On Feb. 23, Blaire Macdonald, Stephanie Plourde, Kelsey Vander Veen, and Jessica O’Grady played their last game for the Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team.
The girls played against the first-place McGill Martlets, losing a heartbreaker 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The women’s team battled back after being crushed 9-0 by McGill in the previous game, coming back strong in the second, giving themselves a chance to extend the series, but came up just short.
Each of the girls that are graduating from the Ravens women’s hockey program are going in different directions, but won’t soon forget their time playing at Carleton.
The girls all agreed that the most memorable moment was a game last season against McGill when, for the first time in program history, they defeated the Martlets in a thrilling shootout 4-3.
“There was such an atmosphere of pride and conviction that we were unstoppable,” Vander Veen said.
Plourde said she shared the same feelings.
Vander Veen is working toward a career with the RCMP or OPP, while Macdonald plans to attend graduate school at Sheridan College for marketing. She wants to go into marketing or public relations.
Plourde has one more year at Carleton in civil engineering (but her Canadian Interuniversity Sport eligibility is up) and O’Grady said she is not sure of her future plans, taking things day by day.
Despite going in different directions, they said they have really appreciated their time spent with their teammates.
“Most of all, I’m going to miss the camaraderie of the team. I love the girls and I love the team environment, which is why I’m choosing a career that will allow me to continue to be part of a team,” Vander Veen said.
“I’ll miss my teammates the most . . . without a doubt,” Macdonald said. “They were my second family for four years and I know that I’ve made lifelong friends. They could always make me laugh and were a great time to be around. It hasn’t hit me just yet that I won’t get to see them everyday next year, but when it does I’m sure I’ll shed a few tears.”
“I’ll miss the girls and the competitive atmosphere the most. The girls are great and I loved playing with them,” O’Grady said.
“I’ll miss the team the most,” Plourde agreed. “We have an amazing group of girls. It has been an honour and a pleasure playing with them.”
Each of these girls brought something different and important to the team.
“I bring passion and intensity to our games and a drive to win,” Vander Veen said. “I leave everything out there on the ice because I know if I don’t I’ll be disappointed in myself.
She was called a very versatile defenceman by coach Shelley Coolidge, as shown by her hat trick against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees earlier this year.
Coolidge praised the calm, heads-up play of Plourde along with her ability to play under pressure.
The leadership and humour brought by O’Grady as well as her hands around the net will be missed, Coolidge said.
“This was best demonstrated in the shootout versus [the Gee-Gees]. [O’Grady] made stick handling look easy,” Coolidge said.
Macdonald said she did her best to bring determination and hard work to the ice every night.
“I’ve never been the most skilled player on the ice but I work really hard,” she said. “I’m competitive and don’t like losing so I always did what I could to win my battles and play well in my end.”
“All four players have left their mark and an impact with CU,” Coolidge said. “They will make their places easily in the work force, and whatever organization they end up with will have a quality person that will soon be their CEO.”
