My team, the Toronto Furies, was gearing up for its first road trip of the season, a two-game slate against the Montreal Stars. Still battling to fit in as a rookie, I never know whether I’m going to dress. The coaches wait until after Wednesday night practices to send out the lineup for the upcoming weekend. Fortunately for me, I was told I would suit up, and boy was I excited to play, especially against my former teammate Camille Dumais ’13. Of course, I would need to adjust my game a bit, since I was accustomed to setting her up for goals. This time around, I would have to look for her in order to incapacitate her abilities to pull a fast one on me or my teammates. I was determined be the one with bragging rights.
We set off Saturday morning at 7:45 a.m. for a game starting at 7 p.m. I was excited to both play what appeared to shape up as the top team in the league and bond with my teammates. The bus ride reminded me of road trips with the Big Green — we watched movies and played games. The only difference: no homework due on Monday! The budget constraints, however, were obvious. Unlike college games, where our team would depart the night before, we left on game day and planned to head home immediately following the Sunday afternoon game.
In the Canadian Women’s Hockey League players aren’t paid and money is tight. Teams rely on sponsorships, both corporate and from the NHL. The women’s game is still a tough sell, but it has come a long way. Hopefully one day, women, like men, can have fulfilling and rewarding careers playing the sport they love, while earning some serious cash. Many players in the CWHL have full-time commitments elsewhere, playing for the love and passion of the game, not for money.
We arrived at our hotel around 3 p.m., where players shared rooms, as we did on Dartmouth road trips. As I stepped off the bus and into the arena, the first person I saw was none other than my buddy Cam, who, as usual, had a little chirp for me.
Then it was finally game time. I was fired up and ready to go.
As the two teams lined up along our respective blue lines for the national anthem, I reminisced about my Big Green days where I was fortunate to start almost every game. I loved hearing my name to the roar of our Dartmouth fans. As the song ended, I was told I would start. With a rush of adrenaline, I knew it would be a good game.
The game progressed, and we found ourselves in the penalty box and short-handed. As a result, we lost the first matchup 3-1. The game over and done, Cam and I met up for dinner and caught up.
I was determined to have a larger impact in the next game. First, I knew I had to fix my ankle. After a painful but effective deep-tissue massage, I took to the ice. Unfortunately, we conceded the second game to Montreal, this time a 4-3 loss. We learned that it’s a difficult task to beat any team short-handed. With a great experience and weekend behind us, we parted ways with Cam and Montreal, leaving them with the bragging rights. For now.
