By Mike Scandura
Special to USAHockey.com
Humbling.
That's the adjective University of North Dakota sophomores Jocelyne Lamoureux and Monique Lamoureux-Kolls use to describe their reaction to all the publicity they've received - before and after they transferred from the University of Minnesota and played in the 2010 Olympics.
"It's a small town (Grand Forks, N.D.) that we grew up in and we get a fair amount of attention," Jocelyne said. "It's not suffocating at all. But it is humbling at times that people care so much, especially about women's hockey.
"Women's hockey isn't appreciated everywhere and we're fortunate to be in a community that appreciates it. It's not a burden."
Jocelyne and her twin sister Monique Lamoureux-Kolls are nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Both feel their parents are a major reason why they've managed to keep all the hype in perspective.
"Our parents (Jean-Pierre and Linda Lamoureux) are a big reason for our learning to keep our heads down and our mouths shut unless we need to say something," Jocelyne said. "Never say a whole lot unless things need to be said.
"Sure, being interviewed by the New York Times or another major news outlet is pretty humbling. But nobody likes a person with a huge head who can't walk through a door."
They've gotten into a habit of creating success. The Fighting Sioux are 18-11-3 overall and 16-10-2 in the WCHA. Over the weekend they split a pair of 5-3 decisions with Minnesota, which was ranked third in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. North Dakota was ranked eighth.
Jocelyne scored one goal and assisted on two while Monique recorded two assists as North Dakota beat the Gophers for the first time in program history on Saturday.
Overall, Jocelyne has 54 points (26 goals, 28 assists) while Monique has 52 points (21 goals, 31 assists).
"We knew what we could do with the program and coming home also was a factor," Monique said of the twins' reasons for transferring. "When we went to Shattuck-St. Mary's, they never had won a national championship. Coach (Gordie) Stafford, who brought us and 10 others in, turned the program around and we won three national championships in four years.
"What we were able to do with that program made our coming here feel like a similar story. We felt we could do the same thing if we put in hard work and got our teammates on the same page."
The flip side of that coin is playing before family and friends can bring a certain amount of pressure.
"I don't see it as negative pressure at all," Jocelyne said. "I think it's a special opportunity we have. We view it as a positive. If you prepare yourself well and do things that make you the best player you can be ... I think we've done that. We feel confident in our ability.
"We thrive off playing in our hometown and are fortunate to play in a place where we grew up watching players. Very few athletes get to experience that."
Very few athletes also get a chance to play in the Olympics, which the twins did last year in Vancouver.
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