Inferno Spotlight: Delayne Brian

Sidelined with a practise-sustained injury Halloween last year, Inferno netminder Delayne Brian finally made her return to the crease in the series opener against the Vanke Rays on January 20^th. Brian is one of the CWHL’s most accomplished athletes, joining the Inferno in the fall of 2013. She backstopped Calgary to an 8-3 victory in the 2016 Clarkson Cup Championship victory over Les Canadiennes de Montreal, turning aside 41 shots and being named the Clarkson Cup’s Most Valuable Player. She was the 2014 CWHL Goaltender Of The Year, the 2015 ISBHF Women’s Top Goaltender on the gold-medal winning Team Canada ball hockey squad, and a starter on the silver-medal IIHF Women’s Under-18 Championships Canadian team in 2008. Matchsticks & Gasoline’s @raminashlah caught up with Delayne after her 17 save performance in Calgary’s 10-3 triumph of the Vanke Rays on January 20th to get her thoughts on the rehab process, her return, and her expectations for the Inferno for the rest of the year.

M&G: This is your first game back, what was the toughest part of the rehab process physically for you?

Brian: I guess the mental side of it. Obviously the girls have had a great run since I’ve been out, and just trying to keep positive while I’ve had some setbacks.

M&G: As a competitive athlete, what’s the hardest part mentally about rehabbing and missing playing time?

Brian: It’s the first little bit right after you get injured, because you can’t really do anything. Nevermind the bike or light exercise, you can’t really do anything.

M&G: With all the accolades you’ve collected in your CWHL career, how much pressure are you putting on yourself going forward this season?

Brian: I think, as a team as a whole, we haven’t really put too much pressure on ourselves, because no one really expected us to do much this year because we lost so many of our Olympic girls. But I’d like us to stay on top of the standings, we’ve shown that we can do it. So just give my team a chance to win every game, and we’ll be okay.

We wish Delayne all the best in the rest of her year going forward as the Inferno continue their 2017-2018 campaign!

by MilhouseFirehouse