The Stingers sent the Toronto Varsity Blues packing back down the 401 with a lot to think about after defeating the visitors 3-1 last Friday at Ed Meagher Arena.
“I thought the game was ours from start to finish,” said Stinger head coach Kevin Figsby after the sixty minute cakewalk over the T-Blues.
“We’re playing good, selfless hockey,” he added.
Concordia jumped right out of the gates, controlling the puck in the Toronto zone when forward Chris Page converted a nice Edin Burazerovic pass for his team leading fifteenth goal of the year only 3:31 in, to set the tone for the match.
The Stingers, who are not shy of playing aggressive, penalty filled hockey managed to only go to the box three times in the frame, while they consistently frustrated the T-Blues with their accurate passing and dominant play.
After twenty minutes, the home team went to the room not only with the lead in goals, but also in shots and more importantly, spirit.
The good attitude and positive feeling after manhandling Toronto, who hold first place in the OUA-Mid East division was visible on the Concordia bench, with the players smiling, and the coaches seeming more relaxed than usual in a 1-0 game.
The one goal margin was consequently increased, as forward Patrice Roy became the third Stinger to break into double-digits in the goals column with his tenth of the campaign.
Most of the play then saw the Stingers control the puck with a confident and conservative offense, often simply dumping, chasing and trapping the hapless T-Blues into insanity.
Halfway through the frame, Concordia once again added to their lead, when Sean Tilley netted his ninth off a Roy rebound.
Toronto did manage to mount a semblance of a comeback late in the period, capitalizing on some sloppy Concordia play when Steve Murphy blasted the puck past Stinger goalie Philippe Ozga late in the period, but they would quickly
fizzle out and fall back into Concordia’s trap.
Ozga, who only joined the team in the second half of the stint after a stint in Major-Junior, had been hot all game. Even though he had only faced fifteen shots, most of them translating into fairly easy saves, he did manage to absolutely rob the T-Blues on two separate occasions to frustrate the visitors
even further.
This frustration was to peak a little later in the game, when five minutes into the third period, Toronto’s Matt Thomas reacted badly to a vicious slash from Burazerovic by crashing the net and taking Ozga out.
Having hurt his knee, the goaltender had to leave the game for medical treatment, ceding his position for Francis Gourdeau.
Gourdeau, who had been the Stingers’ number one goalie for much of the first half of the season hadn’t been playing his best hockey in the second half.
He did, however, come out strong for the remainder of the game, making eight stops, including a big game saver that would keep Toronto down and out for good.
The Stingers had more to celebrate after the game than just one win. This victory guaranteed them a berth in the playoffs, most likely against cross town rivals, the McGill Redmen.
“We had a turning point last week. The players, especially the rookies, were tired of the penalties, and lack of discipline,” Figsby said. “We had a long meeting, and we decided that the veterans needed to pick up the slack, and I think we’ve coma a long way,” he added.
With the playoff spot confirmed, the Stingers now need to win two of the next four to have a shot at clinching second in the OUA-Far East, thereby giving them home-ice advantage against the Redmen in the first round.
The Stingers next face UQTR, the number two team in Canada on Friday in Three Rivers, before hosting the Redmen in the Corey Cup, which will likely decide second place, on Sunday.
“I thought the game was ours from start to finish,” said Stinger head coach Kevin Figsby after the sixty minute cakewalk over the T-Blues.
“We’re playing good, selfless hockey,” he added.
Concordia jumped right out of the gates, controlling the puck in the Toronto zone when forward Chris Page converted a nice Edin Burazerovic pass for his team leading fifteenth goal of the year only 3:31 in, to set the tone for the match.
The Stingers, who are not shy of playing aggressive, penalty filled hockey managed to only go to the box three times in the frame, while they consistently frustrated the T-Blues with their accurate passing and dominant play.
After twenty minutes, the home team went to the room not only with the lead in goals, but also in shots and more importantly, spirit.
The good attitude and positive feeling after manhandling Toronto, who hold first place in the OUA-Mid East division was visible on the Concordia bench, with the players smiling, and the coaches seeming more relaxed than usual in a 1-0 game.
The one goal margin was consequently increased, as forward Patrice Roy became the third Stinger to break into double-digits in the goals column with his tenth of the campaign.
Most of the play then saw the Stingers control the puck with a confident and conservative offense, often simply dumping, chasing and trapping the hapless T-Blues into insanity.
Halfway through the frame, Concordia once again added to their lead, when Sean Tilley netted his ninth off a Roy rebound.
Toronto did manage to mount a semblance of a comeback late in the period, capitalizing on some sloppy Concordia play when Steve Murphy blasted the puck past Stinger goalie Philippe Ozga late in the period, but they would quickly
fizzle out and fall back into Concordia’s trap.
Ozga, who only joined the team in the second half of the stint after a stint in Major-Junior, had been hot all game. Even though he had only faced fifteen shots, most of them translating into fairly easy saves, he did manage to absolutely rob the T-Blues on two separate occasions to frustrate the visitors
even further.
This frustration was to peak a little later in the game, when five minutes into the third period, Toronto’s Matt Thomas reacted badly to a vicious slash from Burazerovic by crashing the net and taking Ozga out.
Having hurt his knee, the goaltender had to leave the game for medical treatment, ceding his position for Francis Gourdeau.
Gourdeau, who had been the Stingers’ number one goalie for much of the first half of the season hadn’t been playing his best hockey in the second half.
He did, however, come out strong for the remainder of the game, making eight stops, including a big game saver that would keep Toronto down and out for good.
The Stingers had more to celebrate after the game than just one win. This victory guaranteed them a berth in the playoffs, most likely against cross town rivals, the McGill Redmen.
“We had a turning point last week. The players, especially the rookies, were tired of the penalties, and lack of discipline,” Figsby said. “We had a long meeting, and we decided that the veterans needed to pick up the slack, and I think we’ve coma a long way,” he added.
With the playoff spot confirmed, the Stingers now need to win two of the next four to have a shot at clinching second in the OUA-Far East, thereby giving them home-ice advantage against the Redmen in the first round.
The Stingers next face UQTR, the number two team in Canada on Friday in Three Rivers, before hosting the Redmen in the Corey Cup, which will likely decide second place, on Sunday.
