On the ice hockey rink, Gillian Apps and Meghan Duggan are the fiercest of rivals.

Duggan, 31, is the captain of the American women’s ice hockey team and Apps, 34, an Olympic gold medalist for Canada with more than 100 points to her name. Together, the pair have four Olympic gold medals and 10 world championships between them.

But, in a twist right out of the romantic comedy playbook, off the court the two women were quietly falling in love. This weekend they made it official when they were married in matching white gowns in a gorgeous wedding ceremony in Maine.

With 12 bridesmaids, including fellow Olympians Kacey Bellamy, Brianna Decker and Erika Lawler, as well as four page boys and one flower girl, Duggan called the wedding “the most incredible day of my entire life”.

Both the American and Canadian Olympic teams congratulated the couple. “True love overcomes even the largest of rivalries. Just ask Meghan Duggan,” Team USA wrote in a post on their website. “From competitors on the ice to partners for life,” Team Canada tweeted. “Congrats!”

Many fans on social media have pointed out that Apps and Duggan’s courtship is like something out of a romance novel or a romantic comedy.

“The captain of the US hockey team married her longtime rival, a member of the Canadian hockey team AND IM JUST WONDERING WHERE THE ROMANCE NOVEL ABOUT THIS IS?!” one fan tweeted, while others have been suggesting potential names for a book based on their relationship.

Puck-er Up, Ice Heart and Life Goals are some of our favourites.

Apps and Duggan are not the first hockey players to fall in love on the rink. There’s also Kate Richardson-Walsh, the British women’s field hockey team captain, and her wife and teammate Helen who won gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics together and were awarded with an OBE and MBE from the Queen in December that year.

Speaking about their relationship, Kate told The Sun that they want their sexuality to be seen as “a normal thing”. “We’re not out there shouting it, it’s just part and parcel of who we are,” she said.

Back across the pond, Julie Chu and Caroline Ouellette, the former captains of the American and Canadian Olympic ice hockey teams respectively, are also married and recently celebrated the birth of their daughter Liv.

“I feel truly blessed to experience this incredible adventure with my love and best friend Julie,” Ouellette wrote on Instagram. “I did not realise it was possible to love this much until I met this little bundle of joy!”

Ouellette and Chu both play for the Montreal Canadiennes and were part of the team that won the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s Clarkson Cup last year. At the time, Ouellette was pregnant with Liv.

We’re certain that baby has a bright ice hockey-playing future ahead of it and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League Commissioner Brenda Andress agrees. Sending her congratulations, she added that she was “excited about our 2038 draft pick.”

No, we’re not crying, you are!

Images: Unsplash