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19 | Friday, F ebruary 1 0 , 2 0 1 7 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | w w w .insideH A LT O N .com Kevin Nagel Oakville Beaver Sports Editor knagel@burlingtonpost.com Sports "Connected to your Community" the Air Canada Centre. But if Campbell's win in the fan vote seemed unlikely, consider what it took to make the roster. · · · · · | photo by Chris Tanouye - Toronto Furies After six years away from competitive hockey, Carlee Campbell is making a name for herself with the CWHLs Toronto Furies By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff Carlee Campbell certainly appreciated the support but she also had realistic expectations. Still, as fan voting for captains of the Canadian W om en's H ockey League all-star teams progressed, the nam e that continued to lead the way was n ot that of the dozen or so Olympic medallists, the world or NCAA champions. It was a 28-year-old rookie blueliner for the Toronto Furies. "I really didn't think it would it would last," Campbell said. "I figured (Natalie) Spooner and (Meaghan) Mikkelson would send out one tweet and it would be over." Vachon Insurance Group 2 0 0 -5 4 6 8 D u n d a s S t. W , T o ro n to , O N 1 - 8 0 0 -7 6 6 -8 6 6 2 v a c h o n in s c e .c o m The two Olympic gold medallists, whose fan following grew after their appearance on The Amazing Race Canada, each boast more than 2 0 ,0 0 0 Twitter followers, just slightly more than Campbell' s 175. Heck, Mikkelson used social media to help name her baby. Meanwhile, Campbell had limited recognition, having com piled her hockey resume under another name. Even people who knew her didn't recognize the name on the back of her Furies jersey. In the end, less than 70 votes separated the top four play ers, but a campaign by Campbell' s co-workers at Salesforce and her friends and family helped her edge her competitors to captain one of the all-star teams for Saturday' s all-star game at team. And early on Campbell wondered if that was even possible. Though she had stayed in shape by com pet ing in crossfit, it was com pletely different being back on the ice. "The first few practices I felt like I was in cem ent," Campbell said. "I remember doing the first drill and I was so out of breath." All the skills that had com e so naturally to her and helped her earn a Division I scholarship were a little rusty. And while her fellow rookies at camp were join ing the team straight out of the NCAA, it had been more than six years since Campbell had graduated from Clarkson University. Carlee Eusepi, as she was known then, was a three time conference all-star at Clarkson and was named the ECA C' s best defensive defenceman in her senior year. She played a key role in the Golden Knights qualifying for their first-ever NCAA tournament. She stayed at Clarkson for two years after gradua tion to com plete her MBA and served as a graduate assistant with the w om en's hockey team. She played a year of senior hockey after returning to Oakville in 2 0 1 2 . But after getting involved coaching in the Oakville H ornets organization, her own playing career took a back seat. Friends had asked her about playing again. She had gone to high school with Furies goalie Christina Kessler at Oakville Trafalgar and had known defenceman Shan non Moulson since they were teenagers. After getting married to OHL referee Jeff Campbell last summer and getting established in her career, she felt she could finally dedicate the time necessary to play at a high level. "I literally blew the dust off my equipment," Camp bell said. "I always had too m uch going on, so when my life settled down, work settled down, I thought it was a good opportunity to get back on the ice before starting a family." Despite her struggles in those first few practices, Campbell was back up to speed by the season opener in mid-October. P layers com ing into training cam p as an 11th round draft p ick aren't banking on being an all-star. T h ey're ju st hoping to m ake the See Campbell on pg. 20 A s in d e p e n d e n t in s u ra n c e b ro k e rs , w e h a v e fre e d o m o f c h o ic e . S o s h o u ld yo u . W e'll present you with more options designed to better match your protection and budget needs. D o n 't s e ttle fo r o n e q u o te fro m y o u r in s u ra n c e a g e n t. L e t u s h e lp y o u g e t y o u r m o n e y 's w o rth . w w w .jw architect.com Oakville rates have been discounted. Call us for a quote today and start saving. HOUSES OUR FIRST PASSION £ New · Additions · Cottages · Interiors · Landscape