Emmy Fecteau leads Concordia's U Sports title hopes while eyeing PWHL opportunity

The silence inside the locker room at last year's U Sports championship still lingers in the minds of the Concordia University Stingers women's hockey team. 

With two seconds to play in the national final, the 2022 champion Stingers led the Mount Royal University Cougars 3-2, only for Breanne Trotter to score a late tying goal. In overtime, a goal from MRU's Emma Bergesen dashed the hopes of a repeat, sending the Stingers off the ice in tears, knowing the opportunity had passed. 

Julie Chu, the team's head coach and 1998 Olympic women's hockey champion with Team USA, was the first to address the group. Still, while the silence and tears are a memory, the heartbreak didn't last long.

"It was tough," captain Emmy Fecteau said. "It was probably one of the toughest and saddest moments of my life."

WATCH | MRU defeats Concordia in 2023 U Sports women's hockey final:

When the team returned for the 2023-24 season, they did so with a little extra motivation. And halfway through the campaign, they've been the best team in the country, sitting at 13-0-0 as the only undefeated team in U Sports. 

"We wanted more last year and thought we deserved more," Fecteau added. "We arrived ready for this season. We're competitive and gritty, and I think we have worked on the little details we need to improve."

Competing in the six-team RSEQ conference, the Stingers have established a winning culture under the leadership of Chu and Caroline Oullette, who previously spent time as head coach. They've often set the tone through pre-season trips against testing opponents, allowing the group to face a top-level on-ice competition while bonding away from the rink.