Concordia women’s hockey outlasts McGill in a tight contest

The Stingers win their first game back from the holiday break remaining on top of their division with an undefeated 12-0-0 record.
Goaltender Arianne Leblanc prepares for a shot on net. Photo courtesy of Concordia Athletics.

The Concordia Stingers held off a third-period push from the rallying McGill Martlets in a close affair last Friday. With a 2-1 score, the Stingers won their first home matchup of the new year despite missing four of their most productive players this season. 

Heading into this matchup, the Stingers were tasked to face their cross-town rivals without some impactful players on their roster. Four players were absent due to their selection to Canada’s team in the International University Sports Federation (FISU) Winter World University Games in Italy. The selected players were forwards Émilie Lavoie and Émilie Lussier, defender Alexandra-Anne Boyer and netminder Jordyn Verbeek. 

For most teams, losing this kind of production in the lineup would typically cause concern. However, for head coach Julie Chu’s squad, it was business as usual. 

“We always talk about being prepared when opportunities come. We knew we could get the job done,” said Chu post-game. 

The Stingers were a well-oiled machine coming off the gates as their intense forechecking and quick transition play outpaced the Martlets. The home team benefitted from three power-play opportunities in the first period, with mixed results. 

The Stingers’ power-play was blanked in consecutive opportunities before finally converting on the third. Third-year defender Camille Richard buried her second goal of the season to open up the scoring. 

Concordia continued to control play into the second period of the contest, leading shots 18-8 over McGill at the halfway point of the game. They later converted on another power-play as defender Leonie Philbert scored to give the Stingers a 2-0 lead. 

Leading in shots 24-11, the Stingers seemed to have the game under control heading into the third period. However, McGill started the game’s final frame with urgency. 

The Martlets defended better against the Stingers’ offence in transition, won more puck battles, and showed more physicality than in the previous two periods. Their efforts overwhelmed the Stingers, leading to the Martlets drawing consecutive penalties. They eventually capitalized on one of their power-play opportunities, as defender Elizabeth Mura tallied her first goal of the season to bring the Martlets within one with 12:29 on the clock to go. 

Despite a late-game push from the Martlets, including a six-player-against-four opportunity their goalie pulled while on a power-play, the Stingers held on to a 2-1 win.

Goaltender Arianne Leblanc made key stops at the end of the game, even with all the traffic the Martlets sent toward her net. 

“I think as a goalie you have to learn to focus on your game,” said Leblanc post-game. “For screens, just finding your puck and doing your best to stop it.”

Chu praised Richard, who was named the game’s first star post-game. 

“I think it’s great to see that she’s worked hard to get more opportunities, and when she got them, she executed [them] so well,” Chu said. 

Chu trusted Richard to log many minutes in difficult situations, and she excelled in all of them. Not only did she score the game’s opening goal on the power-play, but she blocked shots and used her long reach effectively on the penalty kill while also logging heavy minutes 5-on-5.

“I’m very grateful. I trust them and their process, so I’m always gonna go out and do what I have to do for the team,” said Richard when asked about the trust Chu’s staff showed in her.

The Stingers’ next game will take place on Jan. 23 against the Bishop’s University Gaiters at Ed Meagher Arena. Puck-drop is set for 7 p.m.

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