When the Premier Hockey Federation schedule was announced in September and the Montreal Force’s home dates were confirmed, you can bet that December 3 caught the attention of Ann-Sophie Bettez.
This weekend the expansion team is playing in Sept-Îles, Quebec, a town of over 25,000 people on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River about 500 driving miles from Montreal. It’s the birthplace of Hockey Hall of Fame legend Guy Carbonneau, and where the Force captain calls home.
“It’s going to be really fun,” Bettez said before the weekend games. “There’s a senior team that plays there and I saw a few pictures of their home opener and it was a sold out rink and it was nice to see. I’m hoping it will be the same for us. For me, it’s pretty amazing to go back where everything started. I think the last time I played an actual game there was atom or peewee so it’s been a long time. I never thought I would go back and play a professional game over there, so it’s a very special moment for me.”
Bettez lived in Sept-Îles until she was 12 and her family moved to Montreal. She still has a large extended family in town including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who will pack Aréna Conrad-Parent to see her.
“I think the moment I’m looking forward to the most is for them to be in the stands and me being on the ice,” she said. “They’ve always supported me, especially my grandparents when I was a kid. I remember seeing them in the stands and now it will be all over again. I’m somebody who is very close with my family. When I left Sept-Îles it was hard. People from small regions are always great people and they are living proof of it.”
Like a scene from a Hollywood movie, Bettez scored the shootout winner in Saturday’s series opener to lead the Force to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Connecticut with nearly 1,000 locals cheering her on. Coming into the weekend she knew that facing the reigning regular season champions would be a tough task.
“We know they are going to be very excited to play,” Bettez said. “They have only played one game but have the core of their team back and will be ready to go and this is something that we expect. I think we’re equally excited as a fairly new team. We want to impose our rhythm and play our style. It’s going to be the best team that showcases their skill on the ice. We have to play hard and what we want is to give a good show for the fans, so may the best team win.”
The Force sure know how to put on a show for the fans. Last Saturday they made their home debut at Centre 21.02 and set a PHF attendance record with a crowd of 2,876.
“It was actually amazing and Kevin (Raphaël) did tremendous work putting everything together,” she said. “To have the fans behind us and cheering us on when we get on the ice or when we have an opportunity to score was a different feeling that we haven’t felt in a long time. This is why I wanted to play hockey and do it for the passion of the game. When you see the support of the fans and they are so into it. There hasn’t been women’s hockey in Montreal for a long time so I think it shows the real true fans we have here. The crowd was just amazing and I’m pretty happy we had a win with so many people here live.”
Bettez was named PHF Second Star of the Week following a three-point performance that included the team’s historic first home goal. She’s found great chemistry so far with fellow McGill University graduate and U SPORTS Player of the Year Jade Downie-Landry who produced five points last week and entered the weekend tied for the lead in the league’s scoring race.
“I’ve only known her for a little bit of time now,” Bettez said of her linemate. “We have a different age gap. I knew of her, but never really played with her. Jade is somebody who has great skill, shot, and hands. I think we can both contribute to the success of our team and I hope it will get even better.”
Beyond her offensive performance, Bettez has been impressed with the team’s overall effort and collective contributions.
“We had those points but it’s the little things that everybody is doing and are willing to do that is not necessarily on the scoresheet,” she said. “For me what really stood out was a real team performance and using the energy of the crowd. I think the goal is to get better every day and if we’re able to contribute on the scoresheet that’s even more beneficial.”
Even though Bettez and most of her teammates are new to the PHF and in many cases professional hockey, expectations are high for the first-year club.
“We’re all competitive people who want to win, but also have fun and that’s what we’re doing,” Bettez said. “The people that are in place, starting from the coaching staff, from Kevin putting all of this together, our support staff, everybody has been contributing and we’ve been working hard on every aspect.”
The nature of the Force schedule to start the season has brought more practices than games. Now with a second straight weekend series, Bettez and the team are excited for action and to see where they stand.
“We just want to play games at this stage and that’s how you get better as well,” she said. “Practice is one thing, but it comes down to the real thing and that’s what I was missing for the last three years. Playing meaningful games and fighting for a spot in the playoffs and hoping to be the best team at the end of the year. We’ve improved since the first day, and I think like everybody else we have our challenges and our good aspects as well, but we all get to the rink with a smile on our face and we’re really happy that we have this franchise here in Montreal allowing us to play professional hockey.”
So far the 35-year-old is making the most of her first PHF season and embracing her role as a leader and the team’s ability to make a difference in the communities where they play.
“Most of the team is from the province of Quebec, so definitely there is a sense of pride being able to play in your own province,” Bettez said. “Touring the province is a nice thing to do. As professional athletes we want to grow the game, and growing the game means going into new towns. Every weekend there will be new fans and they are supportive of us and want us to win, and that’s what makes it special.”
Cover photo by Alexandre Caputo
