“Amazing.”
That sums up the feeling for North Bay’s Maria Dominico after winning gold with Team Canada at the FISU World University Games.
The Nipissing Lakers forward scored six goals and five assists in the tournament, including a goal in a 5-0 win over Japan in the gold medal game.
Dominico says her family are big supporters, especially her sister Malory, who also plays for the Lakers.
“My sister is my absolute number one supporter and I’m extremely grateful for her,” Maria says. “As well, I want to give my thanks to the community of North Bay for all the support I have continued to receive while I was there and while I’ve been back, especially since it’s something that makes living in a small town so great.”
Dominico, who says she’s faced some adversity in her career, also has a message for younger players.
“I got invited to try out for Team Canada development teams at the U18 and U22 levels and ultimately I was not successful,” she says. “But, by staying in Canada and playing for my hometown university I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to wear that maple leaf on my chest and win that gold medal. I would definitely say stick with it and don’t give up.”
Dominico says the gold medal won in Lake Placid has been added to the shelf of accolades that she’s collected with Nipissing over the past few years.
Inside Dominico’s head (we think): “We can’t miss this 3-on-1 opportunity, I better come back and score.”
And she did. Oh, she did. https://t.co/ldrzzpAFaB pic.twitter.com/RaFCtAvsjX
— U SPORTS Team Canada (@USPORTSIntl) January 22, 2023
