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…
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