Arnaud hockey hero leads Manitoba to gold
Sports
Posted By Greg Vandermeulen
Posted 3 months ago
Terry LeeChantal Lischynski is a key component of the Balmoral Hall Blazers.
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My team didn’t need me being upset, they needed me to be the best gate opener anyone has ever seen, and that is exactly what I did. - Chantal Lischynski
When 15-year-old Arnaud resident and Balmoral Hall student Chantal Lischynski found out she would not be playing between the pipes in the gold medal game of the 2010 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Ottawa she turned to her hockey hero for inspiration.
Despite posting three wins and a 1.00 GAA in the tournament for Team Manitoba, Lischynski found herself on the bench for the gold medal game.
She remembered what former Team Canada Olympic goalie Sami Jo Small said. "In life you never know what you're preparing for," Small once said. "You don't always get to choose the role you play, but you do get to choose how you play it."
And Small should know. She played nearly every game of the Salt Lake City Olympics only to be told she wasn't dressing for the gold medal game.
"She is a very inspiring person and I took the same approach to the same situation as she did," Lischynski said. "My team didn't need me being upset, they needed me to be the best gate opener anyone has ever seen, and that is exactly what I did."
Although that may have been her role at the end of the championship, Lischynski was crucial to the teams effort throughout.
She backstopped Team Manitoba to a tournament opening 8-2 victory over Alberta, earned a 5-0 round robin shutout to Saskatchewan, and held off Saskatchewan a second time in the tournament semi final, this time with a 7-1 win.
Team Manitoba also beat Atlantic 11-1 and the Northwest Territories 15-0 in the round robin.
Although the skills were obviously in place, their ability was not the only factor according to Lischynski.
"Many people say we had lots of talent," she said. "I strongly agree with that but our team was probably the most positive and that clearly was a huge advantage."
Team Manitoba beat Ontario North 2-1 in the championship game.
Lischynski is familiar with making a difference on her team. In 2009 she was voted MVP of the junior varsity Balmoral Hall Blazers. She also represented Team Manitoba in the under 18 category in November 2009.
While many of Lischynski's peers are just busy being 15, she said love for the game keeps her at the rink and playing hockey.
"I play hockey because I simply love it," she said. "I like being a goalie and it's because I get a rush of energy when I make that huge save and make the crowd go wild and I just want that rush over and over again."
Lischynski has some pretty big skates to fill if she hopes to follow in the strides of her hockey heros.
In addition to Sami Jo Small she said Manon Rhéaume is one of her heros. "She made it to the NHL, who's hero wouldn't she be?" she asked.
Rhéaume signed as a free agent to the Tampa Bay Lightning and played games against the St. Louis Blues in the 1992 preseason and the Boston Bruins in the 1993 preseason.
Although her preference is being on the ice, Lischynski said she would consider other ways of staying involved in the future.
"I'd love to play as long as I can, hopefully at least play for a university team and then continue on and play for team Canada, or be coach," she said. "I'll never stop being a part of hockey no matter what the connection between me and hockey is."
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