Martlets field hockey relished first home games since 2011

McGill University Athletics

MONTREAL -- The McGill University women's field hockey squad took the field on Oct. 20 for a morning tilt versus the Waterloo Warriors. However, it was far from an ordinary game.

The match was the Martlets' first at home in seven years. McGill, which competes in the Ontario University Athletics conference, can host games every other year if it can be arranged with the league and other teams. The players, who learned last season that home dates were a possibility, had the weekend circled on their calendar for months.

"We were really eager," said Olivia Lockbaum, a third-year psychology student from Worcester, Mass.

"Once we found out that we were going to have a home game, we were incredibly excited. It was a really crazy opportunity. We've never experienced having teams come and play on our turf. It was special."

The Martlets field hockey team has been challenged in recent years competing in a strong OUA division that includes York, Toronto, and Guelph. Still, players embraced the chance to showcase their skills in front of friends and family. The weekend consisted of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday against Waterloo, York, Queen's, and Western. The parents of Emilia Dunkerley and Laura Dunkerley, third-year arts students from England, even made the trek to North America to take in the matches.

"For people to actually see what field hockey is was pretty cool," said Pria Flanagan, an arts sophomore from Kamloops, B.C. "Not a lot of people know about the sport, and to have friends be there for support was awesome."

The games were also memorable for the coaches, all of whom are volunteers. Vimal Patel, a structural design engineer by trade, has led the team since 2008 and is currently a co-coach with Hidde Sikkes. Like his players, Patel enjoyed having other teams play at Percival Molson Stadium.

"It's great to have games where you have friends, families, fans, and support for the team and not always be on the opponent's turf," said Patel. "I only remember us having one other weekend where we had home games. We're not used to that."

Beyond competition, the games served as a break from the constant grind of traveling by bus.

"We're traveling and the minimum distance is Kingston, at least (3) hours away," Patel said. "Sometimes you're driving nine hours to Waterloo and Western, you (checkin at) the hotel and and then head back on the bus to play (a game)."

Sikkes, Laurent Fayen, and Rob Craft are on his support staff. As volunteer coaches, they're often away from their families on weekends.

"A lot of times, you go away and your family doesn't see what you do," Patel said. "The coaches got to have their family and friends come out and see what they do. There's a lot of sacrifice that these volunteers do for the school." Their generosity has kept McGill's field hockey program running for several years.

Montreal's field hockey community was also involved, taking advantage of the rare chance to see high-level competition.

"Someone told me that it had been a long time since she'd come out to field hockey in Montreal with her kids," Patel said. "In Montreal, they haven't had many opportunities to do that. It helps tie the community to the university and to the players."

The entire weekend was one that the players and coaching staff won't forget.

"Once we finished, we all looked at each other and were like, 'That was so much fun,'" Lockbaum said. The players were proud of their effort.

"That was such a good time. We played our hearts out and we held our own."

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