The Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière were not the favourites to come out of Quebec and advance to the Esso Cup, but the team always tries to prosper in the face of adversity.

“We have great character and resilience,” says head coach Patrick Laramée. “Our girls never give up.”

The As de Québec may have finished 10 points ahead of the Étoiles in the regular season, but it was a clean slate when the teams competed in the Coupe Chevrolet for the provincial title. Québec had the upper hand in the preliminary round with a 2-1 victory, but the Étoiles bounced back when the teams met again in the semifinals.

"Our players put a lot of pressure on the opponent and are extremely fast,” Laramée says. “The As de Québec have about 14 senior players, but we believed in our chances. We were trailing 2-0 against them at the [Coupe Chevrolet] and won 3-2 in overtime."

Another turning point in the season was at a tournament in Quebec City where the Étoiles faced Prince Edward Island’s Western Wind. They were down 2-0 with two minutes left in the game, but came back and scored three goals in 35 seconds to win 3-2.

“[It was] that point of the season [when our] confidence started building up within the team,” he says.

The Étoiles enter the Women’s U18 National Club Championship as a very young team, boasting an average age of 15.83 years old. However, that does not change Laramée’s approach of doing everything his team can do to win in tournaments.

“We know that there will be some great teams with older and more mature players than us. We will try to compensate with our speed,” Laramée says. “It would be a great achievement to finish within the top four."

HOW THEY GOT TO PRINCE ALBERT

Coupe Chevrolet
Preliminary round: lost to As de Québec 2-1, lost to Harfangs de Sherbrooke 3-1
Quarterfinal: defeated Amazones de Laval-Montréal 2-0
Semifinal: defeated As de Québec 3-2 (OT)
Final: defeated Intrépide de l’Outaouais 4-3 (OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-T): 21-4-3 (2nd in LHEQ)
Goals for: 105 (3rd in LHEQ)
Goals against: 42 (2nd in LHEQ)
Longest winning streak: 7 (Dec. 11 – Jan. 28)
Top 3 scorers:
- Loélie Lachapelle – 26G 9A 35P (5th in LHEQ)
- Maika Gauthier – 18G 10A 28P (9th in LHEQ)
- Maude Rochon – 15G 10A 25P (12th in LHEQ)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 3-2
Goals for: 11
Goals against: 10
Top 3 scorers:
- Anaïs Leprohon – 1G 4A 5P
- Loélie Lachapelle – 3G 1A 4P
- Maude Rochon – 3G 1A 4P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2018 – Pionnières de Lanaudière | bronze medal | 2-3 | 11GF 17GA

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LOÉLIE LACHAPELLE
very fast and skilled player … great shot … can score from any angle

ANAÏS LEPROHON
incredibly fast … good hockey sense, strong hockey IQ … good vision on the ice

BÉATRICE PLOUFFE
poised between the pipes … manages stress very well … athletic netminder

UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Odélie Beaufort – Dawson College
Danika Giroux – Cégep de Rimouski
Sandrine Larouche – Champlain College
Naomie Piché – Cégep André-Laurendeau
Andréanne St-Pierre – Cégep Édouard-Montpetit