Sault hockey standout Marie-Pier Lecours encouraging young females to get involved on the ice

As a hockey player, the Sault’s Marie-Pier Lecours has a lot to feel good about lately.

The 20-year-old is a centre and assistant captain with the Sault College Cougars women’s hockey team that won the 2023 American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 national championships with a 6-1 victory over Northeastern University in Boston in March.

Then, in April, Lecours was named Sault College’s female athlete of the year. 

“It was definitely surreal at first,” Lecours said, speaking to SooToday and looking back on the Cougars victory at the ACHA championships. 

“I don’t think it really hit me until the week after we got back and then with all the recognition for us, it was awesome. We were celebrities in town. It was a special feeling for us to accomplish that, especially after working all season for it.”

And of her earning the Sault College female athlete of the year award?

“That also was surreal because there are so many strong athletes at the college. To be honoured like that was like all my hard work paying off. It was really special,” Lecours said.

She ranked second overall in ACHA Division 2 scoring in the 2022-23 season with 19 goals and 42 assists for a total of 61 points in 31 games.

“I’ve definitely always been more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. I scored more goals last year than I usually do. I had two really strong linemates that I was able to connect really well with so we definitely had a good productive year.”

One of those linemates is Jasmine Groleau of Timmins. 

“I’ve played on the same line with her for two years now and we just know where each other are on the ice so well. That makes it a lot easier.”

It also helps that Groleau is her cousin, Lecours added humorously.

Riding high on her recent success, Lecours said she is definitely looking forward to playing with the Cougars club in 2023-24.

The upcoming hockey season will be her third at the college level.

Lecours is heading into her fourth year of post-secondary studies, having completed two years at Sault College before transferring to Algoma University in a diploma to degree psychology program.

Long term, she plans to study in The University of Prince Edward Island’s French language Bachelor of Education program before returning to Ontario to teach.

Lecours attended Notre Dame du Sault at the elementary school level before graduating from Superior Heights Collegiate.

She started playing hockey in the Wildcats House League in the Sault Female Hockey Association when she was seven years old.

Lecours said she has no plans to play hockey professionally but wants to stay involved in hockey in a coaching capacity.

She’s been assisting Brianne Shunock, Sault College Cougars women’s hockey team head coach as an instructor at the Northern Elite Female Hockey Academy.

While confident in her own exceptional hockey skills, Lecours credited the Sault College women’s hockey team coaching staff with helping her reach her potential.

“The program at Sault College has turned around a lot. Brianne and the coaching staff have done a really good job at flipping the team around and getting us to where we are now. I don’t think it would have been possible without them. They gave us the confidence that we needed as a team to accomplish all that we’ve accomplished.”

Lecours listed Canadian women’s national team captain Marie-Philip Poulin - a three-time Olympic and three-time World champion - Sarah Nurse and other Team Canada players as sources of inspiration for her.

But as a Saultite, she said “at the local level, there are a lot of strong females that have come out of the Sault.”

“We have Brianne, Shannon Bolduc, Megan Dubas. Just looking at what they’ve done and what they bring to the Sault to help younger girls to see what they can accomplish really inspires me to want to help younger girls and be a role model for them and show them they can have the opportunity to play as well.”

Lecours is encouraging as many local girls as possible to lace up their skates and get involved in league play at the junior and college levels if they wish.

“I think they have to realize that if they want it, they can achieve it. There are a lot of options locally. You can play at Sault College, you can go across the river and play at Lake State. There are a lot of options if you want to stay at home in the Sault and play, more than girls realize, so they should start looking at those options and work towards whatever goals they have and play if they want to play.”