PROFILE: Alèxe Clavelle’s hockey journey counts Sudbury as a highlight

Alèxe Clavelle is very proud to be from Kapuskasing, the Franco-Ontarian town of just over 8,000 in Northeastern Ontario. That's where her hockey journey starts but when she reached U15 she was on the move, playing for teams in Timmins, North Bay, and Barrie as she billeted her way through high school.

That journey would lead her to Sudbury and ultimately to Ottawa, and includes close ties with the family of Mélisa Kingsley, a Gee-Gees player whose memory will be honoured this week.

As she recounts her story, Alèxe Clavelle's capacity for empathy and her glowing excitement for her teams, past and present, come shining through.

Sudbury was a chance to be back closer to Kapuskasing than she was in Barrie, but perhaps more importantly it was a chance to compete for the Esso Cup. The Sudbury Lady Wolves hosted the national championship in 2019, Clavelle's final year of U18, and it was a special season in Sudbury.

"I thought that hosting Esso would be awesome and we knew that we'd have a good team because we were hosting," explains Clavelle, now in her third year at uOttawa. "Just knowing that you're guaranteed a spot is huge.

Clavelle and the Lady Wolves won the Ontario Women's Hockey Association championship and ultimately took second place at the Esso Cup. "We had a strong group of girls and it was kind of a lot of pressure the whole season because we were hosting and we wanted to be not just hosts but also prove that we deserved to be there."

Clavelle's brother had also played hockey in Sudbury giving the Clavelles some family friends in the city; she felt part of the community very quickly and formed even more connections. "I loved Sudbury," she says. "A lot of my friends are all still there and I go visit and I made friendships that probably will last forever." 

A big part of that special season was the team's starting goaltender, Mireille Kingsley. "I didn't know her before but I instantly got close with Mireille," remembers Clavelle.

Mireille is the younger sister of Mélisa, who had joined the Gee-Gees in 2016 and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare type of cancer. Mélisa played in several games for the Garnet and Grey in 2017 before she passed away in October, 2018.

"We knew what her sister is going through… but not exactly and there was a lot of up and downs for her family," recalls Clavelle of the time leading up to that October. When Mel passed, "[Mireille] had a break and we weren't really sure as a team how to welcome her back but not make it weird or different for her – we needed her there too because we loved her."

Clavelle smiles when she remembers Mireille's return to the Lady Wolves. "She was just happy to be back and she was doing it for Mel - you could see that. I would pick her up after school every day and we'd go do things and she would talk about Mel. It was more, like, in honour of Mel so that was really nice to see." Clavelle keeps in touch with Mireille, who is now starting in goal at Providence College.

In Ottawa, the Gee-Gees are honouring Mel with the annual Mélisa Kingsley Memorial Game on February 18. The game, a celebration of Mélisa and a fundraiser for a scholarship at uOttawa in her honour, was first played in 2020 and created a significant legacy within the Gee-Gees women's hockey team.

"Having the [MK23] logos on our helmets, the game we did for her and having her family come - I think it's great that we'll always remember her and the fact that she was a Gee-Gee once too. The scholarship and everything they do for her in her name I think is awesome and I will keep her name around in her memory for sure." 

Clavelle, a bilingual health sciences student who is tied for third on the Gee-Gees in points so far this season, is this year's recipient of the Mélisa Kingsley Memorial Scholarship. She was back in Kapuskasing the summer of 2020, working in a nursing home and with the Alzheimer's Society. She says it was a rewarding experience which has motivated her within her academics.

"I loved working with old people. I'm actually supposed to start volunteering at CHEO, to see if I like that but I love working with people. Whether I do a masters or something else I don't know yet, but I definitely want to work in the health field."

For now though, she is looking forward to getting back on the ice with the Gee-Gees. "I think we're really close as a group and it helps us during games," she notes. "Overall, I think we had a solid first half and I think if we keep going we are in line for a pretty good season. We're beating good teams and I'm just excited to see if we can keep going up from here."

To make a donation to the Mélisa Kingsley Memorial Scholarship at uOttawa, please visit this page. Consider donating $23 in honour of Mélisa's jersey number.