BY
KEITH LACEY
Doug Bonhomme has scouted and coached a lot of talented hockey
players in his life and knew his own daughter was a special
player at a young age.
"We first put her on skates at age three in the backyard and
she could skate almost immediately...she didn't have the stiff
knees like most kids do and she didn't fall down a lot," said
Bonhomme, who has been a scout for the Ontario Hockey League's
Central Scouting Bureau for 23 seasons.
By the tender age of six, Tessa was playing organized hockey at
Barrydowne Playground with the boys.
By age eight, she became one of the youngest girls to ever make
a boys' AA hockey team in Greater Sudbury making the grade on
the Copper Cliff AA Atoms that included former Sudbury Wolves
captain Zack Stortini, who remains a good friend to Tessa and
the Bonhomme family.
Tessa only got better with each passing year and quickly became
one of the most sought after young female players in North
America.
She played five years with the Sudbury Lady Wolves, which had
five girls gain full Division I hockey scholarships to the
United States.
That team was coached by Tim Stortini (Zack's dad), Rod Schutt,
whose daughter Meghan earned a soccer scholarship to the U.S.
and Bob Johnston, whose daughter Rebecca recently signed a
scholarship offer at Cornell University.
In Grade 11, virtually every Division I school in the United
States was recruiting her with offers of a full athletic
scholarship. Three years ago, Bonhomme accepted an offer to
attend Ohio State University, where she majors in speech
pathology.
Now in her junior year, Tessa was recently named one of the 10
finalists as the top female collegiate player in the United
States.
Doug and his wife Debbie were thrilled last week when Tessa,
21, was named as one of 23 members of Canada's National Women's
Hockey team, which will compete at the world championships in
Winnipeg in April.
Debbie can still remember the first time Tessa proved she could
play with the boys.
Debbie was in her baseball playoffs and couldn't make the final
tryout, but knew Tessa had made the atom AA team when her
eight-year-old daughter ran onto the field and yelled out 'Mom,
I made it'.
Tessa kept playing against boys for three years until her dad
recommended the best girls in town form their own travel team
to play against boys one year older.
The Nickel District Hockey League "was hesitant at first", but
decided to allow this experiment and more than 12 years later,
the top girls in town continue to play against boys one year
older in different age groups.
"It's been a real saving grace for the top girl players," said
Debbie. "They really enjoy playing together and they give the
boys a very good test because at that age there isn't a big
difference in skill level.
"The boys also enjoy it because the girls are good players,
there isn't body contact and they get to keep working on their
skills...and they hate losing to the girls."
Their daughter is very pleased with her choice to attend Ohio
State, said her parents.
More than 30 of the top schools were after Tessa's talents, but
she's settled in nicely at Ohio State, where she's established
herself as the team's best player.
For the past several years, Tessa was being groomed to join the
national team and to finally make it is a huge thrill for
her.
"Obviously we're very happy, but we're more happy for Tessa
because we know how hard she's worked for this over many, many
years," said her proud mother.
Tessa actually got cut from a national under 18 camp held in
Sudbury four years ago and was one of seven players cut during
the last day of cuts to make Canada's Olympic team two years
ago.
She's been the captain of the national Under-22 team for the
past two years and has competed with the national team at the
Four Nations Cup.
But to make the team that will compete in the world
championships is a giant step up and a strong indication Tessa
will be a strong contender to make the team that will compete
at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Her parents say they and Tessa don't take anything for granted
about competing in the Olympics.
"There's just too much time between then and now," said Doug.
"Anything she decides to do, we will support her."
There will likely be 10 women competing for six or seven spots
on Team Canada's defence for the Olympics.
While Tessa will have a good chance to earn a spot if she keeps
playing hockey after graduating from university, there are too
many things, like injuries, that can happen to get too excited
with Vancouver three years away, he said.
At the highest levels of women's hockey, Tessa has to document
everything she eats and her workout regiment and is under
constant pressure to perform, said her mother.
Her parents admit watching their daughter wear a Team Canada
jersey is a dream come true.
"We're just so happy for her and we just want to go along for
the ride," she said. "She's worked so hard and sacrificed so
much and she deserves the good things that are happening to her
right now."
Being able to watch their daughter compete in the Winter
Olympics on home soil would be amazing, her father admits.
"There's still a long way to go and we hope it happens...it
would certainly be the thrill of a lifetime for Tessa and
that's all we're really concerned about," said Doug, who was
head coach of the Cambrian College men's hockey team which
captured a national gold medal in 1997 and twice finished
second at nationals (1995 and 1998) a decade ago.
For now, Doug and Debbie Bonhomme are planning time off to
attend the world championships in Winnipeg, where Tessa will
make her debut as a member of Team Canada.
