Photo: Martin C. Barry

After going to Boston last year for team fundraising and exposure to high school hockey culture on the U.S. seaboard, the Laval Liberty High School Hockey Panthers are heading next to the University of Georgia, says Chris Lemay, coach of Laval Liberty High School’s hockey sports concentration program.

Spaghetti fundraiser
Here in Laval on Nov. 21, parents of Panthers players helped organize a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Royal Canadian Legion Chomedey branch on Curé Labelle Boulevard. “We raffled off hockey and Cirque du Soleil tickets,” said Lemay. About 150 people attended. Lemay was adamant he wanted to thank volunteers Elaine Sadori and Line Grégoire for helping organize the event.
As they do every year, the Panthers play in different leagues. Forty-two boys and two girls are on the Panthers player roster. The girls play goalie and defence. As Laval Liberty is renowned for its football concentration program, there is some spillover of players taking part in other sports at the same time.

Mixing hockey/football
“There are three guys now who were doing the football and are now doing the hockey,” Lemay said. “And we’ve got two guys are in the soccer and doing both sports. Those are our elite students. They must keep a high average to be able to do both. Otherwise all other students have to maintain a 75-and-over average to stay in the concentration. It’s academic as well as athletic.”
The Hockey Panthers are currently on a 16-game schedule, plus regionals and provincials. Last year they won the regionals. This year hopes are even higher to win the provincials. In their performance so far this season, the Panthers couldn’t ask for more. “We’re undefeated this year so far,” said Lemay. The team had played four games to that point. In one game, they beat the opponents by 12 - 0. “The other team wasn’t very competitive,” he said. Otherwise, the Panthers have maintained a three- to four-goal advantage over their opponents. “We’re doing very well so far,” added Lemay.