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A Girl From Geneva: The St. Martin Story So Far
#1
(This post was last modified: 05-02-2022, 08:08 PM by Valpix.)

Everything changes in a hurry in sports.

It wasn't so long ago that I was a virtual unknown. Just a girl from Geneva with a stick, skates, and a dream: to get to the very top and play with the best of the best in the SHL. I'd been attending National League games since I was a kid, and my biggest dream was to play where the lights shined brightest, whether it be with an SHL logo on my chest or the Swiss cross.

Upon flying to North America, I attended showcase after showcase, just hoping someone, anyone, would see me. I was too late for the SMJHL draft, which did give me some freedom to choose where I wanted to go.

And people noticed at these showcases. I was a pretty raw prospect that was going to need time to get up to speed, but the potential was there. Team after team talked to me, trying best to recruit me into their ranks. But with that freedom came the impossible decision of where I should go. It almost made me wish I had signed up for the draft so someone else could make the decision for me. 

But in the end, after days and weeks of trying to make the decision, I got an offer that fit me. I didn't just want to be on the periphery, I wanted to be a part of something, and for me at least money was never going to be a part of the decision I made. Quebec City was, at the time, playing in one of the J's two four-team divisions, meaning they had to earn their way into the playoffs. And at the time, they were one point behind Anchorage for the spot.

I made the call. I was taking flight as the newest owl on the Citadelles. Signed on the dotted line.

And was immediately thrown into the deep end as I made my debut against the Newfoundland Berserkers, a dynasty in the peak of their powers, the best team in the J by a country mile. Talk about a baptism by fire. Any learning I had in the J was going to have to be done immediately, and on the fly. 

Really, learning on the fly was basically that entire first half-season. I was brand new, didn't know a ton of people, and thrust myself into the thick of a playoff hunt.

I didn't drown in that first game, at least. On the third defense pairing with Kamille-Therese Magasin, I ended up having a pretty quiet, unremarkable debut in a hard-fought 3-2 loss. We'd actually led the game going into the third, but as a young team the inexperience showed down the stretch and Newfoundland's insane depth wore us down.

Those first few games were...not great. I got my first point four games later, which would've excited me more had we not gotten utterly smashed 7-2 in Kelowna for our 4th loss in 5 games after I joined the team. 

I put my head down and got to work. It ain't easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. I felt myself getting better every game, and as the stakes of our playoff scrap got higher, I started to get the results. To be fair, I had decent underlying numbers, but not much on the scoresheet.

A two-point game in a key late-season win in Detroit, and a vital goal a couple games later in a close win against Vancouver. And while I didn't have any points in our season finale against Great Falls, I felt like it was one of my best games. I took care of the puck, I blocked shots, I did whatever I could to make sure we got in. Justin Time's 46 saves were the real MVP of that game, taking us to a shootout that was going to dictate our entire season.

The tension on the bench was intense. But in the end, we snuck through. We were in.

Us being a rebuilding team in the playoffs, there weren't a ton of expectations for that first round against Colorado, especially after we took a 4-0 pasting in Game 1. But a back-and-forth series went our way, as we managed to snatch two road games in Denver, enough to bring it back home for a Game 6 OT win. As we poured off the bench to celebrate an unlikely series win, my mind was racing about as fast as my skates were. I'd set out to be a part of something, and in that moment I realized that's what I'd become. I'd achieved a goal in that regard.

But that was just a sip of success. I wanted to be drinking bottles of the stuff. 

That fire for success can often be sparked by failure, and while the Maine series in the second round wasn't really a failure - we weren't expected to be there - the way it happened absolutely stung. We stole the first two games in Portland, then split at home, giving us three chances to close it out. 

Chance #1: away in Maine where we'd already won twice, with the game tied in the third. They score twice and pull away.
Chance #2: at home, in front of a crowd ready to go to the semifinals. We instead lay an egg and play one of our worst games of the season, outclassed, outshot, and dominated 4-0. Maine now comes home with all the momentum
Chance #3: back in Portland, a heart-wrenching OT loss after a late comeback to tie the game.

Storming off the bench after the OT winner in Colorado, I felt euphoria. Here, I felt like I wanted to shrink. But I put it in the back of my head that we won't let this happen again.

I put in more work than ever in the offseason leading into my first full season. Much like at those showcases, people noticed. I was named an alternate captain for the Citadelles after one of our previous alternates retired, I was taken in the first round of the draft by Toronto, and I went into the season feeling in rhythm. No longer was I learning on the fly.

Now, it was time for a breakout, and it really was one.

From 9 points in a half-season, to 54 in a full season, tied for the second most amongst J defenders. From being a nobody to a leader, a first round pick, and an All-Star. From third pairing sheltered minutes on a rebuilding team, to first pairing minutes on a much improved team. 

And that last one was most important to me. We went from 27 wins to 46. 58 points to 95. 10th place to 3rd place. From having to earn our way into the playoffs, to having a first round bye.

I don't think we expected to be this good, this soon. But we had the perfect combination of veterans like Bodhi Utah, captain Aksel Fiske, and Alex Kidd, along with a loaded sophomore class that included myself, Rylie Versi, and Justin Time (among others) that came back a year wiser, and an elite draft class. We even managed to squeeze in some very strong UDFAs midseason in Tommy Thompson and Fdam Aoote. We probably weren't going to knock off the Berserkers - no one was going to, let's be real - but we were certainly going to try to be in the pole position for when they fell apart.

The playoffs feel a lot more different when you've got expectations versus when you don't. The Colorado and Maine series last season, we were just kinda happy to be there. This time though, we were the high seed in our first round series. 

Nevada is a damned good hockey team. Coming in after a week off, we spent much of Game 1 trying to shake off the rust and got crushed. They were flat-out scary good that day. And they'd stolen home ice like we had done to Colorado the year before.


That series was back and forth and high stress. But an OT win in a pivotal Game 5 and a tight 6-4 win in Game 6 got us through. I had no goals and five assists in the series, and that suits me fine - I want to make plays and put my teammates in the best position to make things happen.

It only got harder in the semifinals. Detroit is also a very very good team, and they had a chip on their shoulder after we pipped them to the division title. We knew we'd have to be better in this series.

And I'm gonna level with you: we probably should've lost Game 1. They absolutely peppered us in the shotcount and frankly we weren't at our best. But Justin was, keeping us in it with saves, and we were able to hit them on the counter. Game 2 was much more even, but we got the dub. Home ice defended, and that might be the key against a team like the Falcons who we match up so closely against.

In Detroit, Game 3 was another tight contest. But we remembered the pain of Maine, and the importance of not laying an egg late in a tight game. We potted 3 goals in a row, won 5-2 in the game and were now up 3-0 in the series. An OT power play goal by Ben Der, my defense partner, completed a 4 game sweep that felt more like a 7 game war.

Going into that final against Newfoundland, we knew what we were up against, and we knew the pressure was on them. Getting swept probably wasn't surprising, but the fact that we were in every single game except maybe Game 4 made things tougher to stomach.

But just like that Maine series, it's in the back of my mind. I'm currently preparing for my third of four years in the J. My rise from "just a girl in Geneva" to "SMJHL star and white-hot SHL prospect" has been meteoric. Quebec City will be contenders for the Four Star Cup this year.

While it's nice to think about what the future will hold in Toronto, I'm always focused on the now. That Four Star Cup in QC's trophy case from a few years ago is very lonely, and I want to get it at least one friend before I head to the Six.

(1800 words, ready for grading)

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Thanks to @Ragnar, @Symmetrik, @Merica, @enigmatic, and @sulovilen for the sigs! 
Avi courtesy of @MN_Moosey
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#2

Great read!!!

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#3

Citadelles Citadelles Citadelles Citadelles Citadelles

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#4

You’re such a talented writer! Love this!

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Sig credits to @sköldpaddor @ihatereyson
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