Jessica Prevette is having the year of her life.
So far, the Wilfrid Laurier women’s hockey first-year forward holds fourth place in the OUA scoring leaders as a rookie forward. Just finishing her first year of university, Prevette has much potential and opportunity for growth going into her later years.
From the start, the Mississauga native knew she was going to be a Laurier Golden Hawk ever since her days in high school.
“Well, since I was young — grade nine — I knew I was going to come here. I hoped I was going to come here and I watched the hockey here. The girls are amazing. They made me feel like I was part of the team right away and it was just a great community to be in,” she said.
But it didn’t come easy. She knew she had a lot of work to do if she was going to be successful at WLU.
“Well at first, it was hard,” Prevette said. “You get used to all the schoolwork and the hockey at the same time. A lot of studying for exams on bus rides but in the end you get used to it and it’s been great.”
She manages time well between studying and training. However, she wasn’t surprised by the challenges of coming to Laurier and training with the women’s hockey team.
“Well, I had an idea of what it was going to be like when I came here. It was hard because you’re on ice two days a week and then training two days a week as well, plus the weekend. It’s something you have to get used to, but it’s great, and it gets you in shape,” she said.
Her coach, Rick Osborne, is pleased to have her on the team, and recounts the days when he first started to cheer her on.
“Prevette’s the type of player that we look far and wide for, not only because of her hockey skills but because of Jessica Prevette the person,” Osborne said.
“I went to OFSAA to watch her and cheer her on. One of my old players is now the VP of that school [Our Lady of Mount Carmel] and she came right up to me and said, ‘coach, you know how to find those high character kids because this kid is just oozing character and leadership.’”
Realizing her potential, Osborne took her under his wing to help her grow and flourish as a strong reckoning force on the team. With time, Prevette has been able to hone her skills and become an asset.
“Early in the season, I pushed her and pushed her and I challenged her to the core, and she would get down, but she would bounce back and she is playing like a veteran right now,” Osborne said. “She’s in great shape, she understands our systems, our process.”
“When she asks ‘What do I need to do to do this,’ and you tell her, she goes out and shows me. She’s a ‘show me’ type of player and I love coaching her and I love having her at Laurier,” he continued.
Prevette has nothing but time as a Hawk to continue to hone her abilities and become successful, according to Osborne’s philosophy. She fits nicely in the niche and is on the right path to becoming a key player in Laurier’s future.