Stingers lose to Carabins in battle of top teams

stingers lose
Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

It was the first meeting since Concordia won RSEQ final in March

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team played the Université de Montréal Carabins for the first time since the two met in the final last March. They gave the Carabins a good challenge and were in the mix until the last second of the game, but still lost 1-0 at the CEPSUM arena.

It could have been different with a goal or two on several scoring chances, and the Stingers failed to convert on power plays.

“Our girls overall did a really good job. It was what we expected, which is close and hard fought,” said head coach Julie Chu.

stingers lose
Forward Audrey Belzile (#17) was a huge part of the Stingers’s success against the Carabins last season. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The Carabins started the game with most of the possession in the Stingers’s zone. Concordia had a hard time making good passes and was victim of many turnovers created by the Carabins in the neutral zone. Montréal won the battles along the boards, which was the story of the first period.

“They looked bigger and faster than us out there,” said forward Stéphanie Lemelin.

Stingers’s goalie Alice Philbert had to make key saves to keep the score even, especially in the first 20 minutes. “Our goalie was really good tonight,” said rookie defence Sandrine Lavictoire.

The Stingers played better near the end of the first period, and the second period was evenly played. Still, despite good scoring chances on both sides, the game remained scoreless after two periods.

The turning point of the game came in the first 30 seconds of the third period. Carabins forward Estelle Duvin scored the only goal of the game on a rebound, caused by traffic in front of Philbert.

“You never want to allow a goal in the first seconds of the period and, unfortunately, that’s what happened [to us] in the third,” Chu said.

Concordia didn’t give up as they attacked throughout the third period, creating scoring chances and forcing their opponents to take penalties. Despite that, Carabins goalie Maude Trevisan kept the door shut and had good support from her defence.

“The main point is that we did not find a way to score a goal,” Lemelin said. “We had our chances on power plays but did not capitalize. Our goalie played really well and gave [us] a chance to win.”

The Stingers are now 1-1-0, and will play their home opener Sunday against the McGill Martlets.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier.

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