Many high-level athletes describe their teammates as part of their family, and for four members of the York University Lions women's hockey team that statement is even more true as the players have suited up this season alongside their sisters.
 
Third-year forward Amy Locke was joined on the ice this season by her younger sister Erin, while twins Caitlin and Erran Lee entered their second year with the Lions.
 
For the Lockes, this season marks just the second time they have played on the same team following one previous year as teammates at the midget level. Despite little experience as teammates, there is a definite connection when they step on the ice together.
 
"We don't play on the same line but when we have been on the ice at the same time we definitely have chemistry," said Amy. "Maybe there's a little telepathy there!"
 
Having that on-ice harmony has no doubt helped Amy continue to show the same improvement she did as a sophomore, when she posted career highs in goals, assists and points. She didn't actively recruit her sister to join her at York, but the relationship certainly helped Erin decide where she wanted to go.
 
"My decision was based a little bit on her," said Erin, a highly-skilled forward who is one of the top recruits ever to join the Lions. "She loves it here and I was able to come in knowing about the rest of the team and the coaching staff. We are also in the same academic program and she helps me out a lot. Our parents are definitely happy we play on the same team now so they can come and watch both of us."
 
The family connection in hockey is a strong one for the Lockes. The two of them grew up playing competitively from a young age and got into hockey because they wanted to keep up with their older brothers, Gordon, now in medical school, and Eric, who went on to become a seventh-round NHL draft pick and now plays for StFX.
 
Even with a house full of hockey players, the Lockes say they never experienced much competition between each other growing up.
 
"We challenge each other but we aren't too competitive," says Amy. Adds Erin, "We both have lots of memories of playing on our backyard rink and practicing together, and we get along really well. We push each other but there isn't really a sibling rivalry."
 
That sentiment is in contrast to the Lees, who both admit a great deal of healthy competition has always existed between them.
 
"The rivalry between us is pretty strong on the ice and in the classroom," said Caitlin, a defender who recorded three points in 12 games as a rookie last season. "She's the person I want to beat the most. But we are also really supportive of each other, and if I accomplish something she is always the first person to congratulate me."
 
She and Erran, a forward who appeared in seven games last year, followed in the footsteps of their mother and her sister in becoming hockey players as both of them were also heavily involved in the sport when they were younger.
 
In true twin fashion, they have been teammates since the first day they stepped on the ice and knew that wherever they ended up playing in university, it would be side by side on the same team once again.
 
"We always wanted to go to university together and it definitely made the transition easier, knowing that at every practice and game and team activity we would have each other there. It's really special to get to do something you love with one of your family members," said Erran.
 
"Playing the game you love with the people you love is great," added Caitlin. "We have a bond outside of hockey that transpires on the ice. I often know how she's going to react and I feel like I really understand how she plays the game and I can predict what she's going to do."
 
Their achievements away from the sport have been just as similar as the trajectory of their playing careers. Coming out of high school the two of them were co-recipients of the prestigious Christie Rose Scholarship handed out by the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL), and they each earned one of the two highest entrance scholarships from York's School of Kinesiology & Health Science.
 
As rookies last season, both of them had near-perfect grade point averages and earned the two highest GPAs among all varsity student-athletes at York, with Caitlin's GPA coming in 0.13 points higher than her sister's.
 
It's clear that Caitlin and Erran, as well as Amy and Erin, are driven to succeed in part because of the relationship they have with each other, and the Lions women's hockey team will surely benefit from those connections over the next several years.