Time is nigh to face off in oh-nine

Well, it's about time a French-language school in Québec started a women's hockey program ... it's a niche that needed to be filled.

The Université de Montréal, with former national team coach Daniele Sauvageau and ex-player France St-Louis, is going to begin CIS play in 2009-10. It means a possible way, in the long run, to address the, uh, competitive balance issues in the Québec women's league, which McGill is dominating.

Obviously, language isn't the only issue in choosing an academic program and a team, but this has potential. It's worth noting that two top scorers on the only other francophone team, Moncton, Valérie Boisclair and Mariève Provost, are both Quebecers. So there's a fair bit of talent there.

Related:
University of Montreal launches Quebec's first francophone women's hockey team (The Canadian Press)