EDMONTON—Among the thousands of people tuned in to Canada’s second World Cup game against a desperate New Zealand side here Thursday night was none other than one of the city’s resident goaltenders, Edmonton Oiler Ben Scrivens.

It’s not only because the game was played in the netminder’s hometown, or because Scrivens can talk like a European about what he calls a “nuanced sport.”

Scrivens has added incentive to follow the Canadian women’s national team’s run: he’s a longtime friend of fellow goalkeeper and Edmonton native Stephanie Labbe.

The two met growing up near each other in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove, just west of downtown Edmonton, though neither really remembers how.

“Probably in some class,” Labbe mused ahead of Thursday’s game. “I know we had French class together and we used to always get in trouble because we’d always be talking.”

She laughs at the thought: “That probably reflects our level of French now.”

The two, already competitive athletes, “hung out a lot” during their time at Spruce Grove Composite High School, supporting each other at games both on the pitch and in the rink.

They ended up going to prom together, and later both found themselves at college on the East coast; Labbe at the University of Connecticut and Scrivens at Cornell University.

That’s when their similar lives as burgeoning professionals helped forge a lasting camaraderie, 28-year-old Labbe said.

“Along the way, we’ve experienced the same things and our paths crossed so many times it just brought us closer,” she said. “There was always somebody who was there that knew what you were going through.”

Their preferred position between the posts was another commonality. Labbe is not expected to start at this World Cup, barring an injury to Canada’s undisputed No. 1, fellow Albertan Erin McLeod.

Labbe has a strong — if competitive — relationship with both McLeod and third keeper Karina LeBlanc. She is keen to push Canada’s starter by performing in training, but much of her pre-tournament groundwork involved mentally preparing for her role as a substitute.

Scrivens, who once played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and has spent his fair share of time riding the pine, gets that, she said.

“It’s similar in the sense that if you’re not starting, the chances of you going in are very slim to none,” Labbe said. “You’re either starting or you’re not playing, kind of thing.

“It’s definitely a different mentality and a different thing we go through.”

But don’t liken the friendship to a goalie support network, Scriven warns. He rarely offers Labbe coaching or mentorship, and vice versa. Similar to many of the friends the two keep in touch with from high school, their relationship is grounded in normalcy.

“When we talk, we’re probably not talking about hockey or soccer,” he said. “We’re talking about friends back home or my parents or her parents or whatever is topical at the time.”

It’s a relief to both to have someone else understand they might not want to talk about hockey or soccer outside of the arena or stadium.

“Sometimes you talk to people and you go, ‘Oh, I don’t want to talk about hockey,’ and they ask, ‘Why?’ ” Scrivens said. “She doesn’t ask why, she already knows. We have a similar mindset, so I don’t have to explain.”

Instead, the friends show support by showing up. Labbe, who is based in Edmonton, tries to get out to Rexall Place as much as she can, wearing her personalized Scrivens jersey.

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And Scrivens was in the crowd on Saturday to watch Labbe and her teammates kickoff their World Cup challenge with 1-0 victory over China.

The friends even managed a visit at Labbe’s parents between games, but Scrivens tries his best not to bug her during a tournament of this magnitude.

“We’re friends,” he said, “but I know my place on the priority list.”

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