As a student at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School in her hometown of Peterborough, Ontario, Hunter was a standout athlete and scholar.

[2] In her final year of secondary school, Hunter received an offer for and accepted a full-tuition athletic scholarship to the University of New Hampshire (UNH).

As a member of the New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey program, she was the team point leader in three of her four seasons and served as captain in her senior year.

[4] During that time, the Varsity Blues won four Ontario Women's Intercollegiate Athletics Association Ice Hockey Championships, Hunter was named to the First Team All-Star every year, and she recorded 123 points in 55 games.

At the 1992 IIHF Women's World Championship in Tampere, Finland, Hunter played on a line with Angela James and Margot Page.