play to win three Clarkson Cups. The night before, she would even log the 100th point of her distinguished CWHL care...