The Concordia Stingers hockey program came together with Pink in the City for a great cause.
The Concordia Stingers hosted their annual Pink in the Rink breast cancer awareness event on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. This year’s event was the first for which the Stingers hockey program partnered with Pink in the City, a non-profit organization that plans breast cancer awareness events around Montreal.
“It’s campaigns like [Pink in the Rink] that really make the difference,” said Pink in the City founder and CEO Denise Vourtzoumis. “We’re excited because this partnership [with the Stingers] is going to grow and it’s going to continue.”
This weekend’s event included a bake sale and an auction filled with prizes, with both hockey teams sporting limited-time pink jerseys. All proceeds were donated to the McGill University Health Centre Foundation. In total, nearly $7,000 in donations were raised.
Stingers women’s hockey head coach Julie Chu said that four players on the team chose to lead this event and made the partnership with Pink in the City happen. Chu added that giving back to the community is what the team strives to do year after year.
“One of the things we talk about as a team is that our goal in the university, especially, is not to just play hockey, go to school, and do great on the ice,” said Chu. “It’s [asking] ‘How do we give back to the community? How do we become great citizens?’”
On the ice, the Stingers looked to bring the energy of the fundraiser to the game.
The Stingers women’s hockey team kicked off the action by facing the Bishop’s University Gaiters on Friday. Concordia came into play having won their first six games of the regular season and ranked first among all Canadian USports women’s hockey teams.
With a drama-filled sixty minutes concluding in a 3-3 tie, the game was forced to go to overtime.
Halfway into the overtime period, forward Émilie Lussier dangled Bishop’s defender, shot the puck five-hole on the goalie, and netted the game-winning goal. After the dramatic victory, Lussier said the electric atmosphere of the home crowd encouraged the team to up their pace.
“Honestly, we were on the goal line, and we talked to each other, and [we were] like, ‘Oh my God, it’s the first time we had a lot of [fans] like that,’” Lussier said postgame. “On the bench, we were like, ‘They’re here for us, and we need to keep our energy on.’”
The Stingers improved to 7-0-0 on the season. They will be back in action when they face the Université de Montréal Carabins on Nov. 22. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
On Saturday, it was the Stingers men’s hockey team’s turn to host a game. The team faced the Western University Mustangs, meaning it was a battle between the top seed in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East and West divisions. Concordia came into play and was ranked second in USports.
Despite trailing 2-0 eight minutes into the game, the Stingers scored five unanswered goals to take a 5-2 lead into the final minutes of regulation. A five-minute major penalty taken by the Stingers late gave the Mustangs an opportunity to close the lead. Western was able to score two goals in the closing minutes, but it was not enough to complete the comeback. Concordia held on for a 5-4 victory and improved to 12-0-2 on the season.
Two of Concordia’s goals came off the blade of forward Blake Richardson. He spoke about his success postgame.
“Obviously, it felt good to get a couple [goals] in,” Richardson said. “We’re just happy to get the two points, and it felt good to contribute.”
When the Stingers men’s hockey team hits the ice next, it will be against the Brock University Badgers on Nov. 22. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m.
