One in a Millian Mustang
Zoe Millian’s dream is about to come true.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student at Saint Michael Catholic High School leaves this week for the Four Nations U18 Women’s Hockey Tournament in Slovakia where she will suit up as a member of Team France.
“I’m really grateful to represent my country because I was born there,” Millian said. “I’m super excited. It’s huge. I’ve been working so hard for this, so I’m really excited.
“I’ve always had that dream to play for Team France and I’ve worked very hard and I’ve improved a lot the past years to finally get to that point to go.”
Millian, who has moved several times with her pilot father, reached out last year to Team France to indicate her interest in trying out for the team but didn’t get her hopes up.
“I just sent them an email and I wasn’t expecting anything,” she said.
But Team France was interested. They asked for video which led to an invitation to a tryout camp in France in July where Millian was selected to participate in the tournament.
Millian will head to Austria for a team camp before heading to Slovakia for the tournament which will also feature teams from Italy, Hungary and Slovakia.
“I’m a bit scared or nervous because I don’t know what to expect,” she said.
Millian left France when she was two years old. She has lived in Scotland, Thunder Bay, Guelph and near Winnipeg before going back to France and then settling in Niagara two years ago.
Her passion for hockey began on a U9 team in Thunder Bay.
“Then when I moved back to France, the rink was closed for some reason,” Millian said. “So I had to do speed skating but now that is very good for me because I have that speed. Then the rink opened again so I played boys hockey for a few years and then I moved to Guelph and kept playing hockey.”
Millian plays for her school’s hockey team as well as with the Brock U18 AA Badgers of the Ontario Women’s Hockey League.
“It’s very competitive. We have a lot of games, tournaments. The training is very good and my coaches are very good,” she said.
Millian says speed is the name of her game.
“I’m very fast. I’m aggressive,” she said. “I score a lot. I’m very attentive and I know what’s going to happen. And I’m very predictable.”
It’s no surprise Millian lists hockey as her passion.
“Oh, I love hockey so much,” she said. “I’ve always loved hockey, playing hockey when I was younger. I loved it so much.”
Millian, who is a permanent resident of Canada and has mastered English, said hockey has helped ease the difficulty of moving so much.
“Being new to a new school at our age, it’s very hard and very overwhelming,” she said. “Not knowing anyone, not speaking English. I’ve just been more lonely because I didn’t know anyone so it’s good because I get to focus on myself more and focus on hockey too. You just learn how to be independent.”
Looking ahead, she would like to continue to play hockey at the collegiate level.
“I don’t think I want to go back to France. I like it here better, but probably not Niagara. I want to travel a lot. Go somewhere new.”
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,400 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
