Stingers hold on for shootout victory

In a game where the home team was out shot by more than 2-1, Concordia goalie Audrey Doyon-Lessard stopped 44 out of 46 shots to win the game for the Stingers 3-2 in a shootout.

“I think we had a great start, we lost focus in the last 10 minutes, and the other team got some good goals,” said head coach Les Lawton after the game.

Lost focus indeed; both of Carleton’s goals came in the last six minutes of play.

The Stingers started off strong. Carleton received the first penalty of the game for cross-checking, and on the ensuing powerplay Concordia’s Catherine

Rancourt got the first scoring chance when she got a takeaway and had a clear path to the net. Ravens goalie Victoria Powers however, buried Rancourt’s wrist shot.

With two and a half minutes left in the first, the Stingers managed to get the puck to the net. The Ravens keeper, unable to cover up, let the first goal of the game in when Moira Frier slammed it home, putting Concordia up 1-0 going in to the second.

Encouraged by the goal, Concordia came into the second period ready for another. Just over three minutes in, they found it after a quick pass to Stinger Mallory Lawton led to a shot from the blue line that slipped through Powers legs, and the Stingers were up 2-0.

Carleton had a good chance when three quick penalties led to a four-on-three for the Ravens. However, goalie Audrey Doyon-Lessard and the Stingers’ penalty-killing line stopped them from coming back just as the buzzer sounded for the second.

The third came around with the Stingers still up 2-0. After a couple of shots and saves and with less than six minutes in the game, Concordia found themselves on the fending off the Ravens, who were on a five-on-three powerplay; the result of high-sticking and hooking penalties to Mary-Jane Roper and Maggie MacNeil, respectively. Thankful for the gift, Carleton scored to make it 2-1 when Kristen Marson fired one from the blue line that beat Doyon-Lessard.

After another few minutes, Carleton did what any sensible team would &- they pulled their goalie. With 1:25 left, the Ravens went for the tie. However they could make nothing of their man advantage when after an offside call, they put her back in.

With eight seconds left, a timeout was called and after both teams went over their strategies, Carleton pulled their goalie again. Then, during on a six-on-five play, Raven Sadie Wegner stretched Doyon-Lessard out, netting it in the top right corner, with only two seconds left. The game would go into overtime.

The visitors were invigorated during the overtime period. Carleton came on hard one minute in and during a two-on-one rush the Ravens looked to end it, but Doyon-Lessard would have none of it and slapped the puck out of reach.

Three minutes later, another Raven, Kristen MacDonald got a breakaway on the Concordia net, but an undaunted Doyon-Lessard buried the puck, and the game went into a shootout.

First up for Concordia, Erin Lally put the home team up by one with a beautiful forehand-to-backhand deke that caught the Ravens keeper looking the other way.

After four more fruitless shots by both teams which tested both goalies, Stinger Emilie Boccia was up. Grabbing the puck, she drifted in and sniped one in past Powers’ glove, winning the game for the home team 3-2.

“They were a strong team, they put up good pressure,” said Stinger Alynn Dorion, “but we picked ourselves up and changed the momentum of the game.”

Sunday’s game was the conclusion of a winning weekend for the Stingers, who beat Montréal 4-3 last Friday night. They will try to repeat the win against the Carabins, with whom they are now tied for second place, this Friday at CEPSUM starting at 7 p.m. They will then take on the Ottawa Gee Gees at the Ed Meagher Arena on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

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