Stingers men’s hockey splits weekend games as second half of season begins

The team suffered its first home loss of the season but bounced back with a vengeance.
Photo by Matthew Piscina / The Concordian

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team was back in action this weekend for the first time since the winter break. The team played back-to-back days against two Ontario opponents, the University of Windsor Lancers and the University of Waterloo Warriors, adding one loss and one win to their record.

The Stingers finished the first half of the regular season as well as they ever have.

After their final game before the break, on Dec. 1, the Stingers led the entire Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s hockey standings with a 16-0-2 record. The team also had the opportunity to stay in shape during the break, as they played two exhibition games against National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 opponents.

The Stingers knew that they would be up against a tough opponent playing the Lancers when they faced off on Jan. 10. Windsor went into the winter break, winning eight of 10 games and fighting for the top spot in the OUA west division.

Because of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) Winter Games, the Stingers were also without forward Mathieu Bizier and defender Simon Lavigne — who were representing Team Canada in Torino, Italy. This meant Stingers’ depth would be tested throughout the weekend.

“As soon as there are big players out of the lineup, everyone needs to step up,” Stingers forward Daniel Agostino said after defeating the Warriors on Saturday. “For myself, I just stuck to what I’m good at, stuck to the basics — playing physical and getting to the net.” However, Windsor made sticking to the basics a challenge for the Stingers on Friday.

Three unanswered goals by the Lancers saw the Stingers trailing 3-0 after two periods at Ed Meagher Arena. If the Stingers failed to even the score, they would suffer their first home loss of the season.

Concordia managed to score two quick goals with 11 minutes remaining in the third. The Stingers pressed hard, outshooting Windsor 15-3 in the frame. Ultimately, the comeback would fall short as the Lancers added an empty netter, cementing the victory.

Forward Blake Richardson spoke proudly of the team’s relentless fight in the third period.

“We knew after the second [period] that we weren’t dead,” Richardson said. “We have a lot of character in that room; we hadn’t lost in regulation, so we knew we could come back. I think we showed it; we came up short at the end, but I think we can build on that for tomorrow [against Waterloo].”

This mentality sparked the Stingers to bounce back in a big way on Saturday.

As the puck dropped on Jan. 11, the Stingers came out of the gate playing stingy defense and creating opportunities. They brought a 1-0 lead to the locker room after the first period and a 3-1 lead after the second.

In the third, the floodgates opened.

The Stingers scored four goals in the final frame to pad their lead and secure their league-best seventeenth win of the season. The chippy yet competitive nature of the game was what head coach Marc-André Elément liked most about the win.

“[Waterloo] is a physical team; they’re a big team on the other side,” Elément shared. “I think our guys really responded to the physicality of the game, […] it was good.”

The Stingers will carry their 17-1-2 record into their next matchup on Jan. 15 against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes. Puck drop at Colisee Trois-Rivières is set for 7:30 p.m.

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