Concordia’s men’s hockey team picked up their fourth win in a row on Saturday
After beating the Lakehead Thunderwolves with a score of 4-3 on Oct. 28 at the Ed Meagher Arena, the Concordia Stingers finished off the sweep of the two-game series with a 4-0 win on Oct. 29.
“We looked at their last three games and we were prepared for them,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “Last night we didn’t play very well but tonight we had a better game. The results are there when the team works hard.”
The scoring started when Stingers forward Philippe Sanche scored on the powerplay, with forward Anthony Deluca setting up the play and getting the assist. This goal was Sanche’s first as a member of the Stingers, having already had a successful career as a member of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
“He deserves it,” Élement said. “[He works hard] and it was a nice shot. I’m happy for him.”
Despite averaging one point per game this season in the form of assists, Sanche was looking for his first goal. Fortunately, it came Saturday night in the form of a game-winner.
“It feels pretty good [to score],” Sanche said. “It’s been a good start to the season—I was hoping to get one soon. It’s fun because we’re winning, but it’s always fun when we can help the team [by scoring].”
The Stingers were able to score another goal with a minute and half to go in the first period, when forward Scott Oke found the back of the net on the power play.
The game wasn’t without conflict, but Élement made sure to keep his team calm and composed to grind out the victory.
“I told the guys to be disciplined—to be sure to make them pay on the power play, and we had two power play goals,” Élement said. “When stuff like that happens, you have to keep calm and that’s what I always tell the guys.”
The scoring was closed out when forward Raphael Lafontaine scored an unassisted goal with eight minutes left in the period, and then scored again just three minutes later.
In the third period, no one scored and the game stayed at a score of 4-0 until the final buzzer.
With a strong offense in front of him, Stingers goaltender Miguel Sullivan backstopped the team to a shutout victory—the Stingers’ second of the year.
“It feels pretty good,” Sullivan said. “It’s been awhile since I got one.”
The team has been able to produce offensively all season—a fact that the goaltenders on the team have noticed.
“It takes the pressure off of me [when the team scores as frequently as they do],” Sullivan said. “I know that even if I let in a goal, the guys can easily get it back for me.”
The Stingers next game will be a home game at the Ed Meagher Arena on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. against the Laurentian Voyageurs.
