2019-2020

(From the Stanstead College yearbook)

It was truly an unbelievable year for the varsity girls hockey team. The girls matched last season's performance despite a stiffer schedule. Winning the NAPHA championship, our 5th in a row, represents a fantastic run. The Varsity Girls Spartans have not lost a game in the NAPHA league in over five years. That's approximately 90 games without a loss—truly amazing feat! Beating Shattuck-St. Mary's at Shattuck was a memorable highlight, as was going 4-2 in Washington JWHL Challenge, ringing up the second-best record in the tournament along the way. With five girls participating at nationals for their respective provincial teams and two girls participating at the U18 World Championships for Canada and Germany. our program continues its track record of developing some of the best talent in the world. I believe the future is bright for our varsity girls.

With a returning group of 15, including five girls who played on their respective provincial teams, a tremendous recruiting class that includes players already committed to Division I hockey, and a host of lessons learned from this last season, I am excited for next season.

I would like to thank Corie Jacobson, Brittany Sharman, Shaun Ouellette, Matt DeCarlo and Xavier Roy for helping coach this great group of girls. I would also like to thank Frederique, Holly and her team for supporting the girls' health and wellness throughout the year. Finally, a quick shout out to my wife Shannon for supporting the girls on the road from time to time.

(From the Stanstead College website, October 1st)

VG Hockey September recap: D-Core leads way

In what was a hectic start to the season, the Stanstead College Varsity Girls Hockey Spartans got off to a 5-2 start on the season, going 4-1 at the prestigious Stoney Creek Showcase. This was a first for the Spartans, who returned with a 3-2 record the last three years in a row.

At Stoney Creek, the girls were dominant over the first 3 games defeating Madison Capitals 7-0, Detroit Little Caesars 4-0 and Milwaukee Admirals 7-1. Several players scored over these three games, including rookies Stephanie Borque (1G + 2A, 2022 grad) and Karel Prefontaine (4G, 2023 grad). Portia Eldaun (1G +1A, 2020 grad) also nabbed her first of the year and first goal in a Stanstead uniform. With a strong defensive corps, led by Hannah Johnson (2A - Syracuse 2020), Dominique Cormier (3G + 1A - Princeton 2021) and Emilie Fortunato, (3G -Team Canada Summer Invite, 2020 grad), the Spartans are developing an impressive transition game, putting their opponents on their heels every shift. In total, our D-Core combined for 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points in 5 games. Emily Holmes (4A - Team New Brunswick, 2020 grad) was exceptional in a defensive role, leading with 21 stops/stuffs on the weekend.

The weekend also revealed how tough it is for the girls to prepare properly for prime-time opposition, as they were defeated by a very strong Chicago Mission 5-1. Off to a rough start, taking 3 penalties in a row, including a 3-vs-5, the girls got behind 3-0 early. Emilie Fortunato made it 3-1 midway through the second off a hard point shot. Karel Prefontaine subsequently hit the crossbar, a near goal that might have turned the tide. Instead, Chicago cashed in on another Spartan turnover to make it 4-1 at the end of two. The girls learned a lot about themselves, eventually falling 5-1 to a Chicago Mission team that went on to earn second place overall, losing 1-0 in the final to a stacked Etobicoke Dolphins team.

Regrouping, committing to a more disciplined team game, the girls dominated OHA Juniors, despite only winning 1-0. Shots in this game were 34-11 in favour of the Spartans. Ironically, Jane Gervais (3-1, 2SO - Wisconsin 2020) had to make a game-saving breakaway stop with 3 seconds left on the clock! She turned a successful weekend, going 3-1 with two shutouts. Other standout performances included Marianne Picard (2G + 2A - Wisconsin 2020, Team Canada U-18 Summer Series), Karel Prefontaine (4G - 2023), and Audrey McCutcheon (3G + 1A - RPI 2021).

September 21 (Bishop's), September 28 (HTI Institute)

The girls took part in a great celebration of Women in Sport Day at Bishop’s University on Saturday, September 21, playing the Bishop’s University club team. With an abbreviated lineup and despite outshooting Bishops 29-14, our girls lost 4-3 to a very well-coached team whose goaltender was superb!

The main attraction for the day, was an hour with guest speaker Kate Bierness of TSN, who shared her path as an athlete into the professional world of broadcasting. Regardless of the game outcome, this was a fantastic day of building and bonding.

On September 28, our Spartans hosted Hockey Training Institute(HTI) from Toronto, a competitive squad with several good European players. This was a close game, 2-1, until the 14:00 minute mark of the third period, when our girls exploded for 3 goals in less than 5 minutes. Finishing 6-1, the girls finally showed how explosive we can be within our team structure. This should be a breakthrough game for us as we were 3/6 on power play. Laurence Frenette showed her 2018-2019 form with 1G and 4A, while Emile Fortunato kept up her rapid offensive pace to start the season with 2 more assists.

(From the Stanstead College website, November 6th)

Athlete of the week: Jane Gervais

With a gaudy 8-1 record on the year, featuring 4 shutouts, Jane Gervais's consistent work ethic in practice has clearly translated into dominant game-day success.

But it is about more than just the wins for this veteran goaltender, as she has grown over the past three seasons into a true leader. Confident and steadfast, the Grade 12 student from Valcourt, Que. is a positive role model for her younger teammates, and serves as a mentor to the team’s rookie Grade 10 goalie. As the varsity girls hockey team heads into the busiest part of their schedule, culminating in one of the biggest weekends of the year at Shattucks St. Mary’s in Minnesota, there is no doubt that Jane will continue to be heavily relied upon by her teammates and her coaches alike.

(From the Stanstead College website, November 14th)

Short-handed VG Hockey Spartans start strong

As of the November break, the Stanstead College Varsity Girls Hockey Spartans are off to a fantastic start. At 15-3-1, the girls have established themselves as the MyHockey #1 ranked prep team in Canada and are ranked 8th overall at the U20 Girls level.

This is somewhat surprising given the fact the players have missed 84 games collectively due to several girls’ absence at provincial team camps and Hockey Canada Nationals.

With five players at Nationals with their respective provincial teams (Team Quebec: Marianne Picard, Emile Fortunato, Laurence Frenette, Audrey McCutcheon) and (Team Atlantic: Dominque Cormier) our core Grade 12 leaders have led an upstart crew of newbies to great success. Hannah Johnson, Melianne Reynolds, Emily Holmes, Portia Eldaun and Emily Eikleboom have been dominant in games without our other veteran players. Our new group of players have also provided much needed energy and enthusiasm. They are settling in well and starting produce on a consistent basis.

Led by Karel Prefontaine (9G + 6A= 14Pts.) our freshman class has produced beyond expectations, generating 65 points collectively over our first 19 games. While our Grade 10 group of Alexia Moreau, Kennedy Wilson, Stephanie Borque and Svenga Voigt have provided consistent offensive punch, our Grade 9 class of Prefontaine, Beatrice Roy-Perron and Elodie Roy are playing well beyond their years. Goaltending has also been very strong, with third-year starter Jane Gervais going 9-1, (4 SO, .022 GAA) and freshman Meghan Pilon (10) at 6-2-1 (2 SO, .091 GAA).

A fun group to coach, we are expecting great things from our group as our girls return from Nationals and we head into the second phase of our season. Phase 2 includes a hectic November and December as we start to defend our NAPHA championship, attend the Two Nations Cup in Kitchener and take a trip to Minnesota to face the #1 North American ranked Shattucks St. Mary’s Prep U19’s. It will be a phase of considerable growth for our group, a definitive time in our season we are looking forward to with great anticipation.

(From the Stanstead College website, January 10th)

VG Hockey: New Year report

Stanstead College Varsity Girls Hockey continues its rise towards becoming one of the premier female hockey development programs in North America.

Beyond the wins and losses – which include a program-defining win over Shattuck-St. Mary’s U19 by a score of 4-2 on December 6 – all of our girls are advancing to college hockey. While most of our players are trending towards playing NCAA Division I, we also have girls choosing to play for some of the top Division III and U-Sport programs as well. We continue to thrive as a pipeline for provincial teams and national-level play, as no fewer than 12 of our players have or are on track to play for their respective provincial teams. From USA Hockey and European perspectives, all three of our current players have played in their national program at various levels.

At an average age of Grade 10.4, we are still a young U19 squad. This becomes evident when we play top U19 competition, as we continue to strive to find consistency and sustainability at a higher level of play. Through our recruiting efforts and current levels of success, we continue to focus on finding character-filled young women who have drive and desire to improve every day. Given the recent addition of our PG/Grade 12 Cowen House residence, we are an exceptional landing spot for the true U19 prospect (Grades 10, 11, 12).

Moving forward, we started the new year off with an exceptional 2020 schedule against the top New England prep school teams in #1 ranked Noble & Greenough, #6 ranked Buckingham Browne & Nobles as well as NAHA White U19 at Harvard University January 4-6, 2020. From there, we take another crack at #1 ranked Shattuck-St. Mary’s at Bishop’s University January 14-16, before heading off to the JWHL Washington, DC Showcase in February. In between those dates, we return to our NAPHA schedule by taking on a much-improved Northwood Prep and RNS at Cornell University.

Our coaches and players are extremely excited for our second half, as many of our Grade 10s ready themselves for the June 2020 NCAA recruiting season. With 22 games left in our 60-game schedule, it will be great to see how the players have learned how to play a competitive team game.

(From the Stanstead College website, February 5th)

Athlete of the week: Lana Peasley

As starting goaltender for the thirds hockey team, Lana regularly squares off against opposing boys in Grade 10 and 11 – and she is only in Grade 8!

Never one to back down from adversity, she routinely challenges shots from players who are double, and sometimes even triple, her size. Committed and fearless, her coaches describe her as one of the most courageous athletes they have ever coached, while also applauding her positivity and sportsmanship. Always on time and on task during practices and games, Lana is a pleasure to coach and to be with. Given her youth, talent and fearlessness, this Spartan has a bright future wearing the Red & White. Congratulations, Lana, for being named this week’s Athlete of the Week – the sky is the limit!

(From the Stanstead College website, February 7th)

VG Hockey: Heading strong into final stretch

It was another successful month for the varsity girls hockey program. January 2020 saw the return of two players who participated for their country at their respective World U18 Championships.

Captain Marianne Picard (Team Canada) came back with silver after a heart-breaking overtime loss to USA. Picard finished second in team scoring with 2G +1A in four games. Svejna Voigt (Germany) returned home with gold from the World U18 Championships (Division I). Despite getting injured, Svegna generated 1G +1A in three games.

As a team in January, the Spartans went 11-2-1, capturing the Bishop’s University Jamboree in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Alexia Moreau had a huge month, scoring 8 goals while adding 9 assists, bringing her point total to 47 in 51 games, an exceptional feat for a player just in Grade 10. Upon her return, Marianne Picard continued to bring her veteran presence by scoring 5 and adding another 7 assists in 10 games.

The new line of Kennedy Wilson, Audrey McCutcheon and Laurence Frenette showed why the future of Spartan hockey is in good hands, as they combined to 15 points over three games against Boston powerhouse prep schools BBN, Nobles & Greenough and NAHA. Spartans defence and goaltending (15 shutouts this year) continue to thrive, allowing just 19 goals over 14 games.

Heading towards February, the girls secured their fifth NAPHA regular season title by going 10-0-2, securing their five-year streak of no losses.

Spartans take their #1 seed into the NAPHA championship weekend February 22-24 at Stanstead College, kicking off their efforts to win their fifth championship in a row. It won’t be easy, as Northwood Prep comes into the tournament as the 15th-ranked team in USA according to U19 Myhockey Rankings, and Rothesay-Netherwood School continues to beat everyone else not called “Spartans.”

Prior to championship weekend, the Spartans take their 37-10-4 record to Washington, DC for the JWHL Showcase. With three more wins over their final 10 games, the varsity girls will stake their fifth 40+ win season in a row, an unheard of accomplishment revealing how sustainable our program has been over time.

Finally, with another eight players having achieved provincial or national team status, Stanstead College varsity girls lead the way in preparing players for provincial and national team play. We continue to develop some of the very best U18 players in world.

(From the Stanstead College website, February 25th)

Stanstead Spartans celebrate major wins

Stanstead College celebrated a number of important athletic victories this past week, capped off Monday with a thrilling win by the Varsity Girls Hockey Spartans in the North American Prep Hockey Association (NAPHA) championship game.

The playoff win was the girls’ fifth straight NAPHA championship, coming off their first-place regular season with a record of 6-0-2.

Stanstead hosted the NAPHA playoffs over the weekend at the Pat Burns Arena, where the Spartans won 6-2 over Rice Prep, 7-0 over King’s-Edgehill, 3-0 over Nichols in the semi, and 3-2 in overtime versus Rothesay-Netherwood School in the final.

RNS scored first in the championship game, with the Spartans matching the goal late in the second period. RNS went ahead 2-1 at 9:21 in the third, Stanstead tying it up again at 4:44, taking the game into overtime. Laurence Frenette scored the OT game winner.

(From the Stanstead College website, March 4th)

Athlete of the week: Laurence Frenette

This Grade 11 student from Boisbriand, Que. also provided her school with a signature moment last week when she scored the game-winning 3-on-3 overtime goal in the NAPHA championship final in front of the wildest home crowd of the year. A splendid athlete with a flair for the dramatic, the sky is the limit for this week’s Athlete of the Week. Congratulations, Laurence!

This week’s recipient is, in the words of her coach, “a silent warrior who shoots like an assassin.” Her outstanding accuracy, timely contributions and exceptional work ethic have not only made her the Spartans’ leading scorer this season, but have earned her a place on Team Quebec as well as a Clarkson commit. This Grade 11 student from Boisbriand, Que. also provided her school with a signature moment last week when she scored the game-winning 3-on-3 overtime goal in the NAPHA championship final in front of the wildest home crowd of the year. A splendid athlete with a flair for the dramatic, the sky is the limit for this week’s Athlete of the Week. Congratulations, Laurence!

(From the Stanstead College website, March 9th)

VG Hockey: Future looks bright for Spartans

The Varsity Spartans girls hockey team completed an unbelievable five-year stretch of not yielding a loss in NAPHA play by winning their fifth hampionship in a row last month and their sixth over the last seven years.

The goal by Laurence Frenette (Blaineville, Que., Clarkson 2021) mid-way through the first 3x3 overtime period sealed the 3-2 win for the girls in front of a packed Pat Burns Arena on Monday, February 28, capping off her second 2-goal game of the championship weekend.

The girls were pushed by Rothesay-Netherwood the whole way in the final, as the Spartans had to come back and tie the game up with just 6 minutes to go to push the game into OT. Graduating winger, Emily Eikleboom (Chesterville, ON., Laurentian 2020) scored her third of the weekend, a powerplay goal to tie the game up.

Despite a hard push the rest of the way, RNS goalie Casey McCallum stood tall, giving her team a chance to complete the upset in OT.

Fortunately for the Spartans, graduating players continued their stellar play the entire weekend as Hannah Johnson (Readfield, Maine, Syracuse 2020), Emily Holmes (Miramichi, NB, RIT 2020), Melianne Reynolds (Sherbrooke, Que., Norwich 2020) and Portia Eldaun (Kimberly, BC, U of C) drove the team to the final with wins against Rice(6-2), King’s Edgehill (7-0), and Nichols Prep (3-0). Graduating goalie Jane Gervais (Val’Court, Que., Wisconsin 2020) completed her standout season with her 13th and 14th shutouts of the season and 23rd win of the year in the final.

The future is bright for the Stanstead girls as we return 15 players, five who played on their respective provincial teams, including defensive standouts Emile Fortunato (Laval, Que., Holy Cross, 2021) and Dominque Cormier (St-Marie-du-Kent, NB, Princeton, 2021). Combined with our returning group, our in-coming class is looking very strong. I anticipate that we will continue to have multiple girls playing on provincial teams, challenging to make Team Canada U18 and continuing to earn top notch college opportunities next year.

Most importantly, we continue developing amazing young women who challenge themselves on a daily basis to earn tremendous opportunities, athletic and academic, in the future.

As I write this article on International Women’s Day, I smile with confidence knowing that our girls have the grit, compassion, drive and desire to lead in tomorrow’s fast-paced, dynamic, challenging world! 2019-2020 has been an unbelievable year!

(From the Stanstead College website, March 23rd)

Varsity Girls Hockey Spartans to join JWHL

The Stanstead College varsity girls hockey team will officially join the Junior Women’s Hockey League (JWHL) in the U19 division for the 2020-21 season.

The Varsity Girls Hockey Spartans have been members of the North American Prep Hockey Association (NAPHA) since 2009-10, winning the league championship in 2011 and for the past five seasons (2016-2020). During the regular NAPHA season this year, the team had a record of 6-0-2. Overall this past season, the varsity girls were 46-15-4.

The JWHL was founded in 2007 as a league for girls hockey teams that regularly produce NCAA-calibre players. The league has produced over 700 NCAA and USport student-athletes as well as numerous national and Olympic team members for the US, Canada, and several other countries. The league started with four teams, expanding to 12 teams in 2012-13.

Teams face each other team three times during the regular season and compete in the JWHL Challenge Cup, to which Stanstead has been invited the last number of years. There is also a JWHL post-season championship.

The league consists of teams from Canada and the USA, including North American Hockey Academy (Boston), Ridley College (St. Catharines, Ont.), Boston Shamrocks and Ottawa Lady 67s.

“Girls hockey at Stanstead College has evolved tremendously over the past decade through the efforts of outstanding coaches, teachers and student-athletes,” said James Rioux, Stanstead’s Director of Hockey Operations. “The scope of our schedule has expanded to many areas across New England and North America, while the success of our team and players has attracted the eyes of recruiters at numerous levels. As a school community, we are pleased with the growth of the program and especially the kind of citizens we have been able to welcome to the school and develop into high level students in the classroom and athletes on the ice and beyond.”

Discussions about joining the JWHL have been ongoing the past year. Being invited to the annual JWHL Challenge Cup in Washington the past few seasons as well as the Merrimack event outside Boston has allowed the varsity girls to get a taste for what the league is all about.

“In the end, we feel this will be a tremendous step for our girls and team to play against competitive programs in a truly professional set-up,” said Mr. Rioux. “With the JWHL’s professionalism, marketing and focus on college development, we are excited about the upcoming schedule and visibility prospects for our girls and our program.”

JWHL co-founder Kush Sidhu said, “We are pleased to welcome Stanstead College to the JWHL family. Stanstead’s history of developing elite student-athletes and their commitment to high standards align with our core values. We look forward to a strong working relationship with James Rioux, Head Coach Bernie Pimm and the Stanstead College community.”

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