(Montreal) The Women’s World Para Hockey Challenge returned to Green Bay, Wisconsin from August 31 to September 3 for a second edition. For Marie-Ève Croteau, however, it was a first chance to stand out on the international scene in the new sport that she is passionate about.
Croteau, two-time world champion in para-cycling in 2011, was on the Canadian roster at this tournament, which also featured teams from the United States, Great Britain and a world team made up of players from more than ten countries in Green Bay. An Asian team was also due to take part in the competition, but had to forfeit at the last minute.
Paralympian from the Rio Games, Croteau decided to return to her first love over the past year by returning to the goaltending position she had held in ringette for twenty years.
“It’s my first year in para hockey and it was an incredible first international tournament! I just wanted to train and have fun, but to already have the chance to meet with the best players from around the world is very exciting,” mentioned Croteau in an interview with Sportcom.
Initially, Croteau wanted to combine para-cycling and para-hockey, but it was ultimately by listening to her heart that she made the decision to focus on para-hockey.
“I was hooked on para hockey right from the start and at the same time the passion for para-cycling slowly faded away after 12 years. Last March, I was in North Carolina for a preparatory bike camp and during training, I was only thinking about para hockey. My form was still good on the bike, but I really missed hockey. It was a sign that it was time to take the leap,” she said.
In Green Bay, Canada finished the competition with the silver medal after losing in a hard-fought final to the United States. For her part, Marie-Ève Croteau had the chance to see some action in Canada’s third match as she found herself between the posts for half of the match against Great Britain.
The Brits were unable to fire a single shot on Croteau who shared the shutout in a 9-0 win with Tracey Arnold who started the game. The Quebecer admitted that she was surprised to find herself in the heat of the action so quickly.
“It was Ontarian Jessie Gregory who had the majority of starts, and with good reason, because she is excellent. I told my parents not to come to the tournament because I didn’t think I would play at all. Plus, we made modifications to my sled just before the tournament and I had to adapt quickly,” she explained.
While her role on the ice was more limited during this tournament, Marie-Ève Croteau made her presence felt off the ice. Although the majority of her younger teammates were more experienced than her in para hockey, her many years in high performance sport made Croteau a dream teammate when it came to leadership.
“Our team was very young in Green Bay. Some of my teammates are 14 and 15 years old. I took the responsibility of going to see them when things were not going well, to make them understand that they are still young and that they have a lot of potential. I try to bring a little extra to my teammates when possible,” continues the 44-year-old.
Maxime Gagnon, coach of the Quebec para hockey team, says he is very happy to see the meteoric rise of Marie-Ève Croteau in her new sport. According to him, she could become an important role model for young Para hockey players in Quebec, as in Canada.
“She has an extraordinary determination, she always wants to go further. To have him in the para hockey fold is great to help develop and popularize the sport. We want young athletes who aspire to play para hockey to have mentors so they can dream of one day playing with the Canadian team,” said Gagnon.
Croteau’s teammate with the Quebec men’s team, Raphaëlle Tousignant was one of the offensive stars in the Canadian camp at the World Challenge, she who scored four goals in addition to adding two assists during the tournament.
“Raphaelle is so impressive! She is not afraid of anything and, in addition, she has an excellent vision of the game. She is an extremely complete player and she always pulls her team up. It is not for nothing that she participated in the Men’s World Championship last May. She has fully earned her place with the team. »
Vanessa Racine, Myriam Adam and Émilie Charron-Pilotte were the other Quebecers in action in Green Bay for Canada. Élisabeth Bisaillon and Amanda Fanizza wore the colors of the world team.
