A dream moment at puck drop quickly turned into a test of toughness as Fecteau and Poulin battled in a gritty, hard-hitting showdown.

For the ceremonial face-off ahead of the New York Sirens and Montreal Victoire game on Saturday, both team captains were called to centre-ice for the puck drop. Sirens’ captain Michah Zandee-Hart gave the nod to her teammate Emmy Fecteau, a Quebec-born forward, who would skate into the circle across from her idol Marie-Philip Poulin.

Fecteau explained in French post-game how fortunate she was to get to stand across from Poulin, saying that was a memorable moment thanks to her captain’s decision. After pleasantries and friendly gestures pre-competition were exchanged, however, a new narrative formed.

It started in the second period. Montreal defender Amanda Boulier lept into the air, attempting to knock down an airborne puck, and her five-foot-one frame took the brunt of a Fecteau hit to the chest. No call was made, and Poulin took exception, retaliating by shoving Fecteau into the boards, resulting in a boarding call.

“I like the decisions that Pou makes in order to stick up for her teammates,” said Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie, while adding that she doesn’t like when it costs the team a player due to a penalty call. “Obviously, we don’t want to be a team that goes out there to hurt anybody.”

From there, viewers saw the quintessential display of Fecteau’s physicality. She threw out four hits in total that game, the same number as the Victoire threw throughout 60 minutes of play, and was seen later throwing Poulin into the opposing net. Fecteau endured countless responses from Victoire players such as cross-checks, whacks and just brute force. To her credit, the former Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec All-Star held her own.

“I think we’re lucky that we play in a league where we can play physically,” Fecteau said. “I think both of us embrace it and it’s fun to play against Pou. I’m not going to give her a chance and she’s not going to give me a chance. I think we go into the corner at 129 percent.”

Fecteau is a gritty player. She racked up 68 penalty minutes in her 83 regular season contests with the Concordia Stingers, and as she pointed out Saturday night, the PWHL’s physicality allows her to utilize that toughness.

“I had a lot of penalties in U Sports for [playing physically],” Fecteau said. “Because sometimes people are not ready for it. I really love it, and I’m going to try to continue to apply it in my game and be physical and gritty with every presence that I have.”

Fecteau’s game is similar to that of her idol, Poulin. Both players play with an edge of physicality that often gets them two minute timeouts in the sin bin. Both are devoted, hardworking ambassadors of the game. Fecteau’s adoration of Poulin is so apparent to the point that she dawns 29 as a tribute and sometimes wears a T-shirt from a youth Poulin camp as pajamas. Yet, the PWHL is no place for favoritism on the ice, and the battle the two displayed this past weekend proves that.