The Nipissing Lakers women’s hockey team has announced the signing of local product and current North Bay Ice Boltz forward Maria Dominico. The former Durham West Lightning player took a step back from the PWHL, returned to North Bay to be closer to home and has chosen to continue her career with the Lakers. Originally, Dominico planned on staying with the Lightning, where she posted impressive numbers, proved she could play at a high level and had interests in heading to the United States to play NCAA hockey.
Instead, the plan has now changed and the Lakers couldn’t be happier. Lakers head coach Darren Turcotte says they are very fortunate to add a player of Maria’s calibre to their lineup. Turcotte says as their program continues to grow in the future, they look forward to seeing her grow into a leader on the team.
In two seasons with the Lightning, Dominco posted 33 goals and 21 assists, good for 54 points in 71 games. She also had six points in 10 playoff games. Now, Dominico has become one of the Ice Boltz leaders, as she hits the ice with her sister Malory and has taken a real mentorship role within girls’ hockey in North Bay. Dominico says as university is starting to approach faster each day, it’s becoming more real for her. She says although it took her a while to make this commitment, she realizes now this is what she wanted and couldn’t be more thrilled.
Prior to moving back and starting her new path, Dominico’s standout seasons saw her selected to Ontario Red twice as she participated in the U18 National Women’s Championships in 2015 and 2016, winning gold both years. The 17-year-old will add speed and skill to the Lakers lineup in 2017-18.
