Author: Casey Dulson

The Stingers triumphed over their rivals the McGill Redmen in the 29th annual Shrine Bowl this Saturday despite the rain.  Concordia took a 33-21 victory, improving to 2-1 on the season. The Stingers finally got it going as they dropped 449 yards of offence of the McGill defence.

The Redmen second-year pivot, Joel Houl,  had a rough day at the office as he went 21/36 for 264 yards and was intercepted three times by the ball-hawking Stingers defence.

For Concordia, the newly-minted starting quarterback Trenton Miller was in full effect Saturday as he picked apart the McGill secondary for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Miller demonstrated that he is not only dangerous through the air, but also on the ground as he chipped in 21 yards rushing along with a touchdown.

“I honestly think that our offensive line played a great game today. The defence came out strong, receivers made plays and running backs ran the ball, but I really believe that the offense line deserves a big shout-out today all of them,” Miller said after the game.

Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren, the quarterback who started the last two games for the Stingers looked comfortable in his new position at receiver, hauling in three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.

“A lot more running, you have to be more physical, definitely different but I’m still part of the team and do whatever I can to help out” said the former quarterback.

The Stingers in their first two games struggled with running as they are third last in the CIS in rushing. Saturday they finally found a solution with first year running back, Jean-Guy Rimpel. Rimpel went for 135 rushing yards on 13 carries and averaged nine yards a carry.

The Stingers defence was a force to be reckoned with as they forced the Redmen to commit four turnovers. Stingers third year cornerback, Rashawn Perry who had one of the four Concordia interceptions said, “we pride ourselves on being the best in the country so to be the best, you have to cause turnovers on a week-to-week basis.”

The Shrine Bowl is more than just a rivalry game between McGill and Concordia; it’s also a promotional fundraiser for the Shriners Hospitals for Children.  Since its inception in 1987, the game has raised an estimated $900,000. Several of the players on both sides had the chance to visit some kids at the hospital last week.

“It’s such a prestige to be playing in the game, I wish that [I had] made the visit to the hospital this year, it is awesome to know what it stands for. It’s a privilege to be playing in it,” Perry said.

“I had the chance to meet some of the kids at the hospital, from beginning to end it was a great experience and Shriners put on a great event,” said Miller.

“It’s something that is special for the children and for ConU to be hosting the game and giving all of the proceeds to the Shriners hospital for the children that what the game is all about,” said Concordia coach, Mickey Donovan on the impact of the Shrine Bowl.

Next up for the Stingers will be a tough test against the reigning national champions from the University of Montreal, Saturday afternoon at Loyola.

Concordia defensive back Mikael Charland is this weeks Stingers Athlete of the week

The fourth-year defensive back from Gatineau, Quebec played his best game of the season last Saturday, in the Stingers first victory of the year over the Bishop’s Gaiters on Sept. 12. Charland registered three interceptions in the win and added in a fumble recovery to boot.  The three interceptions tied a Concordia school record and Charland was named CIS and RSEQ defensive player of the week for his efforts. Charland for the past three seasons has led the Stingers defense in tackles averaging six and a half tackles a game.

In 2013, he had 52.5 tackles where he was ranked seventh in Canada for tackles. Charland also played a huge role this week in the Stingers convincing Shine bowl victory over the McGill University Redmen. He’s long been the rock holding the Stingers secondary together and last seson particiapted in the CIS East-West Bowl which is a showcase of the CIS’s top CFL prospects. Look for him to be on many CFL teams draft radar come the 2016 CFL draft, as he continues to be Concordia’s tackling monster. The Urban Studies major is one of team leaders and will be heavily relied upon as the Stingers make a playoff push. As every quarterbacks nightmare Charland’s abilities keep offensive coordinators up at night.

 

Stung by the missing bee, Stingers get demolished 37-0 in season opener

The Stingers entered the 2015 season with new football uniforms in hopes that the team could improve on a 5-3 record from last season. But Sherbrooke’s Vert et Or had other plans in the Stingers home opener on Friday night. The Vert et Or beat the Stingers 37-0, making it the second straight game against Sherbrooke where they were shut out. The Stingers used three quarterbacks in the game, but all of them had nothing to show for their performances.

Vert et Or’s fifth-year quarterback, Jérémi Roch, picked apart the Stingers’ defence, completing 23/30 passes for 291 yards and two touchdown passes. Roch moved the ball down the field all throughout the first half to give his side the 23-0 advantage by halftime. Roch was pulled with the game sealed in the fourth quarter for backup Mathieu Loranger, who completed a 51 yard pass to third-year receiver, Carl Gagnon, in his first play of the game. The Vert et Or ended the game with 342 passing yards and a surprising 130 rushing yards.

Throughout training camp, the Stingers quarterback competition between Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren and Trenton Miller was hotly debated. In the end the job went to Gilbert-Knorren who already had some experience under his belt when he last played for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The decision to start Gilbert-Knorren was decided a day after the preseason game against Queens according to Stingers coach, Mickey Donovan.

Donovan chose Knorren because of his dual-threat capabilities. Gilbert-Knorren went 7/10 for 91 passing yards and one interception Friday night. Knorren who looked good early on, opened the game completing his first four passes. However, he was benched after throwing a costly pick six to Sherbrooke’s Gael Bernard-Perron.

“It was unfortunate, I thought I was playing well and seeing the field well but I made some mental errors and let my team down which is unacceptable. I deserve it,” said a visibly frustrated Gilbert-Knorren.

Miller, who replaced the benched Gilbert-Knorren, completed 11 of 21 attempts for 106 yards. Miller appeared to be the more successful of the two quarterbacks as he did manage to move the ball downfield. Nevertheless, untimely mental mistakes the Stingers failed to get on the board.

Stingers third string quarterback, Colin Sequeira, also saw action in the fourth quarter hoping that he would provide some much needed magic. But, like his predecessors, he didn’t fair much better. Sequeira went, 5/8 for 39 yards and one interception.

“We just could not string enough good plays at a time. There would be one thing wrong on each drive that would screw us up,” said Miller.

“Jahlani is going to push me and I’m going to push him, we are going to keep on battling until eventually one of us will rise to the top,” noted Miller on the starting job competition.

Three quarterbacks will be dressed and playing in next week’s game against the Bishop’s Gaiters according to Donovan. “You can never have one solidified starter, they all have to compete day in and day out that how it goes,” Donovan said.

Here are ConU’s best and brightest to keep an eye out for this fall season

It’s a new season for the Concordia Stingers varsity athletics. The fall semester will see the men’s rugby team aim to defend their Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec title for the first time since 2005. Women’s rugby will be looking to avenge their disappointing loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in last season’s RSEQ title game. As for women’s soccer, they’ll be looking to improve on last season’s mediocre campaign where they managed only three wins. Their male counterparts are also looking to rebound from a disappointing year as they finished dead last in the RSEQ. On a brighter note, the Stingers baseball team has had great success in the last two seasons, as they made it to back-to-back national championship games. Here are the top four athletes of these teams to watch.

 

1. Alex Tessier, centre back; Women’s rugby

   

The third-year centre back has already made a lasting impression on the women’s rugby team. Last season, Tessier had five tries and 18 converts, totalling 70 points. Her numbers stood out enough for her to be named the RSEQ’s most valuable player and a Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) all-Canadian. Tessier, the former 2013 conference rookie of the year, has even made a name for herself representing Canada at several international rugby tournaments, notably this past summer’s super-series where she played against world superpowers: England, New Zealand and the United States. Tessier also won a gold medal at the 2014 World University Rugby Sevens Championship in Brazil. The Stingers community honoured her last year as she was named female athlete of the year. Tessier has a great chance to represent Canada at the Olympics in the near future, but right now her main goal is to lead Concordia to a RSEQ title this fall.

 

2. Yannick Fortin, fly half back; Men’s rugby

   

The fourth-year flying half back had an unbelievable 2014 season as he commandeered the Stingers to their first RSEQ championship since 2005. Fortin was honoured as an RSEQ all-star after leading the Stingers to a 5-2 record last year. He ended the season with one try and 17 points. Fortin, the two-time RSEQ all-star, will be a key player in the team’s quest to repeat their Quebec conference win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Jamal Henry, receiver; football

   

The fifth-year receiver had an injury-plagued 2014 season causing him to miss several games, however, that didn’t affect the standouts’ production. Henry posted 23 receptions for 428 yards along with four touchdowns last year. He has been a member of the Stingers football team since 2010. He is a known deep threat and has a knack for making big plays. Look for Henry to put up career numbers as he tries to garner some pro attention in his swan song season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Anthony Marandola, first baseman; baseball

The Concordia baseball team doesn’t get the same love as other varsity teams despite their back-to-back national championship appearances. The team has a lot of talented players on the roster, but none stand out more than third-year first baseman, Anthony Marandola. The third-year first baseman made a huge difference last season for the Stingers. He batted a whopping .357 along with five RBIs and 12 runs in 20 games. His impressive efforts last season earned him a second team CCBA all-Canadian roster spot. Marandola will be looked upon in 2015 to fill the void as the Stingers top hitter after all-Canadian catcher Jean-Christophe Paquin graduates.

While the U.S. has been taken over by university basketball fever as of late, Canada had their own version of March Madness.

While the U.S. has been taken over by university basketball fever as of late, Canada had their own version of March Madness. From March 12-15, the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) hosted its annual Final 8 men’s basketball tournament at Ryerson University in Toronto. The tournament saw the eight best universities from east to west compete for the right to hoist the W.P. McGee trophy and fight for the right to be called the best men’s basketball team in Canada.

In the end, the Carleton Ravens captured their fifth straight national championship in a blowout 93-46 victory against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. There were nearly 17,000 fans who attended the tournament and almost 4,000 who watched the national championship game, according to the CIS website.

The home crowd was treated to a Cinderella-like tournament: the Ryerson Rams, who weren’t considered to be a strong contender, captured a bronze medal—their first medal in Final 8 history. It was also the first time that the tournament was played in Toronto, an honour that Rams head coach Roy Rana did not take lightly.

“I take it personally, this event was a special one for Toronto,” Rana said.
Rana was hired by the Rams in 2009 and had never seen such strong support for the school, and his team, until the tournament started.

“When I got here we had 150 people at the games, we needed to beg them to come,” Rana said. “So this type of support from our students and our communities is pretty special.”

Carleton’s head coach, David Smart, raved about their host and for the city of Toronto.

“I love it, the faculties and floor were unbelievable. It is nice to win in Toronto with the basketball fans in city,” Smart said. “We like to say that Ottawa is the capital of Canadian basketball, but it is hard to argue against Toronto.”

The Ravens basketball program is the greatest university dynasty this country has ever had. They have captured 11 national championships in the past 13 years with Smart behind the bench. Despite their roaring success, not many people in this country even know who they are—in part because Canadian university basketball doesn’t have the same following compared to other sports. People who live in the U.S. were introduced to the basketball powerhouse just last year when the program was featured in an ESPN article titled, “The Canadian college basketball dynasty you’ve never heard of.”

For the past five years the Ravens have been led by British Columbian brothers Philip and Thomas Scrubb. Philip—who had 28 points in the championship game and was named Player of the Tournament for the third time in his career—is regarded as one of the greatest CIS basketball players in history. His brother, Thomas, is known for his defensive abilities and has won two consecutive CIS Defensive Player of the Year titles.

“I just wanted to come in and work hard every day in practice. I was fortunate enough to have success with great teams,” Thomas said.

“We’ve been together our whole lives … just to see all of the success [Thomas] had right from the start really helped me pick up my game to get to his level on the court,” Philip said. “It is cool, winning five national championships in five years, but I would not have been here if I did not get help in my five years. It is a tribute to my teammates and coaches.”

Having taken the court for Carleton for the last time, the Scrubb brothers will have a meeting with their coach to discuss their future prospects of playing in Europe or even the NBA.

Stingers fall apart in the fourth quarter in the RSEQ Final Four and lose to the Citadins

The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins have been the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team’s toughest opponent for the last two seasons. On Thursday, March 6, the two teams met in the semifinals of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Final Four for the second straight year.

UQAM defeated Concordia 54-47, ending the Stingers’ season. The Stingers shot a horrendous 25.6 per cent as they only made 16 of their 63 shot attempts. Citadins centre Jessica Lubin was the best player on the court as she had big presence in the paint, scoring 21 points and 20 rebounds in the victory.

The Stingers scored the first four points of the game by the fourth minute mark on back-to-back baskets by forward Marilyse Roy-Viau. At one point, The Stingers had all the momentum as they were up 12-2 after uncontested three-pointers by forward Richelle Gregoire. However, the Citadins went on a run to end the opening quarter and cut Concordia’s lead to 14-11.

The Citadins scored first in the second quarter on a free throw by guard Queteline Celestin that came two minutes into the quarter. The Citadins cut the Stingers lead to one point on three separate occasions, but the Stingers kept answering back punch for punch. The Stingers took their biggest lead of the quarter when Gregoire hit her third three-pointer of the game, which increased Concordia’s lead to four points, but by the end of the first half, the Stingers clung to a 25-23 lead.

The Citadins scored the first points of the second half on a basket by Lubin which tied the game at 25. The two teams put on an offensive display in the third quarter. After both teams struggled to find the basket for most of the game, both teams were about to open the game up.

The Citadins took their first lead of the game at 29 on a basket by Lubin, but the Stingers tied the game at 29 on basket by Daphne Thouin. The quarter ended with the Citadins scoring six unanswered points to take a 42-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The turning point in the game was when UQAM scored eight straight points in six minutes in the fourth quarter. After keeping their rivals in-check throughout the game, the Stingers were overpowered in the final frame.

The Stingers finished the season with a mediocre record of 7-10, but a couple of Concordia’s players had a big impact on the RSEQ this season. Playing in her final game as a Stinger, Barrett finished second in scoring throughout the league and was named to the second-team all-star squad. Not to be outdone, Roy-Viau was named a first-team all-star after leading the province in scoring with 252 points.

Concordia says goodbye to veteran players and coach after their playoff loss

The Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team headed to the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Final Four and played their cross-town rivals and regular season champions, the McGill Redmen.

On Friday night, the Redmen dominated the game from the opening tip off until the last whistle, winning 74-60. This was the last game played for Stingers guard, Mukiya Post, forward Gabe Riche and long-time head coach John Dore, who now has retired after 26 years.

The Redmen started the game on hot streak, opening with a 7-0 run which included a three-pointer by shooting guard Vincent Dufort. The Stingers struggled early, only getting their first basket of the game with six minutes left in the quarter by forward Mike Fosu.

The Redmen closed out the quarter scoring 15 straight points which included two three-pointers by shooting guard Regis Ivaniukas. The Stingers only shot 16 per cent in the quarter and trailed 25-7 by the end of the first.

The Stingers went on a run that saw them score six straight points early in the second to help their cause. The run was led by Post who scored five out of six points, but the Redmen continued to increase their big lead and answered with six straight points of their own. By the time the buzzer sounded for halftime, the Stingers trailed 35-19.

The Stingers came out with more urgency in the second half, sensing that their season was on the brink of defeat. The Stingers offence began to heat up and controlled the tempo for the first part of the quarter. They had crawled back and were only down by 11 points midway through the third. As the Redmen’s offence went cold, it seemed, for a moment, that the Stingers had a chance.

The Redmen rebounded from their slow start to the quarter and finished strong. They scored eight straight points to end the third quarter and were up 16 heading into the final quarter, leading 54-38.

McGill scored the first four points of the last quarter on baskets by Dele Ogundokun and point guard Ave Bross. Much like the start of the third quarter, Concordia’s offence came to life for a quick moment in the fourth quarter and exploded for 12 unanswered points. Although Concordia was only down by 10 at that point, that was as close as the Stingers got in their final game. The Redmen clinched the victory late in the game after a slew of slam dunks by Michael Peterkin that seemed to zap Concordia’s momentum.

Concordia ended the year with a record of 8-9. Despite their early exit to a superior McGill squad, several Stingers received regular season honours. Forward Ken Beaulieu was named second team all-star, point guard Ricardo Monge was named to the all-rookie team and lastly, Post won the conference’s leadership award for his non-profit organization and charitable work off the court.