With a roster speckled pink and white, Italy’s victory in girls’s hockey is Canada’s too

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Chris Jones reviews from Milan.

It was Italy’s victory. It was Canada’s, too.

The Italian girls’s hockey workforce, Olympic qualifiers solely as hosts, beat Japan 3-2 on an exciting Monday morning in Milan, incomes them an inconceivable quarterfinal look.

As the ultimate anxious seconds ticked away, Daniele Sauvageau, the workforce’s Canadian common supervisor, checked out 35-year-old Laura Fortino, a gold-medal winner with Canada in 2014 who now wears Italian blue, each with tears of their eyes.

For the 63-year-old Sauvageau, a Hockey Corridor of Fame coach and builder and the final supervisor of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire, it was the purest type of celebration, the fruits of one other grand journey within the recreation she loves.

Three years in the past, Sauvageau was approached by the Italian Ice Sports activities Federation to construct a aggressive workforce out of restricted components: There are fewer than 500 girls registered to play in Italy, and Milan didn’t have an ice rink. The Italians appeared in a single earlier Olympics, in Torino in 2006, once they misplaced 16-0 to Canada and completed eighth.

WATCH | Italy defeats Japan: Italy defeats Japan to advance to their 1st Olympic girls's hockey quarterfinals

Host nation Italy secured a spot within the Olympic girls's hockey quarterfinals, following a 3-2 win over Japan. Sauvageau took the job and commenced scouring the world and her hockey recollections for attainable expertise. She started a listing of names and realized that she may have the ability to make a good workforce. “I assumed, 'These gamers have extra potential than anybody may consider,'” she mentioned.

One in every of her first calls was to Fortino, who was enjoying with Staff Harvey’s on the PWHPA's Dream Hole Tour circuit, having performed her final recreation for Canada in 2019. To qualify to play for Italy, Fortino must spend two seasons within the Italian home league. She determined to go for it, transferring first to Bozen, after which to Caldaro.

Now, she checked out Sauvageau earlier than leaping into the arms of her teammates in Milan.

“It’s magical,” Fortino mentioned. “To be part of this group is a privilege and an honour for me. I couldn’t be prouder of each single woman on this workforce. The story that’s been written right here — I’m simply so completely happy to be part of it.”

Quickly after Sauvageau took the Italian job, the PWHL was based, and she or he joined the Victoire. She needed to maintain her worldwide dedication, however Montreal, out of necessity, turned the unlikely house base for an excellent unlikelier workforce.

<img loading="lazy" alt="Three people at a ceremony." srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/f7f5e9d9-7536-4b37-8bb8-223fc8f1a2bb,1770659616166/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C4498%2C3000%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/f7f5e9d9-7536-4b37-8bb8-223fc8f1a2bb,1770659616166/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C4498%2C3000%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/f7f5e9d9-7536-4b37-8bb8-223fc8f1a2bb,1770659616166/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C4498%2C3000%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/f7f5e9d9-7536-4b37-8bb8-223fc8f1a2bb,1770659616166/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C4498%2C3000%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:1.4993333333333334" data-cy="image-img"/> Daniele Sauvageau, centre, with Ron Francis and Mike Gartner, at her induction into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in November. (Getty Pictures) Extra gamers joined, together with Montreal-born Kayla Tutino, who got here out of retirement and opened the scoring in final week’s win over France, and Calgary native Gabriella Durante, who was excellent in objective in opposition to Japan.

She had performed for the College of Calgary Dinos not way back. Now she had gained for Italy.

“That will probably be a core reminiscence for me,” Durante mentioned. “I’m by no means going to neglect that recreation.”

She was removed from alone.

Final October, Sauvageau employed Eric Bouchard, an assistant coach with Shawinigan, to be Italy’s head coach; one in every of his hires was Pier-Alexandre Poulin, brother of Canada captain Marie-Philip, as an assistant.

Collectively they held a weeks-long camp in Montreal over December and January, engaged on hockey fundamentals but additionally instilling of their gamers the type of ambition that helps make historical past.

<img loading="lazy" alt="Hockey players on the bench" srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/d335349b-1ce9-4d9f-8194-b6eef4e1b51b,1770659457941/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5112%2C3408%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/d335349b-1ce9-4d9f-8194-b6eef4e1b51b,1770659457941/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5112%2C3408%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/d335349b-1ce9-4d9f-8194-b6eef4e1b51b,1770659457941/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5112%2C3408%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/d335349b-1ce9-4d9f-8194-b6eef4e1b51b,1770659457941/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5112%2C3408%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:1.5" data-cy="image-img"/> Canada's Eric Bouchard, left, behind the bench as head coach of Italy's girls's hockey workforce in its win over Japan on Monday. (AFP through Getty Pictures) “No person thought we might have an opportunity to win right here,” Bouchard mentioned now that that they had, his voice almost gone. “We needed to shock the hockey world and that’s what we’re doing.”

For Sauvageau, true success will imply increasing the hockey world in addition to surprising it. She’s made certain that Italians — unhyphenated Italians — have key roles on and off the ice, as coaches, as physiotherapists, as media liaisons, and, most vital, as gamers.

Matilde Fantin, a 19-year-old from Como who scored twice in opposition to Japan, is amongst those that have blossomed beneath mentors like Fortino.

“She’s going to be an amazing participant,” Bouchard mentioned.

Italy will play its last Group B recreation in opposition to Germany on Tuesday. That end result, mixed with Group A’s battle for seeding, will decide its quarterfinal opponent. Nobody concerned needed to look previous Germany, however Canada is an actual risk.

“I haven’t tapped into that, to be sincere,” Fortino mentioned.

Sauvageau will see it as one other probability to make one thing lasting.

“I’m somebody who thinks in regards to the subsequent step,” she mentioned. “I’m not right here to do a hit-and-run and depart. We — I’ll say we, the Canadians — are seen as hockey consultants, and the Italians have trusted us. We’ve seen them getting higher, week after week, and we’re rising the sport.”

When the gamers started piling into one another in celebration, the capability crowd took to its toes. “Italia! Italia! Italia!” new followers of a brand new workforce cried.

Sauvageau regarded down at her arms and tried to rub away the gooseflesh.

“I’ve seen a number of issues,” she mentioned, “however that additionally means I notice how particular that is.”

It was a victory for hockey most of all.

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