BARRIE, Ontario — Former Barrie Jr. Sharks forward Janique Lamoureux is gearing up for her first season at the U Sport level. Lamoureux joined the hockey program at the Université de Moncton and is studying kinesiology.

With her family having just moved to Sudbury from Barrie, Lamoureux planned on joining them before receiving a text message from her coach at the time asking if she was interested in playing in Moncton.

“I saw that it was a French school and me being bilingual and French being my first language, that kind of piqued my interest,” Lamoureux said. “I got in contact with the coach and right there I knew I wanted to go to Moncton.”

Before her move to the East Coast, Lamoureux said she had never been. She said her first few weeks have been great.

“It’s been really good. I love the school atmosphere – it’s not a very big school and being on the hockey team I get to know a lot of other athletes,” Lamoureux said. “As for my program, there are a lot of athletes in the kinesiology and sports education program which is nice because there are a lot of new people I get to meet.”

Lamoureux has had a few practices and the team has already played some preseason games.

“It’s been really good to see where we stand and what we need to work on. We also have a very young team so there’s been a lot of team building,” Lamoureux said.

Lamoureux spent just one season with the Jr. Sharks in 2020-21. Although on the team, no games were played due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was great. The team environment was very inclusive, everyone was so supportive, and the coaches were always there for you,” Lamoureux said. “Even though we didn’t get to play, we treated scrimmages as games which was nice because it was still very competitive.”

It was also a great chance to get to know her teammates and form those ever-lasting relationships.

“I’m still in contact with quite a few of them. They’re checking in on me to see how things are going. It was like a family,” Lamoureux said.

Now with the Aigles Bleues at UMoncton, she said she is definitely seeing a difference in the level of play.

“There’s a lot more physicality and the game is one step quicker,” Lamoureux said. “Everything you do in this league needs to be a split second quicker than what you normally do in the PWHL.”

She said the team aims to be strong and physical, which is a big part of her game.

With a lot to learn, being a first-year player in the league, Lamoureux understands it will take some time to figure out her exact role but is ready to take full advantage of the opportunity she has in front of her.

“I believe I’m in a building stage right now and still trying to get used to the speed and strength of the game,” Lamoureux said. “I am going to do a lot of off-ice training this year. I’m 18 and playing against 23-year-olds. It doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but it is.”

Lamoureux said some of her favourite things about living in Moncton are being in an all-French community and being close to the ocean.

She said she hasn’t eaten any seafood yet but will have lots of opportunity to do so.

The Aigles Bleues begin their Atlantic University Sport (AUS) regular season against the St. Thomas Tommies on Oct. 8.

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