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LAVAL — Even in moments of doubt, Catherine Dubois kept believing. Now she can truly taste her childhood dream.
At 5-foot-10, it’s hard to miss Dubois on the ice. And if you ever lose sight of her for a moment, all you have to do is look in front of the net or in the corner of the rink to find her.
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The constant desire to get involved in the dirty areas, combined with her hard work and intensity, paid off the 28-year-old forward on Saturday night when she signed a standard contract to join Montreal’s Professional Women’s Hockey League team.
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In a corresponding move, the team placed defender Dominika Laskova on long-term injured reserve.
It was a close call for Dubois. According to league rules, teams can have three reserve players, who can receive two 10-day contracts during the season, and only in the event of an injury. The imposing forward’s second contract was about to expire and it was hard to remain optimistic she’d earn a full-time spot on the main squad.
“It’s a childhood dream. I’m really happy and relieved. It was a lot of stress not knowing where I’d be playing or what would happen. It was eating away at me a bit,” Dubois admitted.
She and her teammates had just returned from a match in front of a record crowd of 19,285 in Toronto when Danièle Sauvageau, the Montreal club’s general manager, called to tell her that she had made the cut as a regular player. Dubois made no secret of the fact that she and her family cried their eyes out when they heard the news. It was as if the pressure was off and her efforts had finally paid off.
“Every day, I thought it wouldn’t work out in Montreal. You start to doubt yourself and wonder what you’re not doing right,” she said. “I play field hockey because I love it. I couldn’t stop working and think that one day I’d make it. I had to trust myself and get through (it).”
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Dubois made her mark as soon as she entered the league, on Jan. 10 in New York. She scored her first career goal on the power play, while sitting in front of the net. Since then, coach Kori Cheverie has not hesitated to use her in specific situations, including the power play. On Sunday afternoon at Place Bell, Dubois started the game against Minnesota on the fourth line, before being moved to Marie-Philip Poulin’s wing. The aim was to create more space for Montreal’s star player.
” ‘Duby’ is predictable, in the good sense of the word. We know what she’s going to give us. She goes for the net, she’s not afraid of anything, she gets the pucks out of the corner and she creates battles. When I change trios, the players don’t always like it, but Dubois often answers the call. She’s got the personality to do it,” Cheverie said.
You’d think Dubois’s frame would give her a distinct advantage over other players, but it’s not quite that simple. The PWHL’s more physical game, however, has given her free rein on the rink and the ability to play physically.
“People think that because you’re big and strong, things are easier, but it’s the opposite. I always have to be among the strongest and fastest. It’s a lot of work. But I’m happy to have this size, because I can take advantage of it. In the past, I couldn’t always use my body, because I was penalized,” she noted.
Now that she no longer has to worry about her contractual situation, it will be interesting to see whether Dubois will have an impact in the race for first place. Montreal is currently one point behind Minnesota, as the league approaches the halfway point of the season.
Montreal hits the road for a game in New York on Wednesday.
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