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Kenzie Lalonde graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2016, but she decided she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to 69���˵�Ӱ�� and university hockey just yet. The women’s hockey captain returned for a fifth year this year and is happy she did.

“I didn’t know exactly what was next for me and I wanted to give hockey one more shot,” she says. “Taking fewer courses this year, I have had the opportunity to really take advantage of other opportunities on campus, like hosting the Pride Matters video series for Athletics and being a part of the Commerce Society.”

A resident of Stittsville, ON, Lalonde began her career on the ice with Bunny Ringette at the age of four. She began playing hockey at the age of five and switched to women’s hockey at 10. She continued playing at an elite level in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) for the Ottawa Women’s Junior Senators.

Lalonde wasn’t convinced she would play university hockey until she was told about 69���˵�Ӱ�� from a former Women’s Hockey Mountie, Andrea (Switalski) Leacock (‘11), who was her student teacher at Sacred Heart High School.

“I had never been to the East Coast before, but I jumped on a plane and I knew right away that it just felt right,” she says. “I talked with the coach and the players, I knew I wanted to study Commerce, and everything just clicked.”

In her second year, the Mounties made it all the way to the AUS Championships.

“Even though we didn’t win that game, the atmosphere in the rink was the coolest feeling ever,” she says.

She was named the Women’s Hockey MVP in her third year and enjoyed her “best season ever” last year, being named captain of the team, making the Dean’s List, and becoming an Academic-All Canadian.

Studying Commerce, she says she has enjoyed the practicality of the skill set and being able to contribute to just about any conversation based on her studies, as well as the opportunity to strengthen her presentation skills and meet great professors along the way.

She was recently named Joey’s Female Athlete of the Week for her performances against Moncton and Saint Mary’s.

Lalonde says her goal is to bring energy and positivity into every game. And as she nears the end of her university career, it will be the teamwork and her teammates that she misses most.

“I won’t look back on this experience and miss shooting the puck, or skating laps, but I will miss being in the dressing room with 26 of my best friends,” she says.

Lalonde plans to pursue an MBA with the hopes of working in sports management or marketing.