Patience was key for Concordia Stingers in the 2-1 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues

Stingers’ defender Léonie Philbert taking a shot in a game against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sept. 23, 2022. MARIA BOUABDO/The Concordian

The Stingers’ women’s hockey team got a victory in their first game of the Theresa Humes Cup tournament

The Concordia Stingers were able to come back and score two goals in the third period in a close game against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night at Ed Meagher Arena.

Concordia annually hosts the Theresa Humes Cup tournament, a six-team tournament from Sept. 23 to 25. The four other participants are the McGill Martlets, the University of Montreal Carabins, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds, and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds.

After a scoreless first period, in which the Stingers limited the Varsity Blues to five shots on goal with multiple blocked shots, there was a bit more action in the second frame.

Defender Emma Potter opened the scoring for the Blues with about five minutes remaining in the period.

The Stingers found themselves down by a goal going into the final 20 minutes, but that didn’t stop them. The message was to be grittier and play more physical.

“We have to find ways to win whatever the style of the game, and I think this game was a little bit choppier,” Stingers’ head coach Julie Chu said. “When you play in games like that it’s easy to get frustrated because everyone likes to flow and feel good and move… We had to stay a little bit more patient when maybe it didn’t feel as good.”

It was forward Jessymaude Drapeau who tied the game from a pass by her linemate Emily Fecteau. Drapeau also went on to score the game-winning goal later.

“We started the third period with a good shift and it gave us a lot of momentum,” Drapeau said. “And I think they were important goals so I was happy to contribute to the comeback.”

Stingers’ goaltender Alice Philbert, who made huge saves for her team, had to stay sharp until the dying seconds of the game as the Blues pulled their goaltender for one last chance to tie the game. But Philbert said she wasn’t too worried.

“I really trust the team and my teammates,” she said. “We’re here to learn during pre-season so for me, making mistakes right now doesn’t matter too much, so I’m just having fun. I know everything the girls did and they worked hard so I’m happy with the results.”

In this tournament, each game is worth nine points. A regulation win is worth six points. It’s followed by four-on-four overtime, three-on-three overtime, and shootouts, each worth one point. This point system is used to rank the teams and determine the winner by the end of the third day.

After the 2-1 regulation win for the Stingers, the four-on-four overtime ended in a 0-0 tie. Toronto got the point in three-on-three, with a goal by forward Nikki McDonald. However, Concordia won the shootouts thanks to yet another goal by Drapeau, and the other one by forward Émilie Lavoie. On the other hand, Philbert stopped both of Toronto’s attempts.

Concordia will be facing UNB today in their second game of the tournament. Chu said the team will have to match UNB’s intensity, if not more, as they’re a really structured, disciplined, and hard-working team. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m.

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