She sacrificed most of her first season of university hockey because of an injury, but second-year Ravens hockey player Julianne Bruce is back and ready to play.
After a bad fall into the boards during a game Nov. 24, 2012 against the McGill University Martlets left Bruce with a concussion, the then first-year defence was forced to take an extended break from the sport, leaving her out of the game for about 10 months.
“The recovery process was long and full of unexpected surprises . . . I did absolutely zero physical activity for about two months. When I finally had a week or so where I was feeling pretty good, I tried to do a run with our team trainer. I lasted eight minutes into the run before I had to stop due to a headache,” Bruce said via email.
Recovering from a concussion is not easy, but Bruce said she experienced complications in the form of post-concussion syndrome, which delayed her full recovery even longer.
“At this point, 14 months later, I still notice some symptoms. The symptoms that I experience from time to time are pressure headaches (similar to migraines), neck pain and stiffness, dizziness/light-headed feeling, confusion with things that I would normally not have an issue with, and the big one is motion sickness,” Bruce said.
Even her first step back on the ice was a challenge. After five months of staying off the rink, Bruce said she was able to rejoin the team for the last practice of the season in March 2013.
However, she said she was aware of the mental toll the injury had taken on her concentration and comprehension.
“When our coach was explaining the next drill at the board, I literally found myself unable to keep up with what he was saying and I had no clue what I was supposed to do,” she said. “It was like something wasn’t clicking right in my head. I felt pretty stupid to be honest.”
That hasn’t stopped Bruce from continuing to gradually improve and train, working with Ravens head coach Shelley Coolidge and the team’s physical trainer Marta Wein to tweak and develop workouts that trigger less symptoms.
“It was a very step-by-step process, you know, one little thing at a time,” Wein said about training with Bruce. “It was one of those things where you really had to pay close attention as to how she was feeling through training, not only on-ice, but especially also off-ice.”
The Ravens women’s hockey team has had a bumpy season so far, with only one win, but Bruce has been able to fully contribute to her team.
“I don’t think the physical aspect of my game has changed, but I definitely think the mental aspect has changed,” Bruce said. “Every time I go into the corner for a puck battle, all I can think about is keeping myself safe, and I was never like that before. I don’t think I’ve let it effect how I play, but I certainly think about it more often.”
Although her parents don’t fully agree with Bruce’s decision to continue with hockey, they trust her judgment, and are prepared to back her up.
“I’d like to think that she trusts her instincts well enough,” her father, Steve Bruce, said. “I thought that at times she looked tentative against McGill this year . . . but I thought yesterday against them she had probably her best game against them all year.”
Bruce said she played her first regular season game back with the team in October 2013 and she was excited to don the Ravens jersey again.
“My first season game in October went without any issues, as far as I can remember . . . I was thrilled to be wearing the [Ravens] logo on my chest again and excited to get the season underway,” she said.
