Playing their last game before the winter break, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team wanted to finish on a high note.
Unfortunately, the Ottawa Gee-Gees had other plans, handing the Stingers their tenth loss of the season by a 7-3 margin on Saturday afternoon.
In the first few minutes of the first, there seemed to be back and forth tempo going between the two teams, with the Stingers defence sent to work early.
The Gee-Gees opened the scoring on the power play when Ottawa’s rookie Carolann Upshall was left alone in the slot, sending a swift wrist shot right above Goalie Carolanne Lavoie-Pilon’s blocker. They doubled their lead just over two minutes later when defender Carley Porcellato joined her team’s offensive rush and capped a beautiful pass by batting the puck out of the air.
Concordia got on the board just under seven minutes into the second period when Jillian Ferguson’s seemingly harmless point shot squeaked through the pads of Gee-Gees’ Goalie Cassie Seguin, cutting the lead down to one. For Ferguson, it was her first goal in a Stingers uniform.
“I was definitely happy when I scored,” said Ferguson. “I’d like us as a team to continue, and would like to see more positive results.”
Nearing the end of the middle period, a miscommunication between the Concordia back line led to an odd-man rush for the Gee-Gees. Janie Paquette brought Lavoie-Pilon out of position and gave Ottawa a two-goal cushion heading into the third.
“It was tough,” said Stingers sophomore defender Danielle Leonard, playing in her second game of the season, replacing injured Margaret Hotte. “But I was very happy to be back in the game.”
Paquette added her second of the afternoon just over a minute into the third.
The Stingers never gave up hope. At 4:27 of the third, Emilie Bocchia managed to get the puck over the goal line, once again cutting the lead to only two for the host team. Kim Boismenu got an assist on the play.
The see-saw game continued as the Gee-Gees’ Cindy Laurin made it 5-2 redirecting a pass in front, leaving Lavoie-Pilon no chance. At 8:25 of the third, Ottawa’s Elarie Leclair added another on the advantage.
“It was definitely an off day for me,” said Lavoie-Pilon, frustrated with the final score. “I know, starting in January, we’re going to come back and be a stronger team altogether.”
The Stingers got one back with just over four minutes left in the game, when rookie Marie-Pier Cloutier netted her first goal of the season, redirecting Ferguson’s point shot.
“Relief,” said Cloutier, following the game, about scoring her first career CIS goal. “It will definitely give me more confidence in my ability. [I’m] happy to have broken the ice.”
But it was all for nought as the Gee-Gees scored one final time in the final minute, ending a woeful afternoon for the Stingers who head to the break last place in the RSEQ Conference.
