Vancouver, BC - It's been a year of firsts for the UBC Thunderbirds women's ice hockey team. The program's first winning season, first playoff home game and numerous match-up specific achievements have been accomplished.
For 36-year old rookie goaltender
Danielle Dube (Vancouver, BC), it wouldn't seem possible to accomplish any more firsts. This season, however, Dube has played a full season of women's hockey for the first time in her 18-year career and is a full-time university student for the first time.
While Dube was a part of the Canadian women's national team program from 1994-98 and 2000-02, all of her regular season play came in men's leagues. This dates back to when she first started playing organized hockey as a child. So this year, not only has she returned to school, she's also experiencing playing with women for an extended period for the first time.
Now the rare professional-turned-collegiate-freshman, Dube and goaltending partner
Samantha Langford (Pense, SK) have joined forces to make the Thunderbirds one of the best defensive units in Canada West. UBC is 17-7-4, blowing away the program's previous record of eight wins, and have also allowed the third fewest goals in the conference, allowing just 2.32 per game. As the Thunderbirds have heated up down the stretch to win 10 of their past 11 games, so have the goaltenders, allowing just 16 goals in that span.
For head coach
Graham Thomas, it's been a treat to have two strong goaltenders in his first year on the job.
“It's very nice knowing that we have Sam and Dube that are both capable,” said Thomas. “So if one's not feeling great or something happens, you can go with the other one and feel just as confident. The other teams don't know what to expect, they're not quite sure who to prepare for.”
Goaltending isn't the only reason for the program's turnaround, considering they're also third in goals scored with a program-record 2.68 per game, but it's definitely a big one. While Dube was originally pegged as a possible assistant coach, the late decision to switch her into a playing role has paid huge dividends for the team.
“Dube brings a lot of experience to our dressing room,” said
Emily Grainger, a fifth-year defenceman. “She is a calming presence for us, she is great at settling us down.”
That calming presence comment is something that comes up often when talking to the team about Dube. The leadership role is one Dube has never taken on before, choosing instead to lead by example. This year, whether by necessity or nature, Dube has taken on more of that responsibility.
“It's been interesting this year because I'm usually very quiet,” said Dube. “I've found myself speaking up more but not all the time. In moments where I see them kind of lapse or tighten up, I've become more vocal in trying to calm them down and stick to the game plan.”
You won't hear Dube talking about the previous stops in her career or leading in much of a rah-rah cheerleader manner. Instead, her teammates need to just look to her current lifestyle for an example of dedication. Dube is not only a student-athlete but also a mother of two and a full-time firefighter.
“For me, I draw a lot of inspiration from Danielle,” said Grainger. “I think her passion really helps motivate the team.“
Wearing all of those hats is not something Dube was certain she could do prior to the season. She's managed it just fine, though, with exemplary marks and a clear dedication to the team. Her schedule is hectic, with a normal week involving 48 hours of work across four shifts plus the course load of four online classes. The team also runs four practices and plays two games each week. And then, of course, comes family commitments.
“I've really enjoyed the school,” said Dube, who is studying Arts and hoping to head into speech therapy or counselling alongside her firefighting job. “It was hard at first to get back to learning and retaining what I was reading. The tough part is keeping up with the readings, so I spend a lot of late nights, put the kids to bed and stay up until 2 a.m. It's a little bit of sleep deprivation but I'm used to that with my job.”
“The hardest thing for me has been that my kids are having a tough time with mom being away.”
She is able to “trade” shifts with co-workers at her station, meaning she can avoid shifts on game days and avoid over-taxing weeks. After making a few shifts up over the holiday break, Dube estimates she probably only owes a couple of shifts to co-workers to be made up in the future.
Her husband, Steve, has been more than willing to pick up the slack, happy that their children can watch their mother do something that has been such a major part of her life for so long. The family comes out to watch every home game and cheer Mom on.
“In terms of the time and the effort, it's all worth it,” he said. “We're really proud of her. Hopefully next year we might even do some road trips with her.”
Beyond the off-ice life management, Dube also wasn't convinced that she could still play at an elite level. It took the coaching staff a couple of weeks to convince her to try and suit up, and Dube leaned heavily on goaltending coach Pasco Valana to make the transition.
“It's been a great learning experience,” said Dube. “I was really nervous about how I'd be out there. I've learned a lot from Pasco this year, just in changing my style to suit the women's game.”
Their work together has helped to elevate Dube to the conference's second best goals against average at 1.67 and the conference's best save percentage at .943. She has set the program's record for individual goaltender wins with 11 and has recorded a pair of shutouts. Valana, however, defers the credit to Dube and her hard work and passion, a common trait among the team's goaltenders.
“Goaltending is always changing. Dube has accepted that,” said Valana. “She works for every save she makes and is continuing to get better everyday. Through that work ethic she sets a humble but very effective example to our group.”
Langford has been a good soldier in waiting for opportunities, as has
Danielle Lemon (Madison, Wisconsin), the team's other goaltender. Langford is among the league leaders in goals against average and save percentage as well, solidifying the team's back end on days when Dube does not play. Whether or not the patience will be rewarded with more playing time next season is yet to be seen, as Dube is still undecided on her future with the program. She sure sounds like she's leaning one particular way though.
“It's been tiring and the question now is whether I'm going to come back next year,” said Dube. “And I'm getting that from the coaches every day. It's definitely something I want to do. I'll have to keep organized and keep the family running smooth.”
For the Thunderbirds, it would be a big help to try and keep her in the fold for her talent and leadership. She sets a great example for the rest of the team while providing a role model and a sounding board in times of uncertainty in the locker room. If it sounds like too daunting a task to carry over into a second year, keep in mind that Dube is no ordinary rookie.
