Canada’s best USports hockey teams continued their dominance while men’s basketball added another win.
The Concordia Stingers have officially wrapped up action in the 2024 calendar year.
As the end of the semester comes to a close, so does the first half of the winter sports season. The men’s and women’s hockey teams continued their dominant first half performances with three more wins. For the Stingers basketball teams, a tough weekend of matchups resulted in one win.
Here is what happened this week:
Hockey
Both of Concordia’s hockey teams are headlining USports rankings throughout Canada.
The women’s team continues their regular season winning streak dating back to 2022-23. They came into action this weekend with a 10-0-0 record. The top-ranked team in USports faced the McGill Martlets on Nov. 29 to close out the first half of the season.
While McGill came out of the gate with energy, the Stingers’ overwhelming forecheck was too much to handle. The Stingers scored six unanswered goals in the second and third periods, earning a 7-1 victory.
The Stingers men’s hockey team was next on the schedule when they played against the York University Lions on Nov. 30.
The Stingers held an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) league-best 14-0-2 record coming into this weekend. They currently sit ranked second amongst USports men’s hockey teams across Canada.
Despite an early York goal, the Stingers exploded for eight unanswered goals and took the victory by a score of 8-1. They looked to continue their momentum when they faced the Nipissing University Lakers on Dec. 1.
A solid 60-minute performance earned goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise a shutout, as the Stingers won by a score of 5-0.
The Stingers men’s and women’s hockey teams head into the winter break without a single regulation loss this season. Combined, they are the two highest USports hockey teams in Canada.
The men’s team returns on Jan. 10 to face the University of Windsor Lancers. The women’s team will play on Jan. 17 against the McGill Martlets.
Basketball
The women’s basketball team kicked off the action for Concordia this weekend. Facing their rival McGill University Martlets on Nov. 28, the Stingers looked to continue their two-game winning streak coming into the match.
In a low-scoring affair, the Martlets came out on top, winning by a score of 58-48. The Stingers hoped to find their offense and the win column as they faced the Bishop’s University Gaiters on Nov. 30.
Although the team scored 26 more points than their previous game, the Stingers lost to the Gaiters by a score of 84-74.
The Stingers men’s basketball team sought to get revenge on the Gaiters following the women’s team loss.
With the game tied in the fourth quarter, the Stingers powered through the Gaiters and held on for an 80-68 win. With the victory, the Gaiters saw their first loss of the season, while Concordia is now tied with Bishop’s in the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) standings.
The Stingers women’s basketball team heads into the winter break with a 2-4 record on the season. They will return on Jan. 10 when they face the Université Laval Rouge et Or.
As for the men’s team, they hold a 4-1 record to close out the first half of the season. They will also face the Rouge et Or on Jan. 10.
