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On so many levels, the current edition of Madison Laberge is better than the rookie defenceman who took to the ice with the Nipissing Lakers for the 2019-2020 OUA season, a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s saying something, given just how tumultuous the past two years have been, heaving roadblock after roadblock in the path of elite athletes steadfast in their belief that a return to play was going to be imminent.
Hard to say if a two-year break qualifies as an imminent return, but either way, Laberge and the Lakers have made the most of their time back on the ice.
The smooth-skating defender, who played several years with the Sudbury Lady Wolves, was recently named to the East Division first all-star team, her team falling in the OUA final to the Brock Badgers but still qualifying for nationals in Prince Edward Island.
“As a team, we trained really hard off-ice for the year and a half that we were off,” said Laberge, a 20-year-old, third-year student in the Physical & Health Education (Concurrent Ed) program in North Bay. “Fitness-wise, my team as well as myself, were near 100 per cent on the fitness side when we returned. We had to get back on the ice and get back into the game.”
With roughly half of their previous roster turned over, Laberge was now in a completely different place as a veteran on the team when the 2021-2022 season began.
“This year, compared to my first year, I have taken on more of a leadership role as an older athlete,” said the Valley East native.
“Half of our team is younger, in their first year of eligibility. Improving my leadership skills on and off the ice has been my goal for this year.”
Part of a Nipissing program that has been more than competitive pretty much since the first year they entered the OUA, Laberge and company quickly realized this season would be no different.
“We were strong two years ago and we have a good group from then,” explained Laberge. “The incoming players have come in and made it a really competitive environment. We knew that we would be successful if we stuck to our game and played as a team.”
The approach became easier given that the Lakers were every bit as much in lockstep with their teammates when it came to the mental aspect of the game as they were in the physical component noted above.
“I think we utilized our support system really well, the mental skills coach that we were able to get together with,” said Laberge. “We came together as a team and stayed together during COVID lockdowns. We continued to build our relationships off the ice so that they could carry on the ice once we got back.”
On a personal level, Laberge’s season was highlighted by a natural hat trick against the University of Toronto Blues, a performance that included the game-winning goal.
“Honestly, that came from my teammates, how hard we worked as a team, especially that game,” she said.
“On the ice, we were connecting well. I connected with some of my teammates who gave me an opportunity to score.”
Even as this campaign comes to an end, Laberge will have more than usual to look forward to, with younger sister, Ellie, set to join the Nipissing Lakers in the fall.
“I’m nervous and excited for it,” said Madison. “We’ll be living on our own, together, so that will be interesting. We have a really good relationship – even if we fight a lot. We are extremely competitive, so we do push each other and encourage each other.”
And, as many Sudbury hockey fans recall, both of the Laberge siblings guard the blue-line, giving coach Darren Turcotte the option of pairing up the family connection.
“I think we would be better off separated,” suggested the elder Laberge. “We both play a pretty similar style, so we wouldn’t really complement each other in our play.”
Nipissing will kick off play at nationals on Thursday evening, having garnered the No. 6 seed in the eight team event and facing the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (No. 3) in quarter-final play.
Randy Pascal is a sportswriter in Greater Sudbury. Pursuit is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
