Stingers’ Emotions Boil Over

A lopsided 8-1 loss to the McGill Redmen motivated the Stingers to play a spirited game against the Ottawa GeeGees, winning 5-4 in a shootout.
“For some reason, after the first period [of Wednesday’s game], we put ourselves in a hole,” head coach Kevin Figsby said. “We got into some emotional trouble, and the frustration just escalated.”
That frustration amounted to five unanswered McGill goals in the second period, as the Stingers played their worst game of the season.
The game’s first period was even enough, with not much action going on. There were battles on the ice, but each team was consistent and driven in their play. McGill opened up scoring on a weak goal at 5:19 in the first. Concordia didn’t let the goal deplete them, and they came back to score one of their own soon after.
At 9:43 in the first, Stingers forward Marc-André Rizk capitalized on a powerplay. Redmen goalie Kevin Desfossés was out of position after blocking an original shot, and Rizk had the left side of the net wide open. He didn’t miss and even the score, with assists from Nicolaus Knudsen and Eric Bégin. It would be the one and only goal Concordia scored in the game.
“We tried to turn frustration into positive emotion, and it didn’t work,” Figsby said. “It could have been a 2-1 game. But, it was the worst loss of the season and it won’t happen again.”
While the teams battled in the first period, the Stingers came unravelled in the second. They took marginal penalties, nearly all of which resulted in McGill goals. Concordia was out-skated and out-worked for the entire second period, making the score a lopsided 6-1 for McGill by the end of it.
After a seventh goal was scored in the third period, Figsby pulled goaltender Maxime Joyal in favour of his back up, Sheldon Baerg. Baerg let in one last goal to make the score a lofty 8-1.
Baerg had a much better game Sunday afternoon, as he was given the nod as starting goal-tender in the game against the Ottawa GeeGees.
“I’m proud of the effort we had,” Figsby said. “It was very satisfying to come back like this after the loss Wednesday. [Baerg] played outstanding.”
The first period had a good pace, and Concordia opened in scoring just 5:55 into it. Marc-André Element put the Stingers up by one, with winger Nicolas Sciangula and Rizk gaining the helpers.
The Stingers were soon up 2-0, when halfway through the first captain Simon-Pierre Sauvé scored.
The GeeGees caught up on a short-handed goal with just over five minutes to go in the first. GeeGees Keven Gagné scored his first of three goals when he picked a pocket in the neutral zone and skated in on net alone.
With just 21 seconds left in the first, Gagné scored again to even the game at 2-2.
Concordia scored 5:28 into the second period, when Renaud Des Alliers found the puck in the paint and knocked it in. The goal came just 13 seconds after Ottawa was whistled for a hooking call.
Three goals were scored in the third period, one for the Stingers and two for the GeeGees. Just 36 seconds into the third period, Nicolas Lafontaine took off with the puck short-handed. GeeGees goaltender Riley Whitlock was too far out of his crease as Lafontaine toe-dragged and curled the puck, before easily tapping it into the gaping net behind Whitlock, making the score 4-2.
The GeeGees netted a power play goal a few minutes later, to close the scoring in at 4-3, and finally tied the game with 5:19 left to go in the third.
Overtime proved to be useless, and the game went into a shootout.
GeeGees Yanick Charron was up first but he shot high and wide as Baerg barely moved. Element was up next for the Stingers, but he forgot to deke and ended up taking a last minute slap shot that also sailed high of the net.
Dan McDonald was up next for Ottawa, but was denied by Baerg. Lafontaine stepped up for Concordia, and recorded the only goal in the shootout. On a beautiful move, he shuffled the puck left and right before firing it top shelf from close range.
Gagné tried to score for the GeeGees after recording a hat trick, but he too was denied by Baerg.
“I knew he was going to try and fake a shot,” Baerg said. “I just waited and when he faked the shot, I knew I had him,” Baerg said.
“Ottawa’s always a tough team to play against, but it was nice to come out with a win, especially in a shootout,” he said.
The Stingers play again at home on Wednesday night against the Patriotes of Université du Québec