Stingers suffer through two tough games

With a win just within their grasp, the bounces just didn’t go the way the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team wanted, dropping two gut-wrenching losses at the hands of the Ontario teams, the Carleton Ravens Sunday and the Ottawa Gee Gees Saturday.
The game against the Gee Gees was a tight 2-0 loss, but Sunday’s tilt versus the Ravens was one of the better games this year, playing a see-saw match resulting in Carleton erasing three one-goal deficits to finally take it 5-4 in a shootout.
“The bounces just didn’t go our way,” said forward Mary Jane O’Shea. “If we keep playing the way we are, we’re going to need to win.”
Sunday’s game was 54 seconds away from sealing Concordia’s third win of the season when Ravens Kaila Lassaline put a wraparound five-hole past Stingers goaltender Audrey Doyon-Lessard.
Just over a few minutes prior to the Lassaline equalizer, Carleton took a hooking call sending their captain Tara O’Reilly into the box. One thing Concordia’s been working on was their powerplay, but you wouldn’t have noticed Sunday.
“Our special teams are back on track, we work for our goals,” said Lawton. “The effort today was shown and it was very entertaining.”
After cycling the puck veteran Donna Ringrose sent the puck to the point to rookie blueliner Keely Covo, who slapped it, and with the awkward bounce in front, went past Ravens goaltender Valerie Charbonneau for her first career goal a Stinger.
“I’m very glad to be here,” said Covo. “This league is a whole lot faster, the girls are a lot bigger, but it’s great.”
Coach Les Lawton had high praise for his young newcomer, “She’s [Covo] a big player on our program, has great vision and was rewarded for it.”
The game started off with the Stingers taking a 2-1 lead after the first period on goals by Emilie Luck, also on the powerplay, and captain Esther Latoures.
At the end of the first however, first-year forward Mallory Lawton took a hooking penalty.
Carleton took advantage 37 seconds into the second frame with Lassaline getting her first of the afternoon, scoring by getting a jump on a rebound past Doyon-Lessard.
Around seven minutes into the period, with Concordia on the advantage again a poor defensive miscue led to Carleton breaking out on a two-player breakaway. The rush was stopped when the Carleton player shot the puck wide right behind Doyon-Lessard.
Late in the second with Stinger defence Valérie Lepage-Barrette in the box for tripping, O’Shea led a solo rush and then proceeded to play the puck around two Raven defence and skate in front, to find an open Catherine Desjardins, who had decided to help join the rush. Desjardins made no mistake connecting on a shot past Charbonneau and gave the Stingers a 3-2 lead with just over a minute left.
“We have to keep up with what we’re doing,” said O’Shea. “Something good will come out of it.”
After a back and forth tilt in overtime the game headed to a shootout sending the crowd into a frenzy. The format for CIS hockey is different than that of the National Hockey League and is the best out of the five.
Through the first five, the score was deadlocked at one apiece, with Melanie McKnight getting the goal for the Ravens, and Covo getting the goal for the Stingers, shooting up high on Charbonneau.
“I just remember the things that work well in practice,” said Covo. “It’s nerve-racking.”
In the sudden death round, Emilie Luck got a solid shot off turned aside by the pads. Victoria Germuska had to score to seal the Raven victory and she made no mistake going around Doyon-Lessard until she was down and sent the puck behind her.
“We played a good six period, but it’s not working,” said Lawton. “We just couldn’t keep the puck out. It’s disappointing that we only managed one point.”
Saturday’s match-up against Ottawa was their second game against the Gee Gees since last Sunday’s (Jan. 4) third place final in the Theresa Humes tournament.
The key to this game was trying to keep their players out of the box, but neither side seemed to abide by that. Both teams combined for a total of 40 penalty minutes, each getting 10 penalties.
Unfortunately for the Stingers, both Gee Gee goals were scored on the powerplay, Samantha DeLenardo in the first and Brittany Jones adding the insurance marker in the third.
“It’s crunch time now that it’s post-Christmas, we need every single game,” said veteran Luck. “Les told us to ‘not hang our heads, the big break will come.'”
Covo has tons of confidence in her new team. “We have to win some games,” Covo said. “I know we will.”
A big test for the Stingers will be this upcoming weekend when they face off against Ottawa again Friday evening at the Ed Meagher Arena.
They then take the road and head over to face their cross-town rivals and face the No. 1 nationally-ranked McGill Martlets.
“We have to keep going for those loose pucks,” said Luck. “We’re just trying to keep it [the intensity] up and are working really hard.”