Jonathan Ciaccia – The Concordian

Concordia faces elimination in game three for second year in a row

Queen’s Gaels goalie Kevin Bailie secured a 3-0 win against the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team on Friday night at the Ed Meagher Arena. He stopped all 45 shots he faced, forcing a game three in the best-of-three series in the second round of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs.

Stingers captain Philippe Hudon said he liked his team’s level of competitiveness throughout the game and fully understands they were up against a hot goaltender.

“He was outstanding,” Hudon said. “We aren’t going to cut corners on that one.” After winning game one on the road, he knew the Stingers would be facing a better Queen’s team this time around. “We certainly wanted to finish it tonight. They came out very strong and as hungry as we expected.”

The Stingers came out flying to start the game, outshooting the Gaels 14-3 in the first period. The Gaels did not get a shot in the first 15 minutes of the game. The Stingers’s aggressive play in the first caused a number of turnovers for the Gaels, but Concordia still couldn’t find a way to beat Bailie. Stingers goaltender Marc-Antoine Turcotte kept his team in it with a big save in the dying moments of the period.

The start of the second period saw a rejuvenated Gaels team.

“They collectively played as a five-man unit,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. Gaels forward Duncan Campbell opened up the scoring two minutes into the second period off an odd-man rush. The period had quality scoring chances on both ends.

The Gaels doubled their lead late in the period with a goal by Ryan Bloom off a nice passing play. The Stingers had two power plays in the period but failed to execute due to Queen’s aggressive penalty kill.

“I guess we got a little comfortable with the game, and that didn’t help us,” said Stingers defenceman Matthieu Desautels.

After a four-goal game one, the Stingers were shutout in game two. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Stingers were in for a scare late in the second period when Turcotte was forced to leave the game with an apparent injury after a scrum in front of his net.

“It’s never fun to see somebody go down, but he’s going to be alright,” Élement said. His status remains day-to-day. Stingers rookie back-up goalie Antoine Dagenais made his playoff debut replacing the injured Turcotte. “He gave us a chance to come back in the game,” Élement added.

Despite several chances, the Stingers just couldn’t find the back of the net. Queen’s defensive game was strong, as they limited their opposition’s scoring chances by blocking a number of shots throughout the game.

Gaels forward Darcy Greenaway scored a late power-play goal in the third to finish off a commanding victory for Queen’s.

“We’re going to have to get back to basics,” said Hudon about game three. “Nothing more complicated than that.” The Stingers played two games on the road against the Gaels this season and won both.

Élement said he is nothing but confident going into the final game of the series. “They finished above us,” he said. “They have the pressure.”

The Stingers find themselves facing elimination against the Gaels for a second-straight year. “If we don’t have fire going into Sunday, something’s wrong,” Hudon said.

The Stingers will play game three against the Queen’s Gaels on Feb. 25 at 2:30 p.m. in Kingston, Ont.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

After finishing second in OUA conference last season, the head coach wants a championship this year

Returning head coach of the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team, Marc-André Élement, plans on taking his team all the way to a championship this year.

“We want to win the championship, and we have the players in place to do it,” he said.

After his team’s successful run to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-final last year, Élement said he believes his team is ready to put up a fight against the conference’s top teams. “We’re bigger and we’re ready to play a physical game,” Élement said.

Last season, the Stingers finished second in the East Division of the OUA conference with a record of 19-7-2. They defeated the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks in the first round of the playoffs, making it the first time the Stingers advanced to the second round in 16 years. They lost in the second round to the Queen’s University Gaels.

This off-season, Élement set out to recruit the best players he could get his hands on to improve his team. Defenceman Carl Neill joined the Stingers this season. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Vancouver Canucks in 2015. His presence will have an immediate impact on their blue line.

Julien Rainville-Avon (right) celebrates a goal with the Concordia Stingers during the 2016-17 season. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.

Despite finishing second in their division last year, Élement insisted there is room for improvement with the team’s defensive game—an area where the Stingers struggled collectively. Out of the top four teams in the East Division of the OUA, the Stingers allowed the most goals against, with 75.

“We want to limit our opponents’ time and space with the puck,” Élement said. “We want to always be in their face.”

The Stingers signed forwards Massimo Carozza and Alexis Pépin, who both played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) last year. Pépin last played for the Val d’Or Foreurs, and was a fourth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2014. Carozza last played in junior for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Both players are expected to add firepower up front, as they both averaged over 0.6 points per game in the QMJHL.

The team has also added a new goaltender to the mix. Julio Billia, who is presently injured, will be battling to be the starting goalie against second-year goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte throughout the season. Billia spent his last five seasons playing for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the QMJHL. Élement said Billia is a big asset to the Stingers.

The coach also has high expectations for returning forwards Philippe Sanche and Anthony Beauregard to lead the Stingers in their offensive game. Sanche finished with 30 points in 26 games last season, and Beauregard finished with 19 points in 12 games. The team finished with the second-most goals in the league with 118, and Élement hopes they can carry their scoring over to this season.

“We want to [beat] other teams with our speed,” Élement said. “We want to promote university hockey, and we want to be at the top of our league.”

But the Stingers will have to find ways to score without former captain Olivier Hinse, who is now playing pro hockey in Denmark. He scored 17 goals and had 11 assists in 23 games last season. Concerning the team’s leadership void, Philippe Hudon will be the captain for the Stingers. Sanche, Raphaël Lafontaine, Alexandre Gosselin and Dominic Beauchemin will be the assistant captains.

The second-year head coach has prepared his team for the season since August. In seven pre-season games, the Stingers had a record of 4-2-1. But now it’s time for the regular season.

“We’ve had a hard training camp and we are going to be ready for the beginning of the season,” Élement said.

The Stingers kick off their season on the road against the McGill Redmen on Oct. 13.

Main photo by Kirubel Mehari.