The Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team is in the midst of a youthful resurgence this season.
Ten players on the team are making their debut this season, while only four players have more than two seasons of experience.
Rookie forward Delaney Ross is tied for the team lead in scoring with five points in six games.
“It’s kind of expected of me, I guess,” Ross said of her offensive production. “I expected myself to always push for points, because that’s just the kind of player I am.”
Not far behind Ross on the scoring list with four points in six games is rookie forward Katia Boulianne.
Boulianne said she didn’t anticipate a strong offensive start to her U Sports career.
“I’m very surprised and I’m looking forward to continuing [the production],” she said.
Both Ross and Boulianne said the potential of joining an underdog team was appealing when considering post-secondary schools to play at.
“I knew this year was going to be tough, knowing what kind of season they had last year and I like the challenge,” Ross said. “I know we’re going to build this program to be stronger and better, and that’s what we are starting to do.”
“I know we’re the underdogs . . . [and] I just want to play my best and prove what I have,” Boulianne said.
Ross, who hails from Meadowlake, Sask., said she has found a big difference living in a much larger city.
“It’s definitely different—I moved away at 12 to play hockey, and ever since then I’ve always been moving to play hockey,” Ross said. “I love Ottawa, it’s a beautiful city, [and] the hockey is great here.”
Last season, Boulianne played for the Collège Lionel-Groulx Nordiques in Sainte-Thérèse, Que.
“The level is [much] higher [at Carleton]” Boulianne said. “It’s intense, but I love it.”
Looking ahead to their future on the women’s hockey team, both Ross and Boulianne anticipate plenty of team success in the future.
“We have to come together as one and win,” Ross said.
“I’m looking forward to pushing myself even more,” Boulianne said. “And for my team, honestly, beat all the [other] teams in the league and prove that we can win every game that we are going to play.”
