Lives of U Sports women's hockey players intertwined from Quebec to Italy

As long as they can remember, the hockey lives of Gabrielle Santerre and Emilie Lussier have been intertwined as rivals. 

However, earlier in January, the Quebec natives finally found themselves not only on the same team — but the same line.

After playing against each other for years across different parts of the Quebec junior hockey system, and then again at university with Santerre representing Bishop's and Lussier at Concordia, they finally paired up as part of Team Canada at the World University Games in Torino, Italy.

It was, in some ways, a quintessentially Canadian hockey tournament experience.

Canada entered as massive favourites, won a couple blowouts and reached the gold-medal game. Despite outshooting their opposition 52-15, they lost the final 2-1 in overtime to the Czech Republic. 

And so Santerre and Lussier will once again go their separate ways, taking different lessons from Italy to apply to their teams during the stretch run of the U Sports season.

First, though — almost as soon as they stepped foot back home — they had games to play. Naturally, against each other. Concordia won both by a combined 10-2 score.

"It was so fun. And we knew that it was a big competition, and we knew when we're coming back, people are gonna just say, 'Oh, Lussier vs. Santerre' and stuff. But it's so fun to be with her," Lussier said.

"We made such [a] friendship down there and we know we're gonna see each other again."

Different roles

At their respective schools, Santerre and Lussier play very different roles.

Santerre, the 21-year-old from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is coming off a freshman campaign last year in which she was named both player and rookie of the year, becoming the first U Sports athlete to pull off such a feat.

On Tuesday, Santerre was also selected as a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian for the season.

But Bishop's, despite Santerre's individual greatness, has struggled. The Gaiters lost in the RSEQ semifinals last year and sit 7-9 through 16 contests this season.

Santerre drew inspiration from the underdog Czechs in Italy.

"It gave me hope that we lost against a team that was less talented than us, but that's just the beauty of sport, everything can happen," she said. "There's things that you cannot control. I think that's the biggest piece that I've learned from that tournament."

Lussier, the 22-year-old from Ste-Martine, Que., is a strong player in her own right — her 18 RSEQ goals last season were tied for second, one ahead of Santerre — but she is part of a larger machine at Concordia.

The Stingers have won two of the past three U Sports championships, their only blemish a loss in the final two years ago.

Lussier's coaches are international stars Julie Chu and Caroline Ouellette. Her teammate last year, Emmy Fecteau, became the first U Sports draftee to play a PWHL game earlier this season.

And for good measure, the Stingers' title defence is currently off to a scorching 14-0 start. Concordia, then, is almost like the Team Canada of the RSEQ.

"I would say the pressure is a pretty [big] thing here and experiencing it with the Maple Leaf, it's such a great honour," Lussier said.

"But when I'm coming back here and having the same feeling of the pressure and stuff like that, it's great because we know every team wants to beat us and we know that we need to compete every game and be here every game."

Playoffs loom

Less than one month remains before the RSEQ playoffs begin Feb. 27. The top two teams from the four-school conference advance to the national championship, which takes place March 20-23 at the University of Waterloo, with live streaming coverage available on CBC Sports.

Lussier and the Stingers' goal is to repeat as champions, though the motto is one game at a time.

Santerre said she just hopes to get there, even as her sophomore season is proving a bit more difficult than her first go-round.

"Teams have way more target on me, which is totally fine. I was expecting that," Santerre said.

"I think it was a good challenge for me. … And I think I've earned that privilege of being targeted. So yeah, I'm learning through that. I think it's the first time I've gone through that kind of phase. … But I'm happy that I experienced it now, and hopefully I'll become a better player after this."

In a little over a year, Santerre and Lussier will watch as Canada's senior national team looks to defend gold at its own Italy tournament at the Milan Olympics.

"I think it's just something fun that we'll see the game and we're like, 'Oh my God, we were there a year ago,'" Santerre said.

For now, their immediate futures lie in school, while in a few years their careers may take them to the PWHL — a league whose start coincided with their freshman year, and one that is already talking expansion, which would provide more opportunities to U Sports players hoping to go pro.

"The PWHL is close in Montreal," Lussier noted. "For sure, it's something I'm looking forward to do. But yeah, I just want to get better and better. And we'll see in four years."

Santerre too said the pro league remains a dream.

"It's another motivation. It's something that we didn't have the chance to dream of when I was younger. So now that I do have the chance to see these girls play something like that I have it in mind for sure," she said.

Perhaps if all goes right, the 2030 Olympics could beckon as another opportunity for the two players to suit up together.

In the meantime, the 2027 World University Games — and a shot at redemption — is a much better bet.

"I would love to be back on this team in two years. But I need to work hard and I need to prove to them I can be there too in two years," Lussier said.

"And I want the gold back."