MONTREAL, QC – As the RSEQ women’s hockey season approaches the finish line, the conference is set to look different next season.

The Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees announced in Feb. 2023 that they will be moving their women’s hockey teams from the RSEQ to the OUA for the 2024-25 season.

“It has always been a topic of conversation for the last five, six years, obviously with us being an OUA-based school,” said Kwesi Loney, Director of High Performance Sport for the Carleton Ravens.

The Ravens are also having discussions about moving their men’s and women’s rugby teams to the OUA, but for now, they are content remaining in the RSEQ.

Loney said that a big consideration in moving the women’s hockey team was the mere fact that a large portion of their recruitment comes from Ontario.

“We draw a lot more from Ontario and other parts of the country outside of Quebec, and not having the ability to showcase our program or be in the markets where we’re drawing a lot of our recruits: we saw that as a missed opportunity as well,” he said.

Loney clarified that the Ravens and Gee-Gees made their decisions independently, but they often consulted each other because they felt a need to stick together in every discipline.

So, what’s next for the RSEQ?

The conference will shrink from six to four teams in 2024-25, leaving the Concordia Stingers, Bishop’s Gaiters, Montreal Carabins, and McGill Martlets.

“We liked the league that we had. The competition–getting to play Ottawa and Carleton–was great,” said Concordia head coach Julie Chu. “We’d rather them stay, but that’s the reality.”

Chu still believes that the RSEQ can create an exciting and competitive environment for student-athletes. But she is aware that Quebec teams need to play against more than three different opponents. One way to accomplish that is to put more emphasis on non-conference matchups against other U SPORTS and NCAA teams.

“Now we know we’re going to have to have a really great pre-season and exhibition schedule that’s going to help to fill a few more opponents that we won’t get in Carleton and Ottawa,” she said.

But exhibition games can only accomplish so much. There are still long-term concerns for the RSEQ. Assistant General Director Stéphane Boudreau wonders if the move will spark an exodus of talent from Quebec to other provinces.

“We may not know for the next two seasons, but in the medium and long term, there will be an impact, for sure,” he said in French.

The three top-division men’s hockey teams in Quebec–Concordia Stingers, McGill Redbirds, and l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes–compete in the OUA. They disbanded from the RSEQ in 1987, causing the conference to collapse. Boudreau fears a similar fate for women’s hockey should the four remaining teams opt to join the OUA or AUS.

“There are no discussions about that right now, but it’s a possibility. It happened at the men’s level,” he said.

But all parties involved are working towards maintaining a strong level of competition within Quebec.

Although he did not disclose them, Boudreau confirmed that other Quebec universities want to join the women’s hockey conference. But the RSEQ is essentially powerless in making those decisions.

“We can’t impose. We can show support and help launch a program, but the final decision is up to the university,” he said.

UQTR is the most obvious candidate. As the only school in Quebec to ice a top-division men’s team without having a women’s program, it may only be a matter of time. The Patriotes held a women’s hockey program from 1976 until 2000.

Other possibilities include l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) and l’École de technologie supérieure (ETS) in Montreal. Both schools have men’s hockey programs that compete in the newly-formed D2 RSEQ league.

But the RSEQ will not make any knee-jerk decisions. Boudreau is aware of the need for proper planning and foresight before giving the green light.

“The craze is always there for the first two, three years, but they have to ensure sustainability. We don’t want to see programs shut down after two years,” he said. “The challenge is to ensure five to ten years in terms of finances and infrastructure.”

He also emphasized the importance of grassroots development in women’s hockey. A U SPORTS career can only last a maximum of five years, so keeping a solid pipeline is a must.

Without rushing, Boudreau still wants to minimize the four-team league era.

“In the medium term, we’re going to have to work hard to have a league of six,” he confirmed. “Ideally we would have eight, but with six, we would be very satisfied.”