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Spending family time together

Ava Boutilier enjoys recent visit home after nine months away studying in New Hampshire

JASON MALLOY SPORTS EDITOR jason.malloy @theguardian.pe.ca @SportsGuardian

Ava Boutilier always appreciated time with her family and friends, but that grew even more during the past 10 months.

The 21-year-old Charlottetown native returned home June 1 and quarantined for two weeks after her fourth year at the University of New Hampshire, where she is the Wildcats women’s hockey team’s No. 1 goalie and captain.

Due to COVID-19, she hadn’t been home since September 2020 – the longest stretch “by far” she said she had ever been away from home.

“I feel this year with COVID, everyone kind of realized how important having a family close to you is,” she said. “It makes you appreciate the time a lot more.”

Boutilier spent a month reconnecting with friends and family before returning stateside on July 17 to do research for her master’s degree.

“It’s kind of shocking how fast it went by, looking back at it,” she said. “It was a perfect little visit home and (I am) very grateful for all the family time we got to spend and all the time with my friends.”

COMING HOME

Reuniting with family was a different experience than ever before.

One of Boutilier’s friends drove her to Calais, Me., where she walked across the 3.2-km Ferry Point International Bridge with her luggage and a pair of skates draped over her shoulder.

Her father, Dean, was waiting for her on the other side of the bridge in St. Stephen, N.B.

But, due to COVID-19, there could be no big embrace, no big hugs.

“There’s nothing,” Dean recalled. “It was really tough (at) the border.”

Dean was able to open the trunk and get in the front seat while Ava loaded her stuff and got in the back seat. Both had to wear masks.

“It felt like I was getting in a taxi,” Ava recalled. “It was definitely a different experience.”

Once home, Ava – who has been fully vaccinated since early May – could only wave across the living room to her mother, Jo-Ann CampbellBoutilier, and younger sister, Bianca. Ava quarantined in the family’s basement for two weeks.

“The two weeks in quarantine, I said to mom and dad, was the most homesick I’ve been,” Ava said, noting she could hear her family interacting a few feet away but could not join them.

“It was weird for sure that we weren’t allowed to hug her, embrace her and all that good stuff,” Dean said.

But after two weeks passed, Ava could rejoin her family. They all stayed up to see the clock tick passed midnight and have the embrace they had been longing for.

“Waiting for that … was the toughest part for sure,” Ava said.

Dean recalled the moments leading up to midnight and the emotional embraces that followed.

“The countdown was on,” he said. “12 o’clock. It was sort of like New Year’s Eve. Five, four, three, two, one. And then big hugs. …

“It was just so nice to actually hug her.”

TIMING PLANNED

Ava’s return home had been planned to ensure she was back to see Bianca go to prom and graduate from Colonel Gray High School.

“It was important that I was home for those big celebrations,” Ava said, noting the tight bond the sisters have always had. “I absolutely love her.”

The last month has been enjoyable for Ava, but it has been a different experience. It is the first time in years she has not worked full time.

“It’s been great,” she said. “I’ve never had so much flexibility and free time.”

But Ava is also a driven woman and she’s looking forward to continuing her research and getting back to training with her Wildcat teammates this summer.

The Wildcats are looking forward to the return of a normal season and are hoping to make some noise in the post-season in 2022. The squad had a strong freshman class last season, which was able to acclimatize to the university game without it counting against their eligibility in 2020-21.

“Everyone is training super hard,” Ava said. “Our core group is really motivated and really wants to win.”

The Boutilier family packed a lot into its four weeks together after Ava got out of self-isolation.

“We thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to do it again,” Dean said, noting how the time flew by. “That just shows we had a good time.”

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2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

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