Eldridge had that dream come true Monday when she made her debut for the national team in its 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 of the 2019-20 Rivalry Series against the United States at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria.
"It's a moment you dream of and always wish will happen but then when it comes to reality it kind of hits a little closer to home," Eldridge said. "You picture yourself wearing that jersey. You see the girls on TV growing at these bigger events with the national program. I wouldn't say it was a specific event; the dream was more just putting that jersey on."
She was held without a point on Monday, when Victoria Bach scored 3:22 into overtime to give Canada its first win of the Rivalry Series. Game 4 is at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Wednesday and the finale is Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim.
Eldridge's addition to the Canadian lineup was part of big changes for both teams after the United States won the first two games of the series, 4-1 in Hartford, Conn. on Dec. 14 and 2-1 in Moncton, New Brunswick on Dec. 17. Both teams agreed to drop players attending college for the final three games because of the increasingly busy NCAA schedule, but Canada took it a step further after two losses, promoting assistant coach Troy Ryan to replace coach Perry Pearn, who was an NHL assistant for 21 seasons.
Ryan has preached more offensive freedom without sacrificing defense. How well Eldridge, who had 51 points (28 goals, 23 assists) in 34 games her senior season at Colgate in 2018-19, fits into that evolving focus over the final three games of the Rivalry Series could determine whether she plays at the World Championship in March.
"Ultimately, you're trying to build a roster for World Championships without sacrificing a Rivalry Series," Ryan said. "It was just time to give Jessie an opportunity to see if she can crack a World Championship team."
First, however, there's the matter of getting comfortable in a room full of childhood heroes.
For Eldridge, moving to Montreal this season to train with a group from the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association that includes several members of the national team certainly helps. Beyond that, she can count on teammates like Sarah Nurse, who made her women's national team debut in 2015 and won a silver medal with Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics but remembers how intimidating that first experience can be.
"You have these players you grew up idolizing and wanting to be like, and all of a sudden you're in the same locker room," Nurse said. "It's pretty surreal but we've been fortunate to have Jessie [at mini camps] and she's amazing. She is incredible on the ice. We all laugh because she's just a sniper. She goes down, she shoots, she scores."
That part of the her story will have to wait. For now, Eldridge is just happy to wear the same jersey as her idols.
Photo Credit: Matthew Murnaghan/Hockey Canada Images
