Bruderheim’s Emerance Maschmeyer is back in the area after winning gold with Team Canada at the 2022 Women’s World Hockey Championships in Denmark.
The 27-year-old goaltender has had a whirlwind year, winning an Olympic Gold medal at the Beijing games in February and now the world championship this month.
“The experience was amazing, getting to travel with the team is always so much fun. Competing at this level and coming out with a gold medal is not something I can complain about.”
Maschmeyer’s tournament was a strange one. She faced just five shots in her first game against Japan, en route to a 9-0 win, but then had to face an onslaught of shots in her second game against the Americans, which ended in a 5-2 loss.
She says that while there were differences in each game, there wasn’t as much of a whiplash effect as you might expect.
“Luckily, I have had quite a bit of experience playing in world championships and tournaments like this so I’m pretty used to going from the two kinds of game,” said Maschmeyer. “For me, it's about being focused no matter who we are playing and being ready and engaged for the next shot.”
The Canadians didn’t let that first loss against the Americans get to them. Maschmeyer says that a little adversity actually might have helped them win gold.
“We hadn’t seen a lot of adversity in the last 12 months, specifically against the US, so I think it was an important game for the long-run of the tournament,” said Maschmeyer. “At times you can get comfortable when you’re winning games and I think that [loss to the Americans] helped expose a few areas that we needed to focus on.”
“We had some meaningful conversations in the days after [the loss] and I think that we adjusted well going into the finals, where I think we were obviously the better team and came out on top.”
The final moments of the gold medal game were tense. Canada was clutching onto a one-goal lead as the seconds ticked down, trying desperately to stop a final push from the Americans to tie it.
Even though Maschmeyer wasn’t on the ice, she says her stress level was through the roof.
“I feel like being on the bench there are a lot more nerves,” said Maschmeyer. “You don’t feel like you have control over the outcome.”
“I remember the minutes leading up to the [final] buzzer. The puck was in our end for most of it and it was pretty hectic. Many times I couldn’t see where the puck was from my angle so it was definitely an exciting last few minutes but when the buzzer went it was an incredible feeling.”
Through all this international travel, from Beijing to Denmark, the one constant source of support has been Maschmeyer’s hometown of Bruderheim. She reflected on how proud she is to come from such a supportive area.
“It’s pretty unbelievable to know that I came from such a small community,” said Maschmeyer. “It’s really great to be that role model for the community and have the youth look up to me and adults too.”
“Being able to bring the gold [medal] back to Bruderheim and share the success is like nothing else.”
Maschmeyer isn’t done playing hockey this year. She will be attending some Team Canada camps and participating in a friendly series against the Americans in November. Throughout the season, Maschmeyer will also be playing in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) league.