Sudden Chemistry
Players’ Reunion Plays Big Part in Hockey Team’s Success
Arriving in Montreal to play with the Concordia Stingers as a rookie from Atlantic Canada, Alyssa Sherrard might have been in an unfamiliar city trying to get accustomed to a locker-room full of strangers. Luckily, she found one familiar face among them in Moira Frier.
“It was just a fluke. I got here and she was here,” said Sherrard. “We both decided to choose Concordia.”
Sherrard and Frier both hail from the Maritimes—from Bathurst, New Brunswick, and Broad Cove, Nova Scotia, respectively—and they played together last year with the Atlantic Canadiens U-20 squad.
“Coming here and already knowing how she plays and how we play helps us get ready quicker,” said Sherrard.
“Knowing her style helps for practices,” Frier added.Sherrard said she decided to come to Montreal to get out of the small town and into the big city. “I was looking for a different environment, [to] get away from home [and] start something new. When I came to visit the girls gave me a really good first vibe. I was really comfortable, so I had to come.”
Frier echoed those sentiments.“I really liked coach Les [Lawton], the girls and the old barn,” she added.
The two talented rookies have proven to be excellent additions to Lawton’s already young team.
“They have provided us not only with depth but offensive play,” said Lawton, now in his 29th season with the Stingers. “Alyssa has turned into a good young offensive player, with a real nose for the net, and Moira is a big strong forward that plays both ends of the ice very well. She is a real on-ice leader.”
Lawton is excited about the prospects of the Stingers for the future.
“Hopefully, over the next couple years they can develop into dominant players in the CIS, and I think that’s the route they’re [taking] right now,” he said. “We’re just glad to have them, I know that they were both highly-recruited athletes from the Maritimes, and we’re really happy that they chose Concordia and will be part of a good thing here for a while to come.”
This year’s squad is full of young talent, led by Sherrard and Frier. With a record of 3-4-0 in league play so far, the season has gone far better than expected for a team that has had to come together with 11 rookies on the roster. It is a testament to the quality of the new talent as well as the coaching staff.
A rematch with McGill is still weeks away, at Ed Meagher Arena Saturday Dec. 4, but the team has set their sights on the division leading Martlets, who defeated the Stingers 7-4 in their first meeting of the season. Asked whether they’re looking forward to beating them, both Frier and Sherrard said “big time!”
This article originally appeared in Volume 31, Issue 15, published November 23, 2010.
