Skylar Fontaine has a mixed history with overtime in her hockey career. The extra period (or more) that hinges on a golden goal provides some of the most exciting and heartbreaking moments for any hockey player.
Over her past four seasons, Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.) — now 24 and skating for the ZSC Lions Frauen of Switzerland’s top women’s league, the SWHL — has found herself in three memorable overtimes.
On Feb. 11, 2020, the Northeastern Huskies and Boston University Terriers squared off in the Women’s Beanpot final. That season, the two would finish first and second, respectively, in Hockey East, and both entered that game ranked in the top 10 nationally. It shaped up to be an intense matchup.
For Fontaine, who plays defense, things might have gotten too intense. About halfway through the second period, Fontaine was ejected from the game for contact to the head. “I remember the play vividly,” she lamented. “I got two-handed in the back of the neck. There’s actually picture proof of it. Do I wish I didn’t react the way I did? Yes. It’s very uncharacteristic of me.”
The brief lapse in emotional control could have led to a lifetime of regret. Fortunately, her teammates, so often elevated by Fontaine’s play, took their own games to a new level. With a woman-advantage late in the first overtime, Lauren MacInnis, possibly on that power play because of Fontaine’s absence, picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired it home for the winner. An eternity of sitting on the edge of her seat ended with elation for Fontaine.
“It might have happened for a reason,” she said. “I was really proud of how my team played. I’m glad I was able to leave Northeastern saying I won at least one Beanpot.”
This past Beanpot, on the men’s side, another Fontaine stole the show. Gunnarwolfe, Skylar’s brother, potted two goals as he helped propel Northeastern to the trophy (won in OT). In a twist of luck, Skylar happened to be in town and was able to watch as her brother shined.
“I ended up being home because I was going to the Rivalry Series (Canada vs. USA women’s national teams). I lost my voice from screaming so much. I was so incredibly proud of him,” she said.
While Skylar and Gunnarwolfe might carry more of the headlines these days, it was their older sister, Alex, who blazed the trail. Now coaching at Williston Northampton, she was the original standout. Her talents took her to play at Union College. As much as she enjoyed her own career, she seems to have equally relished being a part of her younger siblings’ progress.
“My sister just came on the ice with me and my team all the time,” Alex said. “She was 4 years old on the ice with us, practicing with our U-12 team. As Gunnar sort of started skating, I have so many distinct memories of him playing. Growing up it was just a really good way for he and I to connect. It was great to be able to share the passion with your siblings.”
While neither Skylar nor Alex divulged any bloody feuds resulting from hockey games on their cul de sac or in their basement, it is clear the off-ice battles were key to each one’s development. Alex fondly remembered those frequent competitions.
“(Making teams) we traded off a lot. It was oftentimes two against one. I think that made all of us so much better. If you’re the one playing against two, you’ve really got to go hard,” Alex said.
Two against one is not a number combination Skylar would prefer to dwell on. COVID ruined the chance for Northeastern to follow up its Beanpot championship with another, but on March 20 the following season (2021), the Huskies found themselves opposite perennial powerhouse Wisconsin. Even though one would not be able to label Wisconsin an underdog, Northeastern held the top seed entering the game. On a fortunate bounce early into overtime, which Skylar could only helplessly watch from the back post, Wisconsin secured its second straight national title.
With a little time for healing, Fontaine, who was named to that All-Tournament Team, has been able to reflect more positively on her best chance at an NCAA championship.
“We really worked hard, and we got to that point,” she said. “It was devastating to lose in double overtime the way that we lost. We all were also very proud. We still made school history. Looking back now, just so grateful and proud of how far we came as a complete program.”
COVID gifted Fontaine the chance to play a fifth season at Matthews Arena. For her, it was a no-brainer to delay professional life. “I wasn’t ready to say bye,” she confessed, which was no surprise given how much she gushed about her teammates and her experience at NU. “I couldn’t pass up on getting my master’s degree. Although it came from something very horrible in our history with the pandemic, it was something that I couldn’t say no to, enjoy another year I would not have been granted.”
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That fifth season would end without the same kind of drama or hardware, and Fontaine could no longer postpone her postcollegiate life. While Alex accepted that her playing career was done after Union, she didn’t sense the same for her sister.
“She still has the hockey bug in her,” Alex said. “She obviously has a lot more that she wants to see play out. (I told her) there’s a lot of experiences that she had the opportunity to pursue both domestically and internationally, and these opportunities don’t come around all the time.”
Fontaine has a pair of former teammates she could use for reference. Often dominating alongside Swiss native Alina Mueller and Frenchwoman Chloe Aurard, Fontaine got to learn secondhand about playing hockey outside of the United States. As she heard more and more stories, especially from Mueller, she began to consider acquiring a firsthand opinion.
“(Alina) had nothing but amazing words to say about Switzerland and growing up here. I knew I wanted to go to Europe and travel while I’m still young. I knew where my heart wanted to go, and this is where it led me,” Skylar said.
There certainly were some transitions off the ice as she adjusted to a new culture. To her benefit, Northeastern teammate Katie Cipra also joined the Zürich Lions, so at least she had some comfort. She admitted it took a little time to settle into the locker room, coming from a situation where she had become so ingrained in the team. Yet, on the ice, little changed for Fontaine. She finished first on the team and third in the league in scoring (15 goals, 24 assists).
On March 19, the Lions and Bomo met in the deciding fifth game of the SWHL championship. Fontaine had been a little less productive (an absurd thing to write as she still notched a point per game in the playoffs), but it is something she has grown more comfortable with over time. “I used to think that I couldn’t have a good game without being on the scoresheet. I realize that being very good defensively and not letting a goal in or just making tape-to-tape passes and be consistent all game can be a better game than getting a point,” she said.
She might make an exception for a game-winning goal, though. Starting overtime with a power play, the Lions set up in the Bomo zone. They cycled the pick around for a bit, then Skylar drifted to the middle of the point. She one-timed the pass. The opposing goalie never even saw the puck, so her indication that her team lost likely came from the skyward arms of Fontaine.
Finally, Skylar Fontaine finished an overtime with nothing but pure joy.
