The Concordia Stingers were up 2-0 at one point in the game. Photos by Alex Hutchins.
Concordia’s women’s hockey team gave up a two-goal lead to UdeM on Sunday
The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team lost 4-2 to the Université de Montréal Carabins on Sunday. The Stingers started the game strong, but surrendered four unanswered goals in the loss.
The Stingers played their best in the first period, outshooting the Carabins 13-5 and notching the game’s first goal. Ten minutes into the the first period, Stingers forward Audrey Belzile one-timed a pass from forward Stephanie Lalancette past the blocker of Carabins goalie Marie-Pier Chabot.
Early in the second period, Stingers forward Alexandria D’Onofrio provided the game’s second goal, deking past a Carabins defender and scoring on a breakaway to give the home team a two-goal lead.
However, the Stingers struggled from that point on, as the Carabins prevented them from establishing consistent offensive zone pressure for the rest of the game.
“As a whole unit, we didn’t do a great job in the second and third period,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “We had a really strong first period, we came out with a lot of energy, and in the second and third we got outworked.”
Carabins forward Valérie Drouin scored for Montréal in the second period, tipping the puck past Concordia goalie Katherine Purchase to make the score 2-1.
Purchase, playing in her 12th game of the year, allowed four goals on 31 shots for the Stingers. Despite the loss, Purchase has been improving from her poor start to the season.
“We left Kat out to hang on a couple of breakaways,” Chu said. “We’ve got to be better as a whole unit. It doesn’t lie on just one player.”
The Carabins continued to press the Stingers in the third period, frequently preventing the Stingers from breaking out of their own zone. As Chu explained, the team’s defensive struggles mainly had to do with consistency.
“A lot of it is just effort,” Chu said. “Taking care of the puck, and making sure that we have opportunities to have smart chips in places where we can get the puck [out of our zone] or relieve some pressure to get back to our forecheck.”
Carabins forward Rika Pilon-Robert scored three and a half minutes into the third period, trickling a shot past the glove of Purchase, tying the game. Five minutes later, Carabins forward Jessica Cormier gave her team the lead, shooting and scoring on a two-on-one rush.
Carabins forward Annie Germain finished off the game with six minutes left in the period, capitalizing on a breakaway chance, giving Montréal their final 4-2 lead.
While coach Chu isn’t panicking about her team’s place in the standings, she said she and her staff must emphasize that everybody needs to play 60 minutes of solid hockey.
“If the score ends up in a loss, then at least we can hang our hats on the fact that we put the effort there,” Chu said. “Tonight, we didn’t work hard enough to deserve anything better than what we got.”
The Stingers now have a 5-7-1 record, and will play again on Jan. 21 against McGill.
The Concordia Stingers were down 3-0 after the first period but found a way to win. Photos by Ana Hernandez.
Concordia’s men’s hockey team mounted a comeback after being down by three goals
The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team came from behind to defeat the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 4-3 on Jan. 6. The Stingers allowed three goals in the first period, but were able to rally back with four unanswered goals, improving their record to 13-5.
The Stingers started out the game with promise, dominating the play in the opening minutes. Concordia forward Anthony De Luca drew a high-sticking minor two and a half minutes into the first period.
The Stingers were unable to build any momentum with the man advantage, and only fell behind from there. The Varsity Blues scored on their own power play five minutes later, with forward Aidan Wallace tapping in the puck past Stingers goaltender Marc-Antoine Turcotte.
With eight and a half minutes to play in the first period, Varsity Blues forward Ryan Kirkup put Toronto up 2-0 with another tap-in from a behind-the-net pass from forward Matt Heffernan.
Turcotte, playing in only his second game for the Stingers, looked uncomfortable in net for the first period, allowing awkward rebounds on multiple shots.
“It was not his fault at all. We gave them too many good scoring chances,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement of Turcotte, who was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the first period.
“Sometimes you have no choice [but to change goalies],” Élement said. “It was just to spark the team. He’s going to bounce back.”
Philippe Cadorette, who served as starting goaltender for the Stingers in the first half of the season, came in relief of Turcotte, and stopped all eleven shots he faced over the next two periods.
“We just needed a little change, and Cadorette was ready,” said Stingers captain Olivier Hinse. “That’s what you need when you change goalies.”
Concordia started to make up lost ground in the second period. Midway through the period, the Stingers converted on one of their four power plays, with forward Philippe Sanche one-timing a pass from De Luca.
The game featured nine power plays, as the Stingers took five minor penalties. The Varsity Blues brought a physical edge to the matchup, sparking undisciplined play by both teams.
The Stingers will play the Ryerson Rams on Saturday night.
“We had to adjust a bit. We had to be more physical in the second and the third,” Élement said. “[Playing] physical doesn’t mean to be stupid, just to be in the play and involved.”
Stingers forward Charles-Éric Légaré scored shorthanded late in the period from a big individual effort, driving hard to the net and squeaking the puck past Toronto goaltender Andrew Hunt.
“We know we can come back. We know we have a strong offense, we believe in ourselves,” Hinse said. “From line one to four, anyone can score. We’re all going every night.”
Hinse himself scored two goals in the third period, both at even strength, to give his team the win over Toronto. In 2017, Hinse has six points in two games.
“I was anxious to start 2017 on the right foot. It’s my last year here,” Hinse said. “I’m kind of sad and excited at the same time.”
The Stingers play again at 7:30 p.m. at Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 7, hosting the Ryerson Rams, the second ranked collegiate team in Canada.
A mid-year look at how the men’s and women’s teams are doing from a statistical standpoint
With Concordia’s hockey teams set to take some time off for the winter break, it’s a perfect chance to take a statistical peak into how the school’s two teams have been performing this year.
The men’s team posted a 9-4-0 record through 13 games this season, while the women’s team has had a rougher time so far, playing to a 2-5-0 record in seven games. All statistics are up to date as of Nov. 24.
Men’s Team
Last year, the Stingers had no trouble putting the puck in the net. What the team lacked was consistent defense—the 2015-16 squad allowed almost four goals-against per game.
However, the Stingers have tightened up their game, improving in virtually every defensive category. In just 13 games, the Stingers have almost matched their win total from last season, thanks in part to solid team defence.
The Stingers were busy this summer, recruiting three high profile players to their roster, adding to their depth at the forward positions and addressing their defensive weaknesses.
Forward Philippe Sanche played four years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), scoring 200 points in 210 games before joining the Stingers, according to hockeydb.com. He was voted the hardest working player in the league in 2015 and has already had an offensive impact with the team.
Forward Anthony Deluca brings even more experience, having played professional hockey last year in the ECHL. Not only does Deluca lead the Stingers in scoring, but he ranks second in all of U Sports in goal scoring.
Still, it’s goaltender Philippe Cadorette who has had the greatest impact on the team’s success. Cadorette, has 209 games of experience in the QMJHL and has been able to provide the Stingers with the type of consistent goaltending the team lacked last year. He has stopped 322 of 352 shots this year.
At first glance, it would be safe to assume that the Stingers women’s hockey team has been struggling this season. However, a deeper look into their play reveals that there is room for optimism.
Shots-For-Percentage (SF%) is a statistic that measures how much a team controls the flow of play. The Stingers may have trouble elsewhere, but with coach Julie Chu at the helm, they have been outshooting their opponents more effectively than they have in years.
Where things have gone wrong for the women’s team is in net. The Stingers are dead last in save percentage in the entire country, and not by a small margin.
Starting goaltender Katherine Purchase and backup Briar Bache have combined for an 84.6 per cent save percentage this season, meaning the team has allowed 3.28 goals-against per game. For reference, the average save percentage in U Sports this year has been 91.2 per cent.
Despite her struggles, Purchase is poised to bounce back from her weak start. This season’s results included, she’s posted a 91.6 per cent save percentage in her three years in U Sports. She was also named Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) rookie of the year in 2014-15.
If Purchase is able to return to form and the team maintains their strong defensive play, the Stingers could become one of the toughest teams to score against in the league.
The Stingers played tired all game but got great goaltending from Philippe Cadorette. Photos by Alexander Cole
Concordia’s men’s hockey team played a tight game against Queen’s
After beating the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks 4-3 the night before, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey lost to the Queen’s Golden Gaels 2-1 on Nov. 19. The team looked tired and was unable to keep up with the Golden Gaels’ pace.
With a chance to match their win total from last season, the Stingers quickly got their offence rolling in the first period. Stingers defenceman Matthieu Desautels drew a high-sticking penalty less than four minutes into the period, giving the Stingers a power play.
The Stingers power play was ranked seventh in U Sports going into the game. During their first power play, Stingers forward Raphaël Lafontaine tipped a wrist shot past Queen’s goaltender Jacob Brennan to put the Stingers up by one.
The Gaels didn’t give up after allowing the first goal. For most of the first period, Queen’s forwards kept the puck in Concordia’s defensive zone, unafraid to outmuscle their opponents in the corners.
“We need to be able to play against teams that are physical—it’s a physical league,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement after the game. The Gaels never shied away from dumping the puck into the Stingers zone, engaging in puck battle after puck battle.
The Concordia Stingers now have a record of 9-4.
With just under six minutes left in the first period, Gaels forward Peter Angelopolous rewarded his team’s efforts, slipping a rebound past Stingers goaltender Philippe Cadorette, tying the game at 1-1.
While Concordia was able to keep pace with their opponents in the first period, fatigue began to set in in the second, as the team was playing their second game in 24 hours.
“Mentally, we were not ready to compete in the second [period],” Élement said. “They were not willing to pay the price. [They’re] young. [They’re] going to learn.” The Stingers were outshot 16-5 over the course of the second frame.
Queen’s forward Slater Doggett broke the tie between the two teams halfway through the second period, firing a slap shot through the legs of Cadorette.
Momentum stayed with the Golden Gaels, as Stingers forward Antoine Masson went to the penalty box minutes later for hooking. Queen’s assaulted the Stingers with numerous shots over the two-minute penalty, but Cadorette was able to keep his team in the game.
Despite the loss, Cadorette performed well, turning aside 33 of the 35 shots he faced. “He’s played well since the beginning of the season,” Élement said. “He’s one of the guys that’s always there.”
Late in the third period, the Stingers were able to push back offensively, nearly tying the game on a scramble play in front of the net. The Stingers thought they might have scored on the play, but the referees ruled no goal.
“The guys on the bench said it went in, but the ref didn’t see it,” Élement said.
While Concordia was able to pick up more shots on goal towards the end of the game, it’s clear to Élement that his team didn’t come prepared.
“We played maybe half the game,” Élement said. “The guys have to understand that if they want to win here, you have to play for 60 minutes.”
The Stingers will have a few days off before they visit the Carleton Ravens on Nov. 25.
A statistical guide of how Concordia did in the diamond this season
With Concordia’s 2016 baseball season in the books, it’s time for one last look at a year that saw the Stingers come within one win of making the national finals. Given baseball’s reputation as the “moneyball” sport, what would be more appropriate than a statistical retrospective?
The Stingers played 24 games this season in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association (CCBA), finishing second out of five teams in the Northern Division.
The Stingers were not an amazing power hitting team this year—they had only one home run in 2016. Their rivals from McGill, who finished first in the Northern division, had them beat in power at the plate.
Where the Stingers made up ground was by playing “small ball”: getting on base a lot and stealing bases. Second baseman Roberto Zapata led the team in this regard, stealing almost one base per game.
To the right are the team’s on-base plus slugging (OPS) leaders. OPS is a general purpose statistic to measure how successful batters are at the plate—such as how often they reach the base.
Concordia’s pitchers Sam Belisle-Springer and Dan Connerty had a slow start to the season, hampered by offseason rust and the pressures of becoming team leaders, as they said in last week’s article in The Concordian, titled “Saying farewell to Concordia’s pitching duo.” They bounced back by mid-October, but were unable to carry that success into the postseason.
The graph below shows the team’s earned run average (ERA) as the season progressed. ERA is the average number of runs a pitcher himself allows over seven innings.
While Belisle-Springer and Connerty are leaving the team after this season, pitchers Jarryd Taylor, Sam Brochu and Shane Mullen will likely start a lot more games next year.
The Stingers were able to pick up their second win in five games on Sunday. Photo by Alex hutchins.
The Concordia women’s hockey team was relentless on defence in their victory on Sunday
The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team dominated the Carleton Ravens on Nov. 6, winning by a score of 3-0 at the Ed Meagher Arena. They outshot their opponents 39-8, earning their second win in five games.
The Stingers took no time getting to work, out-hustling the Ravens for much of the first period. For most of the play, the puck stayed in Carleton’s defensive zone, as Concordia’s defenders played aggressively at the blue line to keep plays alive.
“We’re really working hard to allow our defencemen to go on offence,” Stingers head coach Julie Chu said.
Chu said she likes her defenders to jump into plays and contribute on offense whenever possible, whether it means joining a rush up the ice, or carrying the puck low into the offensive zone.
“They’re starting to [make rushes], and it allows us to have a lot more layers of offense and to keep [opposing] defenders on their toes a bit more,” Chu said.
Carleton goaltender Katelyn Steele stood tall for the Ravens, keeping the game tied as her team got outshot 10-3 in the first period.
The period would not be without adversity for the Stingers. With roughly four minutes left to play, defender Emily Even of the Stingers went down in the corner with an injury.
Even did not return to the ice, and the nature of her injury is unknown.
By the midway point of the second period, the Stingers were outshooting the Ravens by a 16-4 margin, and had spent almost no time on defence since the start of the period.
With seven minutes left in the period, Stingers forward Devon Thompson broke the deadlock by scooping in a rebound from a shot by Stingers forward Marie-Pascale Bernier.
Two minutes later, Stingers forward Stephanie Lalancette forced a turnover in the Ravens zone, and passed the puck to teammate Audrey Belzile, who one-timed the puck into the net to put the Stingers up by two.
The Stingers stayed relentless in the third period, conceding only one more shot to Carleton. It was a stellar defensive performance from the entire team, as Concordia goaltender Briar Bache notched an eight-save shutout in her first start of the regular season.
Chu explained that in their previous game against Montréal, the team struggled with defence.
“Throughout this entire week of preparation, we really focused on net front battles, playing pucks in the corner and taking away space,” Chu said.
Stingers forward Claudia Dubois scored the final goal of the game midway through the third period on the power play to cap off a 3-0 win. The Stingers took 31 more shots than the Ravens in their most dominant performance of the season to date.
The Stingers will hit the ice again on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m., when they play the Université de Montréal Carabins.
The Concordia Stingers baseball team made it to the conference finals and nationals. Photo by James Kierans.
Dan Connerty and Sam Belisle-Springer reflect on their time with the Stingers baseball team
Anyone will tell you that, in any sport, every team could use more than a few veterans that other players can depend on. What is less widely discussed is the pressure these veterans often put on themselves to be dependable.
With the Stingers baseball season over, veteran pitchers Sam Belisle-Springer and Dan Connerty have finished their last season with Concordia. Both players started their careers with the Stingers in 2013. Connerty left to pitch in the United States for two years, returning to Concordia in 2016, while Belisle-Springer has played four straight seasons.
When the 2016 season started, both were slated to be the team’s premier starting pitchers. Connerty had just come back from playing for Northwood University in Michigan and was named team captain, while Belisle-Springer had been awarded Pitcher of the Year in 2015.
Both were feeling the pressures of leadership.
“Going into [this season], I knew I had to be a starting pitcher, I had to be the number one guy,” said Belisle-Springer. The team had lost one of their other starting pitchers from the year before, and Connerty hadn’t played on the team in two years. “There were a lot of question marks. A lot of that pressure was pressure that I put on myself, and I think that really played into my slow start.”
Meanwhile, Connerty found himself struggling with the pressures of captaincy. He admitted that when manager Howie Schwartz named him captain, he felt like he needed to be the perfect leader the team deserved at all times.
Through the month of September, Connerty and Belisle-Springer allowed a combined 29 runs in just over 23 innings. Before too long, Schwartz decided to sit both of them down and put his background in sports psychology to use.
“He sat us down, we spoke for a good twenty, thirty minutes about what we needed to focus on,” Connerty said. “[Howie] said that I was just putting too much pressure on myself. [I’m a] strong enough leader off the field that, when I go into the game, I don’t have to expect to be perfect.”
Connerty adjusted his leadership strategies, understanding that not everyone on the team had the same competitive spirit he and Belisle-Springer brought to the game.
“There was a difference this year [from] the 2013 team. Not playing at 100 per cent wasn’t acceptable [in 2013]. We had guys on the team who held you accountable. This year, you couldn’t really do that,” Connerty said. “There’s a fine line between being constructive, and coming off as a condescending asshole.”
Belisle-Springer agreed that sometimes the commitment level on the team was lacking. “I had the feeling that half the team didn’t care,” Belisle-Springer said. “The starters really cared but we had a lot of guys who were [just] there.”
With Schwartz’s guidance, the two pitchers were able to finish the regular season with style. By mid-October, both had managed to bring their respective earned-run-averages below four. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to translate this strong play into success at Nationals.
“I had a really strong stretch of three or four starts, and I wasn’t able to carry that over into Nationals,” Belisle-Springer said. “The big disappointment is that I feel like I’m a lot better than what I’ve done in my four years.”
Dan Connerty pitched in the United States for two years before coming back to the Stingers.
The Stingers lost in the semi-finals of the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association National Championships to the Université de Montréal. Neither Connerty nor Belisle-Springer have won a title in their time with the team.
“The main reason I came here was to win a national championship. I really thought we had it,” Connerty said. “Once I got to Nationals, I wanted to leave this weekend with no ‘what ifs.’”
Despite performing well individually at Nationals, Connerty still can’t shake the sting of the loss. “As the captain, your goal is to get the team prepared to win,” Connerty said. “We didn’t win. In that sense, I failed. I can handle it, [but] it’ll take time.”
Belisle-Springer doesn’t want to carry too many regrets about how his collegiate career ended, but wishes his team could have had one more showdown with their rivals. “It was disappointing not to get another shot at Mcgill,” he said. The Stingers played the Redmen six times this season without pulling off a single win.
As for how the team will do without them next year, Belisle-Springer is uncertain, but cautiously optimistic. “I think we’ve got some good young guys. [Pitcher Jarryd] Taylor is going to be really solid next year,” Belisle-Springer said. “Hitting-wise, that’s where I’d be a bit worried, because we weren’t a great hitting team this year and the best hitters are leaving.”
For Connerty and Belisle-Springer, the end of their time at Concordia does not necessarily mean the end of organized baseball. They both have intentions of going pro.
“We’re both at the skill set where we can continue to take baseball further,” Connerty said. While Major League Baseball may be out of the question, both pitchers are confident they could make it in lower-level independent leagues or overseas.
“I’ve always been told, anything you can do, do it as far as you can,” Connerty said. “[So] why the hell not? Real life’s pretty boring anyway.”
Belisle-Springer is equally ambitious about his future in the game and said he’ll look back fondly on the time he spent playing for the Stingers.
“I grew a lot as a baseball player, and I have a lot more growing to do,” Belisle-Springer said. “When I finally put it all together, I’ll be able to say I was a pretty good baseball player. One day.”
The Concordia Stingers lost 11-2 in the final game of their season. Photos by James Kierans.
Concordia’s baseball team was unable to get into the CCBA finals
The Concordia Stingers baseball team lost to the Université de Montréal Carabins by a score of 11-2 in the semi-finals of the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association (CCBA) National Championship on Oct. 30. It was the third time in four years that the Stingers made the national semi-finals.
After three games of round-robin play, the Stingers went into Sunday’s semi-final matchup with a 2-1 record, clinching the first place for the knockout stage of the tournament.
Pitcher Shane Mullen started the game for the Stingers, seeing his first action of the 2016 post-season. He struggled very early on, allowing two hits, a walk and two runs in the first inning alone.
By the top of the third inning, Mullen had allowed five runs and was pulled off the mound in favour of reliever Sami Brochu. However, Brochu did no better, retiring only two of the eight batters he faced before being pulled himself.
Still, despite his pitchers’ performances, manager Howie Schwartz stood by his decision to play them. “[Brochu] didn’t throw quality pitches—this wasn’t his day,” Schwartz said. “These guys are human. It wasn’t like nobody out there was working or trying. They just didn’t execute.”
Sam Belisle-Springer pitched the last four innings of the game for Concordia, limiting the Carabins to only three more runs. Belisle-Springer, one of the Stingers two star pitchers, had been slated to start in the championship finals, had the team made it.
The Stingers battled back offensively late in the game, loading the bases in the bottom of the fifth. However, they were only able to produce one run in the inning, despite getting three hits on Carabins pitcher Charlie Loignon.
The Stingers will now have to wait until next season for a shot at a title.
“We had a lot of hard hits. We just couldn’t string them together,” said Stingers right fielder Peter Zidros. After the game, Zidros received the award for best hitter of the tournament.
Although they produced eight hits and only struck out once at the plate over the course of the game, Concordia was not able to tire out Loignon as they had in past games.
“We were inconsistent at the plate,” Schwartz said. “I knew we could score a lot of runs against this team particularly—they don’t have [a relief pitcher] to close it down if they run into trouble.”
Earlier in the season, Concordia had mounted a five-run comeback against Loignon and the Carabins by scoring 15 runs in a single inning.
Université de Montréal went on to lose to the Mcgill Redmen in the finals of the CCBA Championship.
With Concordia’s season over, Schwartz now has to turn his attention to next year’s team.
“We’ve got a little bit of recruiting to do,” he said
While the 2016 season wasn’t a failure, Schwartz wishes he could have seen his veterans go out on top.
“This was their last game of university ball, and I’m disappointed they didn’t have another chance to get to a championship,” said Schwartz.
The Concordia Stingers baseball team has earned a spot in the Northern Division Championship game. Photos by James Kierans.
Great pitching and timely offense propelled the Stingers to a spot in the Northern Division Finals
The Concordia Stingers baseball team swept the Carleton Ravens in their playoff best-of-three series on Oct. 15 at Springate Park thanks to solid pitching performances from Sam Belisle-Springer and Dan Connerty.
The Stingers opened the scoring early in the first game. Stingers shortstop Matthew Litwin scored off a ground ball, giving the Stingers an early lead.
The score stayed at 1-0 until the fifth inning, when the Stingers were able to score off of great base-running from centre fielder Roberto Zapata. Zapata’s run gave the team a 2-0 lead.
That was all the run support the Stingers needed for game one, as Belisle-Springer stood his ground defensively, striking out nine batters through six and one-third innings.
The Ravens came close to tying the game in the top of the sixth, when they managed three hits and a run against Belisle-Springer. The pitcher’s confidence, however, didn’t waver.
“Would I have preferred if they [didn’t get those hits]? Of course,” said Belisle-Springer. “But I had confidence enough in my fast ball and my slider today that I felt like I could get out of pretty much any jam.”
Zapata pitched in relief for the last two batters of the seventh inning and closed out the game. Zapata had both the game-winning run and a save.
In the second game of the afternoon, Connerty started for the Stingers. The Ravens had a tough time with him as well, as he allowed only five batters on base over the course of the deciding game.
“That was definitely my best outing of the year,” Connerty said. He shut out the Ravens through five and two thirds innings of play.
“That was the Connerty I knew in 2013,” Stingers manager Howie Schwartz said. “He knew he was on a very short leash, we could not afford to let him get out there and throw [too many walks]. He came out firing.”
Despite Connerty’s performance, game two was not easily won, as the Stingers struggled to generate offense against Carleton’s left-handed pitcher Mike Bannon. Over the course of the first six innings, Concordia got runners into scoring position four times, but failed to convert every time.
The Stingers have picked up a spot in the Nationals.
Still, with the chance to advance to the Division Finals on the line, the Stingers were confident in their game. “It was just a matter of time until we won that game,” Belisle-Springer said. “There was no way we were going to Ottawa [for a game 3].”
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Stingers finally broke the deadlock, as second baseman Mathieu Paquette-Groulx scored from third base off of a wild pitch. The Stingers won game two 1-0 and completed their sweep of the Ravens in back-to-back close games.
Connerty said that the team was comfortable winning by such a close margin as they have been doing so all season.
The Stingers are already preparing themselves for next week’s matchup. Belisle-Springer has no doubt in his mind as to who he’d rather face between the Université de Montréal and McGill who are playing game three of their series on Oct. 17.
“I’d rather beat McGill,” he said.
The Stingers will play next weekend for the Northern Division Championship, and have clinched a spot in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association Nationals.
The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team start off their season with a record of 1-0. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Concordia came back from two goals down to defeat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees
The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team beat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 5-4 in a shootout, surmounting a two-goal deficit midway through the third period to secure a win in their season opener on Oct. 14 at the Ed Meagher arena.
The Stingers had a slow start to the game, with the Gee-Gees pressuring them early and often. Ottawa defenders played aggressively at their own blue line, while their forwards caused turnover after turnover in Concordia’s defensive zone.
“In our first period, we didn’t start well,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “We might have had the benefit of some power plays, but overall we were a little bit flat.”
Ottawa took four minor penalties in the first period. Concordia took advantage, with forward Marie-Pascale Bernier scoring from a sharp angle to give her team a 1-0 lead.
The Gee-Gees responded with just four seconds left before first intermission, as forward Melissa Grégoire chipped a rebound past Stingers goaltender Katherine Purchase.
In the second period, the Stingers adjusted to Ottawa’s aggressive defenders, creating several breakouts into the Ottawa zone.
“Ultimately, we just said that we have to work harder,” Chu said. “They were beating us to pucks, we were half into our [strategies], and not fully in.”
Concordia had the puck on their sticks for most of the period, but Ottawa would still strike first. Forward Roxanne Rioux of the Gee-Gees scored on a power play halfway through the second period. The Stingers would tie it again before intermission, as Stinger forward Claudia Dubois fired a screened shot past Gee-Gees goalie Maude Lévesque-Ryan.
The momentum stayed with the home team at the start of the third, but Concordia’s skaters struggled to take advantage of scoring chances, despite commanding the play.
“When you’re playing against a good team, they’re gonna force you, and we’re not always going to be able to get the same opportunities and be able to put pucks on net,” Chu said.
Midway through the third period, Ottawa took the lead, scoring two quick goals only 90 seconds apart. Stingers forward Claudia Fortin then got called for a hooking penalty with eight minutes left in the game, but the Gee-Gees were unable to convert.
As the penalty expired, Concordia forward Stephanie Lalancette rushed up the ice alone, deking through a defender, and sniping the puck past the Ottawa goalie, bringing the score to 4-3.
“We want to possess, possess and eventually we’ll start to wear them down,” Chu said of her team’s persistence.
Minutes later, the Stingers, on their seventh power play of the game, would tie the game with a point shot from defender Caroll-Ann Gagné, forcing overtime.
Despite lots of action at both ends of the rink, the teams went to a shootout after five minutes of four-on-four. Dubois scored the only goal in the shootout for the Stingers, banking one off the crossbar and back in the net off of Lévesque-Ryan. Purchase stopped every shot she faced to secure the win for Concordia.
Chu said that she encourages her team to enjoy the moment but that with their next game on Sunday, their focus will have to shift quickly.
“It’s another game, and if they don’t show up to play, it doesn’t matter if we won tonight,” Chu said.
The Stingers will host the Université de Montréal Carabins in their next game on Oct. 16 at 3 p.m.
The Concordia Stingers received solid pitching in their two games against Ottawa. Photos by James Kierans.
Concordia’s star pitchers came through in back-to-back games
The Concordia Stingers baseball team picked up a pair of wins in their double-header against the University of Ottawa on Oct. 1. The wins were supported by solid back-to-back performances from their duo of star pitchers. The win improved the team’s record to 9-6 on the season.
Pitcher Sam Belisle-Springer had his most dominant game of the season, throwing over 100 pitches in eight innings. Holding Ottawa to three hits in the first game of the afternoon, Belisle-Springer stayed cool under pressure, keeping the score tied at 1-1 late into the game.
“He was starting to get a little tired, although he’ll never admit it. He’s always good to go,” said Stingers manager Howie Schwartz.
Belisle-Springer kept the Stingers in the first game, denying Ottawa with timely strikeouts.
“He does have a lot of potential to come around when he needs to, when his mind’s right,” Schwartz said. “He now has confidence.”
Concordia still had difficulty building momentum in the first game though, with only one hit in the first seven innings. Ottawa pitcher Roberto Suppa pitched a strong game, getting eleven strikeouts.
The Stingers only managed to break the tie in extra innings, when Suppa was replaced with relief pitcher Justin Raymond. Raymond allowed four batters to reach base, and quickly lost composure, receiving two warnings from the umpire for complaining about strike calls. Stingers third baseman Sammy Fagan got the walk-off run batted in (RBI) in the eighth inning, sealing a 2-1 victory.
In the second game of the double-header, Concordia’s batters were able to adjust to the game.
“We had a talk at the end of the first game,” Schwartz said. “I explained to them that they have to have quality at bats, whether they’re gonna get a hit or not.”
The Stingers almost quadrupled their number of hits in the second game, building an eight-run lead by the end of the fourth inning. Stingers center fielder Roberto Zapata led the team with four hits in four plate appearances.
“He’s an extraordinary talent,” Schwartz said of Zapata. “When he focuses, he’s our number one guy.”
The Stingers improve their record to 9-6 on the season.
Pitcher Dan Connerty started the second game for Concordia, and although the Stingers had another strong defensive game, there was still room for improvement from Connerty. Ottawa batters earned five hits against him in six innings, and made contact on a lot of his pitches.
“We faced these guys last game. They were a little bit more prepared [for my pitching style],” Connerty said. “I like to get away with getting as much contact as I can.”
Still, Connerty allowed only one run, and with an improved offence, the Stingers won the second game of the afternoon, 8-1.
“They responded,” Schwartz said. “They’re a good, talented team, but sometimes, they’re young, and they don’t keep focus on what they’re supposed to do. This is a mental game, not a physical game.”
The Stingers now sit in second place in the Northern Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association division, and will close out their season on Oct. 6 against the Université de Montréal Carabins.
Concordia’s baseball team pulled out a victory against the Université de Montréal
The Concordia Stingers baseball team picked up their fourth win of the season against the Université de Montréal Carabins on Sept. 22, as quality base-running and solid pitching propelled them to an 8-3 win.
Despite some poor weather conditions and some shaky defensive plays, Concordia played a strong game, headlined by pitcher Jarryd Taylor’s first game of the season.
“[The game] was solid,” Stingers manager Howie Schwartz said. “Our last two games have been our first two games of the year that we’ve pitched well.”
Through almost a full seven innings, Taylor held the Carabins to two hits and eight walks. He struck out nine batters, and did not concede a single earned run on his way to his first win of the season.
“What [Taylor’s performance is] going to do is set the table for our number one and two guys, Connerty and Belisle-Springer, to [pick up] their performances,” Schwartz said.
The Stingers received great pitching in their 8-3 victory. Photos by James Kierans.
Despite the strong pitching, the Stingers were far from perfect on defense as they made mistakes due to a lack of communication and a combination of wind and rain.
During one play in particular, second baseman Alex Hall and right fielder Matthew Litwin collided going after a ball which allowed the Carabins to pick up two runs.
It was the Stingers offensive play that set the tone for the game, as they got on base 18 times, their second highest mark of the season. The team also capitalized on their success at the plate, stealing six bases without being caught once.
“We’re not big hitters, we’re a very fast team, we have to take the extra base, we have to steal, we have to do hit and runs,” Schwartz said. “In the first four games we didn’t have a chance to do that because we were behind the whole time.”
Shortstop Michael Makarios led the team with three stolen bases, including one in the bottom of the fourth. Carabins catcher Alexandre Cloutier tried to pick him off, but the throw was dropped by the second baseman, allowing Stingers first baseman Stefan Brady to steal home from third base.
“A lot of running, a lot of extra bases, a lot of stealing, a lot of hit and run. That’s what our team is all about,” Schwartz said.
The Stingers now have a 4-4 record as they prepare for their doubleheader on Sept. 24 in Ottawa.
