The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

Debuting on June 5, 2014,  the women’s hockey documentary Les Stars is more than just a chronicling of the Montreal Stars on-ice accomplishments. It serves as an intimate portrait of a remarkable group of pioneering women, looking to change the cultural norm. As one of the signature franchises of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, the Stars were not only the first to claim back-to-back Clarkson Cups, but the first to capture three overall titles, respectively. Directed by Jess Desjardins (who pulls double duty as the sound recordist), she is an individual with many diverse interests. Having directed and produced several short films this year alone, Desjardins, an avid musician, has also been a sports fan since her youth. The love of sport has helped to serve as a backdrop for another of her great passions; photography. Highly talented and accomplished behind the lens as a photographer, Desjardins has used her keen visual talents to snap the action at the 2013 and 20...

At the beginning of the 2013-14 season, the Calgary Inferno faced a significant loss of leadership. Considering that Jocelyne Larocque, Meaghan Mikkelson and Tara Watchorn were part of Canada’s centralization camp (in anticipation of the Sochi Winter Games); the impact was compounded by the retirement of former captain Bobbi-Jo Slusar. Heading to Western Canada to pursue her Master’s Degree, the arrival of Karolina Urban could not have happened at a better time. Considering that Urban is articulate, very coachable and brings a team-first mentality, she would prove to be an essential component for a squad pursuing its first-ever postseason berth. While the Inferno still featured reliable veterans such as Laura Dostaler, Chelsea Purcell and Kelsey Webster, Urban helped to relieve the burden of leadership from their shoulders. On a team that consisted of close to a dozen rookies, Urban’s experiences in the game helped provide a presence. During the 2012-13 campaign, Urban was...

Heading into the 2014 Esso Cup, Canada’s female midget-level hockey championship, the Weyburn Gold Wings did not have the high profile that other competing clubs carried. A 2-1 upset win over the Edmonton Thunder, who were looking for their first title in six attempts, certainly made the fans at at Gateway Ice Centre in Stoney Creek, Ontario notice. Of note, the Thunder was not the only club looking to prove it belonged among Canada’s elite female midget teams. The Stoney Creek Sabres (who also have a parent team in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League) were the host team, and were looking to show skeptics that they were worthy of belonging. Last year’s host team, the Fraser Valley Phantoms had qualified for the 2014 edition of the Esso Cup. The Moncton Rockets were aiming for Atlantic Canada’s first victory in the event, while the Sudbury Wolves were the other Ontario-based team looking to stake their claim with a championship victory. The Western Canadian match-up in the...

Heading into the seventh annual IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Hockey Championships, Canada and the United States were the proud recipients of three gold medals each. With Canada having won the last two consecutive gold medals, it only added to the United States motivation. After a scoreless first period at the Budapest Ice Centre, which saw Canada unable to capitalize on two power play opportunities, Sarah Potomak of the Pursuit of Excellence in British Columbia would provide Canada with the lead. After her goal at 15:04 of the second, the flood gates would open as three unanswered goals provided Canada with a three-goal cushion Just 68 seconds after Potomak slipped the puck past US backstop Erin O’Neill, Eve-Audrey Picard of CEGEP Saint-Laurent added to Canada’s lead as Alexandra Labelle (also her teammate at CEGEP Saint-Laurent) and Stephanie Lalancette earned the assists. At the 18:34 mark, Sam Cogan of the PWHL’s Nepean Wildcats made it 3-0 for Canada. Karly Heffernan, who s...

A total of nine goals were logged in a pulse-pounding NCAA Frozen Four contest destined to go down in history as one of its most important matches ever. With the defending two-time national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers entering the contest with a 38-1-1 mark, the crowd at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden, Connecticut (site of the 2014 Frozen Four) could be forgiven if they believed the Gophers were the heavy favorites. Opposing the Golden Gophers was an ambitious Clarkson Golden Knights program that had reached several milestones. From winning its first-ever ECAC regular season title, the Golden Knights were also competing in their first-ever Frozen Four. Clarkson certainly entered the game with a significant boost of morale. The night before, the 2014 Patty Kazmaier Award was bestowed upon Jamie Lee Rattray, the all-time leading scorer in Golden Knights history. Having beaten Gophers skater Hannah Brandt for the honor, it was a foreshadowing of things to come. Aft...

For the Toronto Furies and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, the 2014 edition of the Clarkson Cup was filled with drama, excitement and another exciting chapter in the lore of the event. The donnybrook between the Boston Blades and the Toronto Furies resulted in an outcome that provided numerous historic firsts. With Britni Smith having buried the puck past Blades goaltender Brittany Ott just 33 seconds into overtime, it marked the first Clarkson Cup to go into an overtime period. Becoming the first-ever team with a fourth-place regular season finish to hoist the coveted Cup was complemented by the fact that the Furies were the first championship squad with a .500 regular season record. The road to the Clarkson Cup began with a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Inferno, who were making their postseason debut in 2014.   Toronto   battled back from a 1-0 deficit to prevail by a 3-2 tally. Two-point performances by Meagan Aarts, Tessa Bonhomme and Natalie Spooner helped con...

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...