Interview with Lauren Dabrowski and Josie Chisholm from the X-Women's Hockey Team on their Weekend in Montreal for the U SPORTS Championships

Over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the StFX Women's Hockey team headed to Montreal for the 2023 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championships. The team played UBC, Nipissing, and Toronto. The Xaverian talked to Lauren Dabrowski, an assistant captain on the team, and Josie Chisholm the captain of the team, about their weekend in Montreal and their roles as leaders.

Ms. Dabrowski told the Xaverian that the atmosphere in Montreal was “awesome," saying that “the girls all enjoyed themselves… as this was our last away trip so we really just tried to embrace the moment we were in, whether that was eating dinner, walking the streets, practicing at McGill rink, or just hanging out in the hotel. The atmosphere was special, and I think all the girls really bought in.” She added that “One comment our team received quite often while in Montreal was how respectful and kind our team was, which is great to hear.” Josie also agreed that the atmosphere in Montreal was great, saying “personally, this was my first time in Montreal for an extended period so it was great to have some time to embrace the city.” She added, “In regard to on the ice, it was great to have the chance to play other teams from across the country.”

Ms. Chisholm talked about improvements the team made this year, saying that overall, the culture of the group improved and she says next year moving forward “it will be key to have a leadership group that is on the ball and present with the team.” Adding, “looking into next year I think that the girls have a very good foundation now for what a family should feel like and they can continue to grow from that.” Overall Josie says, “this past tournament was the first for the majority of this team, younger girls got a new sense of what to expect in regard to preparation and performance for national tournaments to come.” For next year, the girls believe the team is prepared and improved. Ms. Dabrowski says the team “definitely learned at this tournament that we are a competitive team in this nation and we need to continue to strive for those AUS and national titles.”

When discussing her role as a leader, Lauren mentioned how at the beginning of the year, they “really took a step back as the leadership group to assess the year and how we are going to go about it, with that we improved greatly in our team chemistry knowing that we needed to feel comfortable with each other off the ice first before the on ice chemistry came.” She says the team went on an annual trip to Cheticamp at the start of the year, and that “this was the time our team bonded the most.” Lauren says moving forward in the next season, “I think the girls are more experienced and realize how important the regular season games are when it comes to Nationals.” Ms. Chisholm also touched on being a leader, saying, “ being a leader on this team is a role that challenges you to always be the best version of yourself because ultimately you have teammates that are counting on you to do the right thing and do what is best for the team… this role helped me personally as a hockey player because I knew that I had people counting on me for guidance on and off the ice so I was constantly playing for something more than myself.”

Recently, Lauren was recognized as a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian. When asked what it means to her to be recognized, she told me, “It just shows that all the work I put in the off season really paid off with the help from our Strength Coach and our Coaches who went on the ice with me throughout the summer. It also demonstrates how good my teammates are as I could not have gotten this recognition without them. It took a full season of hard work, dedication and teamwork to get to where I am.”

When talking about goals for the team next year, Josie talked about striving to be a national contender again, saying “moving forward this team has the goal of being a national contender again. They have what it takes to do so as long as they work as one cohesive unit.” In regards to herself, Josie said  “personally, I have no set plan for next year. After this season, my love for the game is still strong and my goal is to continue my career in some fashion with hopes of gaining a new experience along the ride.”

It was great hearing from Lauren and Josie, and StFX cannot wait to watch the team again next year!