Author: Alec Brideau

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Stingers clinch second place with 7-0 win

second place
The Stingers have gone 8-1-1 in 2019. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Three veterans honoured in final regular season game

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team concluded their regular season with a 7-0 win against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena.

This was the last game of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) 2018-2019 season before the playoffs. This game meant a lot for the Stingers, who needed a win to secure home-ice advantage in their playoff semi-final matchup against the McGill Martlets.

The Stingers successfully secured a home-ice advantage with what was their seventh-consecutive win. Head coach Julie Chu said everyone is playing well right now, which explains the team’s current success.

“We’re not having lags,” Chu said. “We’re able to roll four lines right now, our three [defensive pairings] are doing a great job, and our goaltender is being really solid.”

Sophie Gagnon (#11) was one of the graduating players honoured after the game. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

All four lines contributed offensively to help the Stingers beat the Gee-Gees, including goals from five different players. Chu said it’s important to not just rely on one line scoring.

“Everyone knows they’re a valuable part of this team,” Chu said. “At different points, we’ll ask different people to be able to score, or to produce in different ways. Whatever it might be, our players buy into that. I think when you have people buying in all year long it allows us to score goals, but also to do smaller things that don’t end up the scoresheet, but are equally as important for us.”

Forward Audrey Belzile, who scored the Stingers’s third goal, said that even ahead 6-0 after two periods, players kept giving their best, knowing they had to enter the playoffs with good habits.

“We told ourselves we were preparing for Thursday,” Belzile said. “We [wanted to do those] little things and give our all until the end because we’re not a team that gives up, and it would give momentum to the opponent.”

In the victory, Stingers defenceman Sandrine Lavictoire scored her first career goal in the RSEQ. Her goal was the last of the game and came with six minutes left in the third period.

“I’m happy I did it before the season ended,” said Lavictoire. “I waited until the 20th game to do it, but I’m happy.”

After the game, the team honoured graduating players Devon Thompson, Sophie Gagnon, Melinda Prévost and Katherine Purchase, who registered her third shutout of the season. Chu said these players can serve as an extra motivation for the playoffs.

“Those four graduating players have done a lot for this program,” Chu said. “They monitor themselves in that locker room. We don’t have to spend as much energy on making sure that the team is running strong and that the voice in the locker room is positive. They make sure it is.”

The Stingers have won two of the five games against the Martlets this season, scoring eight goals. Chu said the Stingers will face a really good team, which makes the home-ice advantage huge for that best-of-three semifinal series.

“Getting a chance to be in your own locker room, your own rink, with your fans and an environment that [you] love, it’s always a bonus,” Chu said. “However, we also know that at this point it’s going to be a war out there.”

The Stingers open their series against the Martlets Thursday night at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Not taking a break over the winter

Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

How Jocelyn Barrieau is training her women’s team all-year round

Four months since the Concordia Stingers women’s rugby team finished the 2018 Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) season, the team has barely left the field.

Two weeks of rest were all the team needed at the end of last season. Stingers Head Coach Jocelyn Barrieau said that after closing their last campaign with a debrief and a few meetings, the team quickly returned to training.

“We started training again at the end of October,” Barrieau said. “After, we got into conditioning and weightlifting. I think next year we’ll be able to make a step forward with everything related to performances.”

The term “off-season” doesn’t reflect what happens between two RSEQ rugby seasons. The Stingers do much more than just practice, as they play games as well.

“We officially have three tournaments this year with the RSEQ,” Barrieau said. “There’s also a good chance a Canadian championship will be added in a weekend of March. These are tournaments that keep us in the community. These are just tools for us to use, and we keep them in our pockets for next year.”

Stingers forward Nancy Napolitano said off-season tournaments keep the team motivated. “We just had one tournament, and we have more coming [up]. There’s still a reason to keep pushing.”

The RSEQ started a pilot project for the winter season in 2018. Teams play rugby sevens, which is seven players per team, instead of the regular 15 players they play with in the fall. Despite this, the off-season can be as demanding as a regular season schedule.

“In the off-season, you’re working out probably harder,” said first-year forward Halee Preston. “Our practices are not any easier during the off-season. You’re not taking it easy in practice to not know what it’s like in a game.”

She added that the off-season is a big part of a team’s success and that, in order to perform well in games, you need to put in effort all year.

“If you’re not working in the off-season, your performances are likely not going to change next season,” Preston said. “We’re looking for a better outcome than last year, so we want to keep progressing forward.”

While new players can be recruited at any point in the year in the RSEQ, Barrieau said the Stingers welcomed 25 to 30 players for a recruitment day last month.

“We had players already at Concordia, or coming [to] Concordia who are joining the program,” Barrieau said. “We had people from secondary three to CÉGEP who came to visit the complex. It’s a continuing process, as we also have on-field development.”

Barrieau said that even if it can be challenging for a team to practice without having performance dates every week, it allows for opportunities to focus on different aspects of their game.

“We really work on our bases this winter,” Barrieau said. “We work on our decision-making, our tackles, and we look back at our defensive system.”

Barrieau said the Stingers hope to have a fast and exciting team for next season. She said her players enjoy this challenge, which makes it a fun experience.

“We had a season that we needed to build,” Barrieau said. “It won’t take a year, but two or three. However, the group of players we have and the energy we have [makes it] a fun process. They bring a lot, they love each other, and it’s really a pleasure to do this.”

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Sami Ghandour is growing into a dominating force

Sami Ghandour played his first game as a Stinger at 18 years old, while other players were in their 20s. Photo by Clare Redman.

Third-year forward has been making an impact since returning from shoulder surgery

In 2016, 18-year-old Sami Ghandour left Lebanon with the intention of playing basketball in Canada. Today, he is a member of the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team.

Ghandour wears a brace on his shoulder post-surgery. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

“It’s actually one of the best experiences ever,” Ghandour said. “Coming to Canada from Lebanon, basketball has always helped me out. It allowed me to make a lot of friends that I’m still very close with, and I’ll be close with them for the rest of my life.”

Ghandour was actually born in Fergus, Ont., but grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He moved to Lebanon at 13 years old for high school.

At first, Ghandour had no clear idea of what it would be like to play basketball in Montreal. “My expectations at the beginning were that I thought I would come and play,” said Ghandour, now in his third year with the Stingers. “However, I didn’t realize that I never played basketball at the level played here before.”

Another thing that marked the Stingers’s forward in his debut with the team is that he was younger than the other first-year players.

“A lot of the rookies were older than me because they went to Cégep,” Ghandour said. “They were 20 or 21, and I was 18 years old in my first game. I was like the little kid on the team, so it was hard for me.”

Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic also noticed how Ghandour’s age had an effect. However, he said the forward’s progression with years has been impressive.

“He could rarely get on the floor in his first year here,” Popovic said. “[You could see that] physically, he was 18 years old with a bunch of 20-year-old players. Yet, he never stopped working. Sami is one of our smartest players. He is a competitor, and he’s playing high level basketball. We don’t need him to score, we need him to do a lot of little things.”

Although Ghandour’s main job is to get rebounds, he still contributes nearly 10 points per game. Photo by Clare Redman.

Ghandour explained that all he needed at the beginning was adaptation. He said it helped him a lot to get to where he is today, especially when he arrived in Canada uncertain about the future of his basketball career.

“I just came and played, but it actually turned out perfectly,” Ghandour said. “It’s all a process. I went through it, and look where I am now. It helped me out a lot.”

Rebounds are something Ghandour excels at. Players are statistically awarded a rebound when they pick up a loose ball that rebounds on the hoop of a basket after a missed shot. Ghandour explained that the Stingers coaching staff put a lot of importance on them, especially in the position he plays.

“Our main goal is that, when they miss a shot, we don’t let them get a rebound and another shot,” Ghandour said. “One shot and it’s over.”

Ghandour missed the first two games of the season due to a shoulder injury, leading to his first-ever surgery, which was a scary experience for him. Ghandour came back on Nov. 22, 2018, when the Stingers played the McGill Redmen. For the occasion, the forward finished the game with a team-high nine rebounds.

“Going through surgery for the first time, in my head I was thinking ‘this could be it’,” Ghandour said. “It was possible I couldn’t come back and play this game I love. It was hard physically and mentally. However, the trainers did a really good job. I came in three times a week, every week, to try getting back to it. I actually came back earlier [than expected]. I wasn’t supposed to come back until after Christmas.”

Popovic added that Ghandour’s presence in the lineup makes a big difference on the team’s overall game.

“I feel like Sami can cover multiple positions at the same time,” Popovic said. “He talks a lot on defence, which is something we stress on. He’s really one of our most core guys. He wants to be a good player, and he wants to win. We’re really happy with that.”

With three games left in the regular season, Ghandour said the team is taking it one game at a time, with the goal of making it to the nationals. However, he admits that an all-star mention would be something to be proud of.

“We’re trying to get this trend of going to the nationals and being that top-ranked team,” Ghandour said. “We want to be out there [and compete every year]. However, I would personally like to make the all-star [team]—that would be good. Coming from where I come from and from not really playing in my first year to now being a starter, it would be a great accomplishment for me.”   

Main photo by Clare Redman.

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Stingers close in on first place with win over Carleton

The Stingers and Ravens meet one more time this season on Feb. 1. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Forward Sophie Gagnon scores twice as Katherine Purchase collects third win

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team beat the Carleton Ravens 5-2 Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena. Forward Sophie Gagnon scored two goals and added an assist in the victory.

The Stingers won all four games played against the Ravens so far this season, outscoring them 19-3. They also won two of those by shutouts.

In the two games this weekend, the Stingers scored nine goals. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Stingers head coach Julie Chu was pleased with how her team competed against the Ravens, a team she calls a hard-working opponent. Chu wanted to see consistency from her team throughout the game.

“From start to finish, you could see it,” Chu said. “They scored a late goal. They don’t give up. And so for us, I think it’s trying to have to same intensity, focus, and urgency toward the way that we play.”

The Stingers took the lead early in the first period when forward Lidia Fillion scored her third goal of the season. “It was really great to see that our girls came out on fire in that first period,” Chu said. “They put us in a good place, and just kept getting better and better.”

Gagnon then added two goals in less than six minutes to give the Stingers a decisive 3-1 lead in the first. The forward gave credit to her teammates for her performance.

“I’m just at the right place at the right time,” Gagnon said. “When we need to put it [the puck] in the net, I do so.”

With two goals against the Ravens, Gagnon now has five goals and two assists in her last four games. Chu described her forward as a warrior.

“[Gagnon] is not afraid to go to the net,” Chu said. “She competes in every moment, and I think that’s a big reason why she’s been successful over her career. She has that great determination. She’s willing to go through a knee, go through a wall to get a play done.”

Gagnon said the team had good zone exits against the Ravens, which created good offensive opportunities and helped the whole team produce in the game.

The first of Gagnon’s two goals was on the power play, and Rosalie Begin-Cyr scored a second power-play goal for the Stingers in the second period. Chu said the team really worked on reading plays and executing them at the right time.

“Today, I thought we did a really good job of moving the puck quickly, tape to tape,” Chu said. “Then, when we had opportunities to shoot and find shooting lanes, we were able to execute on those. That was really big.”

The Stingers finished the game with 39 shots, while the Ravens finished with 12. Goaltender Katherine Purchase registered her third victory of the season.

With an 8-4-3 record, the Stingers are still in third place, but sit three points behind first place, with five games remaining in the regular season. They play their next game on Feb. 1 in Ottawa against the Ravens.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Montreal Royal looking to field exciting team in 2019

The Royal play 12 games this season, starting on Apr. 6. Photo courtesy of Montreal Royal.

City’s only professional ultimate team faces challenges for new season

Montreal has a professional ultimate team that you probably didn’t know about. The Montreal Royal competes in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), a professional disc league active since 2012.

Ultimate incorporates aspects of many sports, including the ability to catch high passes. Photo courtesy of Montreal Royal.

The Royal was founded in 2013, and has been playing in the AUDL since 2014. It was the second Canadian team to join the league, after the Toronto Rush in 2013. Currently, there are 21 teams competing in the AUDL, with another Canadian team in Ottawa. The Royal plays its home games at the Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

Ultimate has similarities with many sports. In the AUDL, the game is played with seven players per team, on a field comparable to a football field. A team needs to advance the disc in the opposing team’s end zone to score a point. Like most sports, it’s played in four quarters, each 12 minutes long, and an overtime if needed.

Despite these similarities, what differentiates ultimate from sports like basketball or football is that a player can’t walk or run when in possession of the disc. Players can only use an established pivot foot to make a pass to a teammate, so teams hold onto the disc until they score or lose possession of it.

Royal player Christophe Tremblay-Joncas said ultimate reunites particularities of many sports that make it fun for him. “You can jump, you can throw, you can run,” Tremblay-Joncas said. “There are many elements that normally in [another] sport, you would only find one of them.”

Stève Bonneau, who started playing ultimate in 2006 in France, made the trip from Europe to play with the Royal when the team invited him to their tryouts for the 2017 season.

“At that time, I was playing for the French national team” Bonneau said. “What motivated me was simply to come and play as a professional on the other side of the globe, which is already a unique experience. I also wanted to discover the sport at another level, with another way of playing the game. The dream of all European players is to come here and play in the AUDL.”

Caroline Cadotte, who has been the team’s head coach since 2017 and part of their coaching staff since its creation, said she loves what ultimate brings as a whole.

“We can push [the play] and have the control on our opponent with strategies, as much offensively as defensively,” said Cadotte. “It’s also played outside, so the weather conditions are part of the game. I also think there’s a lot of talented athletes, so there’s a need to have a good sports IQ to play.”

Cadotte said her role has differences with coaching in other sports. She added that the Royal, just like the AUDL, is still new and has rules that differ from the sport itself. For example, in normal ultimate games, there are no referees and players call the fouls. In the AUDL, there are referees.

“It makes a huge difference in our coaching,” Cadotte added. “It’s a really fast sport. We don’t have a lot of time to adjust between points, which is always a good challenge. On another note, it’s a sport that is semi-professional. It is not our [full-time] job either.”

According to Bonneau, the Royal, who had a 6-8 record in 2018 and missed the playoffs, will focus on having a good start for the 2019 AUDL campaign, which starts in April. He explained that the team will probably start the season with a lot of new faces.

“We’re rebuilding for 2019, so we’ll probably recruit a lot of youth and new players,” Bonneau said. “Our first goal is to rebuild a team quickly and build significant chemistry to have a great season start. Then, it would be great to make the playoffs, but I think step by step, our goals will be redirected depending on our progress during the season.”The Royal currently holds an all-time regular season record of 36-34. In two playoff appearances in 2015 and 2017, they haven’t won a game.

Main photo courtesy of Montreal Royal.


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Simon Bourque sets his sights on the future

Simon Bourque said he chose Concordia because he felt comfortable here. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Former Habs draft pick left professional hockey to study at Concordia

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team announced on Nov. 29 that defenceman Simon Bourque, a sixth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, would commit to the team in January.

It was big news for the Stingers and U Sports when the 22-year-old signed a letter of intent announcing he would join them. Stingers head coach Marc-André Élément said on the Stingers’s website that Bourque will have an immediate impact on the program. He added that the defenceman “is an exceptional player, student and leader,” and many teams were after him.

The Longueuil native played nearly 250 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Rimouski Océanic and Saint John Sea Dogs, winning the league championships in 2015 and 2017.

Bourque also played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the St. John’s IceCaps and the Laval Rocket, affiliated clubs of the Canadiens.

In four games with the Stingers, they have three wins. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

On June 30, 2018, the Canadiens traded Bourque to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for forward Joel Armia, goaltender Steve Mason, and two draft picks.

“The experience I gained during my career will allow me to come [to Concordia] with maybe a different vision of hockey and the way it is played,” said Bourque about his career the past few seasons. “I will be able to share that with the boys and, at the same time, it will add to my curriculum vitae,” he added.

Bourque explained that his decision of playing hockey at the university level and joining the Stingers is because he wants to earn a degree and focus on his career outside of hockey.

“I could not see myself continuing to play at a professional level without a bachelor’s degree,” Bourque said. “I wanted to have a security with that bachelor’s degree in my pocket when I decide [playing professional hockey] is over for me and move on to something else.”

The defenceman added that education has always been important for him, and he’s always achieved good grades in school. Despite Bourque’s hockey success, his intentions to complete a bachelor’s degree never changed.

“For sure, with the opportunity I had to play [hockey] at a professional level, I told myself to at least try and see after,” Bourque said. “However, I always had in mind to take that decision [of completing a bachelor’s degree].”

Bourque won two league championships while playing major junior hockey. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

After playing 46 games with the Laval Rocket last season, Bourque decided to pursue that dream, and that’s when Élement and the Stingers approached him. He saw himself as a Concordia student right away.

“It’s the team that had the best approach for me personally. I thought we had a fit,” Bourque said. “I thought me and Élément had a good personality match. I liked his program, and it corresponded with what I wanted to live. It was also in Montreal, so the location was good. Everything was fitting well together.”

Bourque’s arrival happens just after the midway through the Stingers’s regular season. The Stingers are in a tight battle in the standings, in sixth place with 25 points, just three points behind third.

“I want us to perform, that’s for sure,” Bourque said. “However, it is mainly about having fun and getting in the beat of university.”

Bourque describes his game as efficient and hates making mistakes. The defenceman occasionally joins the rush, but said he never forgets his main role.

“I always think defensively first,” Bourque said. “However, I am a defenceman who supports the offence a lot, and helps the forwards to produce offensively.”

Bourque, who wears number 74 with his new team, has played four games with the Stingers so far and has three assists. They have a 3-1-0 record with him.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers bounce back from loss with convincing win

Despite the win, the Stingers still sit four points behind McGill for second place. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Katherine Purchase returns to action and records a shutout

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team blanked the Carleton University Ravens 6-0 Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena. Forward Stéphanie Lalancette scored two goals and goaltender Katherine Purchase registered the shutout in her first start of the season to help the Stingers beat the Ravens.

Following Saturday’s lost to the McGill Martlets, Stingers head coach Julie Chu said her team missed killer instinct. She was pleased with how her team responded against the Ravens.

“We liked what we did today,” Chu said. “We had a pretty hard message on them after the game [Saturday]. Obviously they want to win, so when they lose 5-1 they’re really not feeling great about it. Then, we made sure they felt a little bit tougher about it. The best thing about this team is that they respond, and we have great leadership and great veterans that stepped up and realized we just needed a little reset.”

This was goalie Katherine Purchase’s first start since nationals last March. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Stingers took many of their 44 shots from the blue line and used their defencemen to create scoring opportunities. Chu said the team focused on playing great in the offensive zone.

“I think when we start some attacks down low it opens up our opportunities up top,” Chu said. “Our forwards did a really good job driving the net, creating spaces and time down low. It naturally opened up up top. What we were looking for our defencemen was to make sure we had some good puck movement and shots through as much as we could. I thought overall we did a really good job with that.”

The Stingers scored two power play goals in the game. According to Chu, the team’s special units worked well because of their quick puck management.

“It’s when we hold on to the puck a little bit longer [that it doesn’t work],” Chu said. “Maybe sometimes on the power play our intensity goes down. We have to move the puck quickly, tape to tape, and make sure we have a great net front presence.”

Forward Audrey Belzile, who recorded one goal and two assists in the victory, said the Stingers showed a totally different power play look than the one against the Martlets.

“I think we were moving the puck faster than yesterday,” Belzile said. “Yesterday we were stressed to make a mistake, but today we were simply moving the puck and taking shots. It’s especially what we didn’t do yesterday [that we did today], which is having a screen in front of the net to block the goaltender’s view. That’s what helped because she didn’t see pucks arrive.”

Purchase saved all 14 shots she received in her first start of the season with the Stingers. Chu said Purchase responded well to a game she knew would be challenging.

“Katherine [Purchase] did a great job,” Chu said. “In her first game, she had a tough start. Regardless of the score, she had to make some really good saves early on when it was 1-0 or 2-0. She had a two-on-one opportunity where she had to come up with a big save. If she doesn’t make that save, maybe it [would have changed] the flow of the game a little bit.”

 

Purchase said she prepared for this game knowing the team wanted to avenge their disappointing loss from Saturday. “It was a must win game for us,” Purchase said. “You could see just from the warm up that the team was ready and that gave me confidence.”

The Stingers play their next game on Jan. 18 against the Université de Montréal Carabins. The puck drop is at 7 p.m. at the CEPSUM Arena.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers lack killer instinct in 5-1 loss

The Martlets are now six points ahead of the Stingers in the standings. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

McGill has beaten Concordia in all three meetings this season

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team were defeated 5-1 by the McGill Martlets Saturday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena. The Martlets have now won the three meetings played so far between the teams this season.

The Martlets took control early in the game when they scored in the opening minute. The Stingers’s lone goal was by forward Lidia Fillion, scored in the last minute of the first period, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Despite having 37 shots on net, the Stingers only managed to score once. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Stingers head coach Julie Chu said the score early in the game didn’t reflect the team’s effort. “We had two crossbars, and [had] different plays,” Chu said. “It could have been a very different first period outcome.”

Chu added that her team played a good second period, but missed many scoring chances. “We had a lot of chances, a lot of odd-man rushes, and it’s our job to bury them out and make sure we score on those,” Chu said. She added the Stingers didn’t have that “killer instinct.”

According to Fillion, the Stingers couldn’t find the scoring touch. “We had a lot of momentum, but we missed that finishing,” Fillion said. “We missed that second effort, the little spark that made us score.”

“I think we’re still playing good hockey,” Chu said. “We created chances, and that’s step one. But at some point, we have to find a way to have that little extra hunger and be able to put it past a good goaltender.”

Stingers goaltender Alice Philbert was pulled from the game in the third period after conceding five goals on 28 shots.

The two teams will meet again on Jan. 25 at McGill. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

“I think at some point it’s time to get a little bit of a change. Then, we get an opportunity to get Katherine [Purchase] some ice-time as well, and get some feeling to the puck,” Chu said. This was Purchase’s first game of the season, as she’s been out with an injury. “I’m not going to stand here and say that we lost because of Alice. We’re not that type of team,” Chu added.

The Stingers finished the game with 37 shots, while the Martlets finished with 34. Forward Audrey Belzile said that everyone has to work on themselves for the next game.

“We have to focus on ourselves [for tomorrow], and stop focusing about others,” Belzile said. “If it doesn’t go well, [then] we support each other. When we are trailing, we need to stop looking at the negative and look at the positive.”

The Stingers will be in action against the Carleton Ravens on Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier. 

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Stingers win third-straight with comeback against RMC

The three-game winning streak is the highest of the Stingers’s season so far. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Concordia bounces back from 2-0 deficit to win 4-3

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team won their third-straight game Friday night. They defeated the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins 4-3 at the Ed Meagher Arena.

After a first period controlled by the visitors, the Stingers scored three unanswered goals in the last 40 minutes of play to defeat the Paladins. The Stingers finally broke the tie 41 seconds into the third period with a goal from forward Jean-Philippe Beaulieu.

Head coach Marc-André Élément said the Stingers will need better starts if they want to win their upcoming games.

“We didn’t show up in the first period,” Élément said. “We have to learn from that. However, our guys stepped up in the second and third period, allowing us to get two huge points tonight.”

After trailing 15 to 13 in shots after the first period, the Stingers came back strong and finished the game ahead 44-27 in that category.

“I think the big difference between the first period and the rest of the game is that we won our battles [for the puck] and kept it simple in the defensive zone,” said Stingers defenceman Charlie Roy, who scored his first goal of the season in the first period.

Defenceman Anthony Gingras, who scored the Stingers’s second goal, also got his first of the season.

Élément said the team made adjustments and played more aggressive in the second and third periods.

“I wasn’t shy to let the players know after the first period that they had to be better,” Élement said. “At university level, you can’t afford to make the kind of mistakes we made in the first period.”

The Stingers received 25 penalty minutes, while the Paladins received 12. Stingers forward Francis Brunelle received a game misconduct penalty in the third period for a hit from behind.

“It was definitely tiring [taking all the penalties],” said Stingers forward Jake Fletcher. “It seemed like there were penalties after penalties.”

Goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 24 saves in the victory. It’s his sixth win this season, and his third-straight after the team’s 8-1 loss against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Nov. 17.

“You need to focus on the present,” Turcotte said. “It’s about paying attention to what’s happening around, just staying in the game.”

The Stingers play their last game before the holiday break this Saturday night against the Nipissing University Lakers. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Stingers bring home two wins against McGill

Ricardo Monge (#15) fights for the ball in the game against the McGill Redmen on Nov. 22. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Basketball teams both 2-1 on the season

Both Concordia Stingers basketball teams beat McGill Thursday night at the Love Competition Hall in downtown Montreal. The women’s team won 77-63, while the men avenged their loss in last year’s final with a 87-81 win.

The Stingers have now won two-straight games after their opening loss against Laval. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Women’s Game

After losing their first game of the season earlier this month, the Stingers have now won two consecutive games.

The Stingers’s defence had to set up strong early in the game. The team allowed only six points in the second quarter, and led 46-23 at halftime. However, the Martlets scored 40 points in the last 20 minutes of play to give a good battle to the Stingers.

“I think we did a good job in general,” said Stingers head coach Tenicha Gittens. “There are still things we need to be tightening up defensively and fix. In the second half, a lot of their shooters got loose, and that’s just us having a mental lapse.”

First-year point guard Myriam Leclerc carried her team, registering 24 points, four assists, and four steals. Leclerc now has 59 points in three games played this season, giving her an average of 19.7 points per game.

According to Gittens, Leclerc takes pressure off her teammates. “She’s our floor general,” Gittens said. The term “floor general” in basketball is used to describe a player that brings leadership by dictating the offence. “As she goes, we go. When she’s playing well, it makes it easier for girls like [guard] Caroline Task to do what she has to do. [Forward] Coralie Dumont comes in and does what she does.”

Leclerc said the trust between the players helped her against the Martlets. “If there’s something, we let each other know,” Leclerc said. “We’re confident when we play and it helps me to know when to shoot.”

The Martlets’s crowd was loud and intense, at times making it hard for the players to hear each other, but the Stingers expected that. “We were prepared the same way we did for the other games,” Leclerc said. “We knew the crowd would be loud, but it’s an atmosphere we love to play in.”

With this win, the Stingers are now in second place in the RSEQ standings, behind the Université Laval Rouge et Or.

Men’s Game

The Stingers got back on the win column against the Redmen after losing their last game 85-68 on Nov. 15 against the Université de Québec à Montréal Citadins.

“It was that kind of game where I wanted to see how we were going to respond,” said Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic, who wanted a bounce-back effort from the loss. “We had some injuries, and now Sami Ghandour was back [for that game]. We didn’t have a great start, but I think we showed a lot of passion and we didn’t quit.”

The Stingers lost to the Redmen last March in the RSEQ final, and it was the first meeting since. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

In his first game back from an injury, Ghandour finished with nine points and nine rebounds. The Stingers scored 30 of the 47 points registered in the third quarter. Popovic said the Stingers’s defence made the difference in the second half.

“They turned the ball over, which allowed us better opportunities for easier shots, and made their defence scramble,” said Popovic about his defence.

Popovic added that his players really improved once they took the lead.

“We weren’t necessarily great in the first quarter,” Popovic said. “We missed some shots, and that’s why I think we were trailing that way. However, we really played better and consistent after.”

Stingers forward Olivier Simon led his team with 32 points, a career-high. He also finished the game with seven rebounds in 30 minutes of play. The forward credited his teammates for his performance.

“Those are team points,” Simon said. “We moved the ball well, and we knew what to do to win. Everyone contributed, so it’s a great team win.”

Simon said early wins in the season like this prove to the team what they are capable of. “We had a lot of difficulties against the Redmen in the last couple of years,” he said. “It’s a good team, but also a rival. It helps to build some confidence for the next games when we’ll face similar situations.”

Both teams play their next game on Nov. 24 against the Bishop’s Gaiters at the Concordia Gym. The women play at 2 p.m., and the men’s game is at 4 p.m.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier.

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Sports

Stingers rugby head back to nationals with different mindset

After winning the RSEQ championship, the men’s rugby team prepare for nationals in Victoria, B.C. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Men’s team looks to impress after two straight undefeated seasons

The men Concordia Stingers rugby team successfully defended their Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) title against the Bishop’s University Gaiters on Nov. 10 at the Concordia Stadium.

When a team goes undefeated for two-straight years, it might seem like things couldn’t be better, but don’t be fooled—the Stingers’s face a demanding schedule.

“The main challenge of playing loaded rugby seasons is that there is no room for error,” said fifth-year player Jonathan Banks. “Rugby is such a competitive sport with heavy amounts of contact. Injuries occur and it’s important that we have the appropriate players to fill in these gaps in the lineup, which we did.”

Third-year player Lucas Hotton said time management and good nutrition are musts in extended seasons.

“Really keeping the body in good condition would be the most important challenge,” Hotton said. “Diet, training, and rest are all factors that have to be considered in such a long year. It’s so imperative to [take care of] your body if you want to make it through.”

Coming off the 2017 championship season, the Stingers knew they were going to be the ones to beat.

“Our confidence was high, yet we knew that every other team had their game against us circled on their schedule and would give us everything they got,” Banks said. “We had to keep pushing ourselves to get better and give our all every game.”

The Stingers will play the opening game of nationals against the UBC Thunderbirds. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Head coach Craig Beemer described the Stingers’s second-straight undefeated season as a long process requiring the involvement of many people. He said he had a good coaching staff supporting him, as well as 50 hard-working players on and off the field.

“Players were really committed to the team,” Beemer said. “It also takes a lot of video sessions and practices to get there, and I think everybody did a fantastic job on that point.”

Hotton, who was with the Stingers during the 2016 season when they went 1-6, said the team’s current success is due to their mental strength. He was part of a core group of players, including Moritz Wittmann and Charles Debove that turned the team around to go undefeated in RSEQ play.

“Having come from the depths of a season where we finished last, and still having a lot of those players around, really propelled the guys last season, which really showed in our record,” Hotton said. “Then, to go to nationals and to have that same feeling we had when we finished last really pushed the guys once again to go back into that grind mode.”

The Stingers are headed to the 2018 Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship, in Victoria, B.C. from Nov. 21 to 25. Beemer said each individual on the team will have to play a key role if they want to win the tournament.

“We’ll need the best from all of our guys there,” Beemer said. “It’s not just about one or two individuals. We need everyone to step up and bring their A-game. The defence will need to be strong, and I think that was one of our assets this season.”

Third-year prop Stephen Martinez said having success at nationals has been the team’s goal since the start of the season.

“We all knew what was up for grabs with nationals, and that right away was our goal,” Martinez said. “Getting a RSEQ championship is a great accomplishment, but we wanted to try to take it to the next level and get a national championship.”

Hotton said the team’s participation at nationals last year in Guelph helped the players better prepare this season. The Stingers lost their two games in last year’s tournament against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, 46-0, and the McMaster Marauders, 38-11.

“That left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths coming back from Guelph,” Hotton said. “We really understood what work needed to be put in to get to a level were we could compete at the national stage. We sort of switched to a one-game-at-a-time mentality and progressed our defensive systems much more than before. To have so many returners really helped that new mentality, as they all understood what our goal was, and the work needed to get there.”

Banks credits the trust level between the coaches and players as a reason for their successful season. It allows the coaches to come up with the best game plans in order to win.

“When we stepped on the field game after game this season, we knew exactly what to do play after play,” Banks said. “Our coaches trusted in us because we trusted in them, and that’s what I believe makes this team so special.”

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Sports

Three-goal first period helps Stingers sink Gee-Gees

The Stingers’s three goals in the first were enough to force the Gee-Gees to make a goalie change. Photo by Gabriel Chevalier.

4-1 home win gives Concordia points in five-straight games

A three-goal first period by the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team helped the team defeat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 4-1 Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Stephanie Lalancette scored her first goal of the season after an injury. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The Stingers took control of the game early in the first period. Forwards Rosalie Bégin-Cyr, Marie-Pascale Bernier, and Stéphanie Lalancette scored three goals in less than nine minutes, giving them a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.

“I think one of the big things we’ve had trouble dealing with [recently] is playing a full 60 minutes,” said head coach Julie Chu about their start. “In the last couple of games, we haven’t been the best in the first period, so I think that’s what our main focus was. It’s making sure we have a great start. We did and we pushed the pace. We were really happy with our first period.”

The Stingers played a fast game and were first on the puck most of the time, which Chu said forecheck is something the team has been working on this season.

“I think when we get our forecheck going, a lot of great things happen,” Chu said. “Obviously, forecheck is your first line of defence, through our ability to force the opponent to create turnovers, from there to get opportunities is really big. I think that’s what happened, especially in the first period.”

Marie-Pascale Bernier scored a goal when a point shot deflected off her foot. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The Stingers took six of their eight penalty minutes of the game in the second period. Ottawa’s Alexane Papineau took advantage to score the Gee-Gees’s lone goal on the power play.

“They probably had the better on us in the second period,” Chu said. “However, we bounced back in the third and had a really solid game.”

Stingers’s goaltender Alice Philbert made 17 saves in the victory. However, she was mostly occupied in the second period, making nine saves.

“It’s about getting used to it,” Philbert said. “We had fewer shots [against us] last year, so it helped me to get used to it. What I do is thinking I’m the other goalie. I imagine myself making the saves, and it helps me to stay in the game.”

Chu said Philbert’s second period performance was a huge part of the win.

“The great thing about Alice is that she always works hard, and she always puts herself in a position to be ready to play,” Chu said. “In the second period, especially with six minutes of power play that we gave up, we obviously had to rely on our goaltender.”

The Stingers will play the Carleton Ravens on Sunday Nov. 25 at the Carleton Ice House at 3 p.m.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier.

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