The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team split both their games with two Nation’s capital teams this weekend, beating the Carleton Ravens 4-2 at home Friday and losing to the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-1 on Sunday in Ottawa.
The loss to Ottawa means that the Stingers will likely have to travel to Ottawa for the opener in their playoff series. Unless the Stingers win both their games and Ottawa picks up three points or less in their two remaining games. Both teams will play McGill and Carleton.
In their last regular season home game, the Stingers suffered a little scare when they allowed the winless Ravens to score a power play goal 2:40 into the game when Caitlin Cadeau picked up a loose puck. The Ravens bottled the Stingers up for most of the first half of the first period, and it wasn’t until a power play with 3:17 to go in the period the Stingers found their legs. Their first opportunity came when Janie Brassard had a penalty shot after a Carleton player covered the puck with her hand while it was in the crease. Valerie Charbonneau subsequently stopped Brassard but the Stingers still went to work.
Marie-Pier Cantin-Drouin got a shot through from the point, and the rebound found it’s way to Genevieve Dupuis who promptly put the puck in the gaping cage for her first of two goals in the game.
“Carleton is a scary team. They are a really good team, and I’m glad we don’t have to face them in the playoffs because Charbonneau can win a game or two,” said Les Lawton, the head coach of the Stingers.
Concordia added three goals in the second period on Friday to put out any doubts of a Carleton upset. Devon Rich scored less than two minutes into the second period, and Janie Brassard put home another Cantin-Drouin rebound after solid forechecking kept the puck in the Carleton zone. Dupuis added her second power play goal on a pass from Dominique Rancour.
Catherine Boulay made 11 saves in goal for the Stingers.
On Sunday the Stingers were frustrated once again by Ottawa goalkeeper Melissa Dipetta who made 30 saves including 11 in the third period to shut down the Stingers.
The Gee-Gees capitalized on a power play three minutes into the second period when Kim Kerr put a loose puck passed the outstretched pad of Meggy Hatin-Leveillee. They came right back when Sara McLeish put a turnaround backhanded shot past Hatin-Leveillee just 10 seconds later.
The Stingers had most of the scoring opportunities in the game, but either missed the net or shot the puck right at Dipetta. The rookie goaltender has beaten the Stingers three times this season, allowing two goals in the process.
Jodi Gosse, the captain of the Stingers, put her team within one when she jumped on a dump-in and slid a backhand in the net to the right of Dipetta.
When the Stingers pulled Hatin-Leveillee for an extra attacker, Kim Kerr scored her second of the game in the empty net with 28.5 seconds remaining. The loss is a frustrating one for the Stingers who are set for a match up with these same Gee-Gees in the first round of the QSSF playoffs.
“They scored a power play goal on what I found was a questionable call, and then a bit of a fluky one on the turnaround. We have to play 60 minutes against them and we have to stay disciplined,” Lawton said. “I feel we dominated 5-on-5 but the penalty situations got us in trouble.”
Lawton looks forward to meeting the Gee-Gees in the playoffs.
“We were better than the last time we played them, so hopefully we’ll get them in the playoffs, go out there and be ready to play and get a solid effort from everybody,” he said.