Maggie MacEachern and Daniella Calabrese hope to continue playing hockey for their country
“When we put on that maple leaf jersey we represented the past, present, and future of women’s hockey in Canada,” says Maggie MacEachern, Grade 12 student at Brooklin High School in Brooklin.
MacEachern and her best friend and teammate Daniella Calabrese (also a Grade 12 student at Brooklin HS) represented Canada at the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) under 18 World Women’s Championship (WWC) this past January in Obihiro, Japan.
“Growing up, I watched the women’s and men’s Canadian hockey teams, hoping to one day have the opportunity to wear the maple leaf,” says Calabrese. She adds, “To not only have the opportunity to do so, but to also win gold, was an absolute dream come true.”
Canada beat the United States one minute and 36 seconds into sudden-death overtime to win the gold medal game.
MacEachern was one of four players on Team Canada to return to the world championships and notes, “The atmosphere at the arena was unbelievable. Nothing is ever quite like the feeling of stepping on the ice for warmups with all the fans chanting ‘Canada.’”
What’s next?
MacEachern and Calabrese will both travel to Red Deer, Alberta to represent Team Ontario in the Canada Winter Games from February 15th until March 3rd.
In April, the girls will attempt to bring home a gold medal in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) provincial competition for their team Durham West Lightning.
Both MacEachern and Calabrese have been accepted to exceptional post-secondary schools in the United States on athletic scholarships. The former will attend Colgate University in New York, and the latter will attend Princeton University in New Jersey.
These two young ladies are hoping to continue to play for their country, with even loftier goals. As Calabrese explains, “My ultimate goal is to continue my career with the Canadian National Team and fulfill my dream of representing our country in the Olympics.”
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