In a year full of obstacles, North Bay's Loryn Porter truly persevered.
As one of North Bay's rare athletes able to compete in sport this season, and, on top of that, excel.
The 21-year-old University of Maine goaltender played in 18 games, putting up a stingy 1.49 goals-against average and a stellar .954 save percentage.
The former Ice Boltz netminder admits she was just happy to get to play the game she loves this season.
She was thankful, knowing players like her former Bantam AAA Trappers goaltending partner Nate McDonald, with the Men's program at Cornell, were unable to play a single game this season.
"We started out in August and September not even knowing if we are going to be able to play a season or get any games in," said Porter.
"Then we found out all the Ivy League teams had cancelled their seasons and honestly a lot of us were really worried about it if we are going to get to play any or practice at all. So when Hockey East made the announcement we get to play this year all of us were absolutely elated because it is all that we have ever worked for and to have one of your four years of eligibility taken away by a pandemic that could definitely hurt some people."
The hurdles to allow her University team to play were tough too. daily COVID-19 tests, and limited access to their home arena in Orono, Maine. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Porter and her teammates were forced to play every game on the road this season.
And COVID-19 itself had a direct impact on the team too.
"There were three times when the entire team was put into quarantine because of close contacts or positives on the team so we just kind of went with the flow of what we could do," said the senior goaltender.
"We did our best from what we had and obviously, it was a bit of an interesting season for us too because the regulations in Maine with only 50 people allowed for indoor gatherings so we played every single game on the road this year. We had to travel every single weekend, or every weekend we could, so that added an extra challenge for us."
While those distractions and all the unknowns that come with the pandemic, Porter just tried to take everything day by day.
Whatever she did, it seemed to work.
"Honestly, I didn't worry too much about the numbers throughout the year, I just kind of let what happened, happen. I feel like I went in with a really good mindset just being grateful to be there every day," she said.
"I took it just like as if I was back home playing with the boys or just getting to play really and having fun with it every day and playing my game and just doing what I could to play my best and let the numbers show up for themselves."
Unfortunately, Porter's great season came to an end at the hands of their rivals from Providence in the Hockey East Championship semi-finals. Porter's Black Bears fell 1-0 in overtime to put an end to their great season.
"I think the whole team, given the situation we were in - everyone certainly outperformed the expectations and we were just happy to get to play at all. I think that is really what drove all of us through the season."
Porter's list is very long when it comes to all the local teachers and hockey coaches that have helper her along the way from WJ Fricker, to St. Joseph-Scollard Hall to the North Bay Ice Boltz, to the North Bay AAA Trappers.
Porter will come back next season for a fifth year as she starts her Master's in Food Science and Nutrition after finishing her under-graduate this spring in Pre-Med Biology.
While she is looking toward coming home and getting into Holistic Medicine here in northern Ontario, Porter admits she still has dreams of potentially playing for Canada's National Team or maybe even get into the Olympics.
"I don't have expectations to be on the next Olympic team but I do have aspirations of potentially playing on it in the future, I think it would be amazing to compete with so many awesome players," she said.
With such a great season this year, it is likely Hockey Canada will be keeping a watchful eye on Porter in the coming years.
