Author: Sam Obrand

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Music

A lion’s tale: getting to know Made Them Lions

The Montreal-bred band offers-up advice on how to gain success as a musician

Inspired by their collective experiences of perseverance through life’s most inexplicable detours, five close friends came together and made the most of their journey; a journey that to them, has Made Them Lions.

The road began once lead vocalist Michael Valetta and guitarists Matthew Gillis and Jeffrey Cohen, three childhood neighbours, met bassist Jono Thorpe and drummer Stuart Asprey.

“Mike, Jeff and I all grew up on the same street. We went to school together and we were friends for a long time. We started a band in high school and we’ve been playing music ever since,” said Gillis.

It didn’t take long for the members of Made Them Lions—MTL for short—to show their true colours. The five friendly and humorous musicians share a refreshing rapport that is reinforced by energetic, supportive and grounded individual personalities.

This Montreal-born band credit their modern-pop rock and reggae sound to their personal musical upbringing.

“We listen to a lot of different music. There’s a lot of overlap, but we all personally have our own little favourite bands. I’m a huge fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Flea is a huge inspiration for me. I also love The Police; I think The Police have a big influence on our reggae sound,” said Thorpe.

“I grew up on The Police and Bob Marley, but also on the Foo Fighters. I think we’ve just taken a bunch of sounds and mixed them together,” said Gillis.

MTL spent over a year developing their latest self-titled album. The hard-nosed effort features producing work from musicians John Nathaniel and former lead vocalist and guitarist of the pop punk band Treble Charger, Greg Nori.

Together Made Them Lions, Nathaniel, and Nori, who has worked with well-known Canadian bands such as Sum 41 and Hedley, have completed an album which they feel embodies the journey of different emotions and memories of the band’s past.

“There isn’t one way that a song is born. Sometimes one of the band members will have an idea that they’ve been working on, they’ll bring it in and we’ll all contribute to it. Sometimes we’re just jamming and ideas come out and we build on it and go from there,” said Gillis on the conception of a song.

MTL have had two of their 2014 releases place above 15 on the Palmares Top 100 chart.

“It’s amazing, I think, for all of us, it’s a dream come true. We all want to play music; we want to see some success and we want to be able to support ourselves and keep playing music all the time,” said Thorpe, remarking on the experience of putting together an album and seeing their art grow in popularity.

Thorpe continued to express the band’s devotion and dedication towards their end goal of making their music heard by the entire world’s population.

MTL has played in front of crowds as little as four people and as large as 60,000. They’ve shared the stage with and learned valuable lessons from popular artists like Sean Paul, Our Lady Peace, Hedley, B.o.B. and more.

“Sixty thousand people, crowds like that, it’s so surreal that you don’t really have time to process what’s going on. It’s almost like it happens in a dream-like state and afterwards you look back on it in disbelief and say I can’t believe that just happened,” said Valetta.

“When there’s four people in front of you and all you want to do is go home and you’re in Vancouver, that’s when you really get a taste of who you are. It’s a pleasure,” he added.

The band unanimously agreed that no matter how big or small the crowd, they pour their hearts into every performance. For them, every opportunity is a gratifying experience, and every experience gained is just another reason for the band to keep doing what they love to do.

When asked if the band had any words of wisdom to impart on future artists trying to find their sound and style, the captivating, high-tempo, sweat-dripping, stage diving, smiling members of MTL had an interesting response.

“When you’re practicing and working at your sound, just keep practicing, work hard and perfect what you’re doing. Make sure that everything is great and then when you get up on stage just have fun,” said Gillis.

“Just have fun, be yourself and go for it, you’ll end up making people have fun,” said Cohen.

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Sports

SPORTS RANT OF THE WEEK

It’s only a few shorts sleeps until the National Football League kicks off for another season of  hard-nosed  good ol’ fashioned football. The NFL reels in $11.2 billion USD in annual revenue and has literally monopolized a day in the week: Sunday. I’m not sure if people realize this, so I wrote it again: a sport has taken over a day in the week, and as an added reminder, there are only seven days. The NFL HAS TAKEN ONE-SEVENTH OF OUR LIVES!

For some, Sunday might be a lazy couch potato, cocoa-sipping, Netflix-watching kind of day, but for my fellow NFL patrons out there, Sunday only translates to a comfortable seat placed in front of an oversized television.

We’re talkin’ drippin’ cheese nachos, tall frosty beers, fantasy football, tailgating, cheerleaders, mascots, extra points from just a further bit back, team colors, cheers, frustration, redzone tackles; TOUCHDOWN!!!! You woke the baby, trash-talking friends, trash-talking foes, and much more non-stop entertainment to let you forget about all the domestic abuse charges that took place over the summer.

You could be lazier than the backup quarterback if the starter stays healthy, who by the way has the best seat in the house and the best job in sports. Did I mention he doesn’t have to deal with a 6 foot, 5 inches, 300 pound steroid monkey who’s hell-bent on leaving you crippled?

Sure, starters get all the glory and if they’re good enough make upwards of $10 million for 16 weeks of work, but if they get hurt, they can get cut and left with nothing. Guess who makes an average of $600 000 to $2.1 million and receives full benefits… The backup! Worst case scenario, if all fails, there’s always the CFL and the free Canadian healthcare system.

Case in point, Sunday is the property of the National Football League and the backup QB is thriving in the midst of the best job in pro sports. Happy Football watching everyone.

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Sports

Mickey’s Minions prepare for war

The much anticipated Stingers football season is right around the corner, as the Stingers look to build off last season success in phase two of the Mickey Donovan reclamation project

The Concordia Stingers football team will kick off their 2015 season on home turf when they host the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Friday, Sept. 4.

Optimism is in the air as the Stingers followed a winless 2013 campaign with last season’s 5-3 record, their first winning season since posting an identical result in 2008.

“This conference is so strong, I feel it’s the best conference in the country,” said Stingers’ Head Coach Mickey Donovan. “The West is very competitive this year, but this is unique. Last year we took every opponent seriously. In this conference you have to. Even if we get to the top I’m not going to tell you that we could look past a team, because you can’t,” he added.

The Stingers have brought in roughly 65 freshmen, 35 of which will make the active roster. With such large number of inexperienced players, Donovan expressed that his family-first approach to building team chemistry is state advantageous for young players’ development.

“We don’t act like someone we’re not, we don’t pretend to be someone we’re not. But mainly its all about open arms, doors, concept and we’re here for them,” said Donovan, who earned RSEQ Coach of the Year honours in 2014.

“We have to make it comfortable for any student athlete that comes through the door so that way they get on the field, they get in the classroom, they go in the weight room and everything is natural to them like they’ve been here before.”

According to the second-year head coach, the Stingers have five fifth-year returning players on the roster. As a result, the team’s lack of veteran presence could hurt them against conference juggernauts Laval and reigning national champions Montreal.

The Stingers have lost a slew of cornerstone players such as: three-year starter cornerback Kevin Prempeh, linebacker Travis Brent, and All-Canadian halfback Kris Robinson.

Donovan, however, is confident that a new regime of veterans will be able to carry the load left behind by the departed Stingers.

“Roman Grozman, Jamal Henry, Keegan Treloar, Arto Khatchikian, Mikael Charland, Rashawn Perry, Andrew Barlett all have a veteran presence and guys look up to them,” said Donovan. “All these guys are great leaders and we don’t have too many vets here right now, but there are a lot of guys that they have to look over and help out, that’s part [of] being in this family,” he added.

The team faces a large question mark as to who will claim the starting job, but Donovan says that the four potential quarterbacks each bring unique and innate characteristics that set them apart from one another. In all likelihood, the Stingers should have three Quarterbacks dressed for the Sept. 4 season opener.

“I think our games are going to be challenging week to week, but I can’t tell myself that I don’t know if we could beat Laval, that I don’t know if we could beat Montreal,” stated Donovan. “I definitely go in and say, we have a shot. It’s all about how we execute and how we get them ready to perform and it comes on them when the whistle blows.”

Edit: A previous version of the article stated that Donovan’s family-first approach to building team chemistry was “state disadvantageous for young players’ development” rather than advantageous. We regret the error.

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Sports

Goaltender snags Rookie of the Year

Katherine Purchase awarded as the conference’s brightest young star

Still in the midst of her first year at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business, it wouldn’t be unfair to refer to Katherine Purchase as a rookie, at least academically speaking.

On the ice, however, the accounting major’s rookie campaign is complete. And boy, was it ever a great one.

Photo by Brianna Thicke.

Last week, Purchase’s first Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) season was marked with a high honour, as she was named the 2014-15 Conference Rookie of the Year.

“It means a lot. This year went so much better than expected so to have an award for that is just the cherry on top. It’s surreal,” Purchase said.

The 18-year-old goalie posted a 1.07 goals against average and a .959 save percentage in 11 games played—the best in women’s hockey in Canada. Although her stats speak loud enough, Purchase credits the Stingers defensive unit for executing their defensive zone coverage with great mobility, and continued to speak passionately about her locker room company.

“I really love the group of girls on our team. I think we have a great team dynamic and everyone is just so supportive of each other. We all trust and believe in each other. We believe in ourselves as a team and know we could beat the top teams,” she said.

Purchase feels as though the room doesn’t allow for much negativity and credits the team morale towards a light environment, one she believes allowed her to mesh with her teammates. Being the youngest amongst the rest of the Stingers hockey club, Purchase expressed her feelings of intimidation, but the Stingers family-first approach gave her the welcome and encouragement she needed to move forward and ultimately perform at a high-level.

Purchase has also been known for her determination and hard work ethic. She is a top student at Concordia University with a 4.3 GPA and firmly believes that her principles in the classroom overlap onto the ice.

“It’s a mindset. When I go to school I want to make sure that I understand everything. I strive to get A-pluses, I don’t try to coast. It’s the same with hockey, it coincides. I don’t like to coast, I want to try to be the best and to try and reach my ceiling and go beyond that,” said Purchase.

The Halifax native trains extensively to keep-up with the rest of the team by never wasting a minute and taking advantage of every opportunity that is presented to her. She even goes as far as watching old reels of herself in effort to rectify mistakes and improve on understanding the game from every angle.

“I trained really hard over the summer because I knew that university girls are really in-shape and I wanted to get to that level because I didn’t want to fall behind further than everyone else,” said Purchase.

“I love being on the ice, I love practices, and I never want to waste ice-time. I try to make the most of every minute and try to improve as best as I can in that timeframe,” she added.

Her passion for the game stems from her mother, an inspiration she believes was the reason why she got into hockey in the first place. Purchase began playing hockey at the age of nine, but decided to put her faith in being a full time goalie at 12.

Despite losing in the first round of the playoffs to Université de Montréal, Purchase believes that the Stingers hockey program is on the rise and is optimistic about next season.

“Things are really looking up for the team next year. Our goals are only going to be a little bit higher, we’ll probably strive to place as a top-tier team.”

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Sports

Stingers eliminated from the playoffs

Photo by Andrej Ivanov

Men’s hockey team pushes cross-town rivals to the brink but can’t complete the upset

Photo by Andrej Ivanov

Game 1

 

Playoff hockey began last Wednesday, Feb. 11, for the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team as they faced their local rivals the McGill Redmen in the first of a three-game series.

Hosted by McGill at McConnell Arena, the eighth-seeded Stingers exemplified that they were a resilient club, beating their first-placed counterparts 6-4 in what was a spirited opening tilt.

“We certainly followed the game plan to a tee and that got us a win,” said Stingers Head Coach Kevin Figsby on the team’s execution.

Highlighting the game was the combined effort from Stingers Captain Olivier Hinse and Forward Jessyko Bernard, who each recorded three points in the victory. Hinse, who notched two power play goals, led the Stingers in scoring with 18 goals and 31 points in 26 regular season games.

Concordia took a 4-1 lead through the midway mark of the third before the Redmen responded, scoring two goals within six minutes of play and cutting Concordia’s lead to just one.

McGill marked their fourth goal of the evening with just 14 seconds left on the clock, but it was too little too late for any light of a comeback.

Game 2

 

Game two of the series took place at the Ed Meagher Arena where an electrified Concordia crowd presented a true playoff atmosphere.

The game itself did not meet the crowd’s expectations as McGill validated their first place standings and stung the Stingers with a 5-0 victory.

“It was symptomatic tonight, we‘ve had series in the season where we play great for a few games straight, then we have a mental letdown. Tonight I just don’t think our give-a-damn metre was high enough,” said Figsby.

The Redmen presented a style of play that was full of urgency, commanding a 4-0 lead after two.

Concordia’s lack of discipline plagued the team as they posted 31 penalty minutes on 10 infractions, costing the Stingers valuable even-strength hockey.

The Redmen recorded their fifth goal midway through the third, keeping the game out of reach and sending the series to a winner-takes-all finale.

Game 3

 

The stage was set at the McConnell Arena for the third and final showdown between the two squads.

Both clubs presented will and grit once the rubber was dropped, but McGill prevailed on home ice, taking the deciding game 6-3.

“I think we scared the shit out of them with that first win in the first game and what it did was give our guys a lot of confidence to know that as we grow and develop as a team and as a program then we can compete with the top teams,” said Figsby.

Concordia struck first, scoring off a rebound that forward Ben Dubois found for the 1-0 early lead. It only took two minutes before McGill’s regular season point leader Cedric McNicoll found a bouncing puck in front of Concordia’s goal and scored the equalizer.

On a Redmen possession at the 11:00 minute mark, an initial shot caused Stingers netminder Robin Billingham to be out of position, allowing forward Mathieu Pompei to tuck the puck in from the left side, putting McGill ahead 2-1 to end the first.

Concordia started the second with strong possession time, but a McGill clear took an awkward bounce in the corner that sent the puck right in front of the Stingers goal where Redmen David Rose capitalized, extending McGill’s lead by two.

With six minutes into the second period, a streaking Pietro Antonelli came out of the box, outskated Concordia’s defense, cut towards the crease and made a one-handed backhand move to notch McGill’s fourth unanswered goal.

With just less than 30 seconds left in the second period, Ben Dubois dropped a pass to Philippe Hudon who sent a clapper into the mesh, cutting McGill’s lead to 4-2.

The third began with the highest emotional level of the series, but McGill’s defensive unit hardly gave Concordia any room to operate.

Just past the midway mark of the frame, a shot from the right corner deflected through backup Goalie Alexandre St-Arnaud and put the Redmen up 5-2.

Stingers forward Danny Potvin made a great effort to find the back of the net off a quick rush, putting Concordia back within two, but an empty net goal erased any hopes of a comeback.

“These guys persevered through. In 20 years from now when those guys all gather together no one is going to worry about tonight, they’re going to worry about the four or five years that they’ve spent together as friends and what it meant to have that opportunity given to them by Concordia University to play at one of the highest levels of amateur hockey in the world,” said Figsby.

 

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Sports

Donovan earns Coach of the Year

After his inaugural year, Donovan’s family-first concept has led to success on the field

“Keep dreaming and keep believing, because without the dreams, it’s a hard life to live. I kept dreaming,” says men’s football Head Coach Mickey Donovan.

After revamping the Concordia Stingers football program, Donovan captured the top honour by being named the Réseau du Sports Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Conference Coach of the Year.

Donovan appeared to be quite flattered to have even been considered for the award. However, his ambitions are set to a higher standard, and he feels as though the award represents more than just an individual honour.

“There’s only one trophy I really want and I haven’t gotten it, but to be the Coach of the Year in RSEQ, I really appreciate it,” said Donovan. “I think it’s a staff award.”

Donovan even went as far as getting individual plaques made for his entire coaching staff in order to emphasize their importance.

“A team isn’t done by one guy, and it’s not done by 10 guys, it’s whoever is involved. Whether it’s the water guy, to the head coach, to one of the players, we’re all together and we’re all in it with some type of piece that keeps us together,” he said. “You treat everyone how you want to be treated, make everyone feel good, and everyone will be happy.”

Coaching alongside his brother Pat, the Donovans and the football staff led the Stingers to an impressive 5-3 record, as well as the team’s first playoff appearance since 2011.

Despite losing to Laval in the conference semi-finals, Donovan admitted that the season was fulfilling. It built a foundation for seasons to come, and he says that everyone is too competitive to settle for anything less than a title.

“They always say, ‘which one is your favorite championship?’ It’s the next one, and that’s how it goes for me, my brother, and the other coaches,” Donovan said.

“We all have main goals and our main goal is to get to the top. We want to be the best in the country,” he added.

When asked about the unity of the squad and the program, Donovan took a step back to reflect upon the season as a whole and focused on a single game that he believes to have served as the catalyst for the team’s morale.

“I think it all just came together. We had a pre-season game at Queen’s and we were down at halftime and we kept fighting and we won, and until this day I think that was the game that gave these guys life,” said Donovan. “It gave this program life again.”

A former Stinger himself, Donovan preaches a positive mentality and family-first environment to his players and coaching staff. He says that with the countless destructive events that take place around the globe, there’s simply no room for any negativity in his locker room.

Donovan made it clear that one of the biggest keys to his recent success comes courtesy of his brother Pat. The relationship and respect between the two is evident to everyone involved with the team. Donovan says that the spirit and heart of his brother keeps him in check and allows him to make the proper decisions.

“I think the guys here, the players here and the coaches that we have, we preach family. And I could do that very easily because I have my brother working with me and the other coaches that I have are very close, it’s pretty good,” he said. “The kids see it, and they feel it and they believe in it.”

Donovan believes that if a single player comes to the field feeling unwelcomed or distraught, the team suffers as a unit. He shows extreme compassion for his players and coaching staff and tries to secure the well being of their environment.

“To show your love and your care for people when you truly mean it, it’s something natural that just comes off of you as a human being and I think that’s what pulled it all together in the right way,” said Donovan.

 

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Sports

Men’s hockey lose lead and fall to Mustangs

Concordia gave up an early lead to Western, who went on to win 8-4

The Western Mustangs erased a three-goal, first-period deficit, scoring seven unanswered goals, en-route to a dominating 8-4 win over the Concordia Stingers. The loss was Concordia’s fourth-straight.

Head Coach Kevin Figsby said that the loss came as a result of not playing a full 60 minutes of hockey.

“We were ready for them tonight, we had a pretty good game plan because we came out in the first period and got 19 shots and scored four goals, and that was the game plan, to play that way for 60 minutes,” said Figsby.

Photo by Briana Thicke.

Forward Marc-Olivier Brouillard started the game off by picking up a loose puck out of a mid-ice cluster, streaking in and besting the Western goaltender with a nifty backhand, forehand move.

Nearly 30 seconds later, winger Kyle Armstrong tipped in a pass from Brouillard, putting the Stingers up 2-0. The two goals came within the first three minutes of play and on the teams first three shots of the game.

Soon after, Western responded with their only goal in the frame, coming off a long shot from center Adam McKee, which was buried in by defenceman Alex Micallef.

Forward Scott Oke restored Concordia’s two-goal lead just a few minutes later, by finishing off a centering pass from winger Domenic Beauchemin.

With three minutes left in the first period, and momentum swinging in the Stingers direction, forward Jessyko Bernard found captain Olivier Hinse in tight, who managed to out-wait Western goalie Gregg Dodds and roof his backhand. The Stingers finished the period with a 4-1 lead, outshooting the Mustangs 19-13.

The second period presented a completely different Concordia Stingers hockey team.

Centerman Julian Cimadamore opened the floodgates for Western, banging home the puck off a rebound and putting the Mustangs within two.

The Stingers’ second period collapse came off of two consecutive turnovers that allowed for two Mustang defencemen, Jed Rusk and Matt Herskovitz, to capitalize on and tie the game at four.

Less than a minute later, a loose puck within a scramble in front of Stingers goalie Robin Billingham was picked up and sent home by Adam Mckee, which put the Mustangs ahead 5-4.

Mckee would then tally his second goal of the game off a rush through several Concordia players and ensure a two-goal Mustang lead to end the second period. The Mustangs continued to roll and scored two more in the period.

The Stingers have now fallen to a 4-11-0 record on the season, losing eight of their last 10 games. When asked how the Stingers are preparing to turn their drive around, Figsby put special emphasis on the simplicity of the game.

“I met with each line before the game, I met with all four lines, I met with the six defenceman as a group and I met with the goalies as a group, and we talked tonight about just coming out and keeping things simple, and keeping things positive,” he said.

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Sports

Stingers stumble late to give Redmen a comeback win

Concordia’s pitching gave up seven runs in the last two innings in a tough loss.

The Concordia Stingers baseball team saw their four-game winning streak come to an end this Sunday afternoon as they dropped a 7-2 decision to the McGill Redmen.

The loss was the first game of a doubleheader against McGill played at Gary Carter Field in Cote Saint-Luc.

According to Stingers Manager Howie Schwartz, the loss against the Redmen doesn’t call for any adjustments.

“We’re 1-1 as far as I’m concerned against them, and we have three more games to play against them,” said Schwartz. “I have confidence in my team, I know my guys are great ball players and they’re really solid, and if they keep their focus, we should be fine.”

The first two innings saw both teams employ similar strategies. Concordia and McGill’s defenses both anticipated each play with high intensity, leaving hardly any room for an earned run, keeping the score at a 0-0 tie in the process.

Stingers starting pitcher Nick Harrison did his part early on, forcing the first out on a pop fly and earning two consecutive strikeouts for a McGill three-up, three-down first inning.

The bottom half of the inning began with a leadoff single from Stingers shortstop Matthew Litwin. Litwin attempted to steal second-base, but was picked off by McGill’s starter Ryan Kramer. Kramer would then walk outfielder Andre Lagarde, setting up first baseman Jean-Christophe Paquin for a two-run hit deep to right field, clearing the fence for a 2-0 Stingers lead.

The lead would stand steady until the sixth inning until McGill outfielder James Pavelick kicked off the top of the sixth with a leadoff single. Infielder Robert Sedin then sent a jack off a Harrison pitch, tying the ball game with a two-run homerun to left field.

McGill’s hot bats continued into the top of the seventh inning, with a leadoff double from first baseman James Vardy setting the tone. Outfielder Alexander Levis then drove a single past Concordia’s infield, sending Vardy to third.

Concordia called upon Lagarde, also a left-handed pitcher, to relieve Harrison from his duties. Following the single, Third Baseman Zachary Aaron hit an RBI double, allowing Vardy to trot home, giving the Redmen a 3-2 lead.

With two outs and the bases loaded after a Pavelick walk to first, center fielder Adam Gordon went deep to left field on the first pitch, earning a grand slam and extending McGill’s lead 7-2.  McGill’s defense capped off the game after Concordia’s last half inning, ensuring a 7-2 win.

“We had [McGill] on the ropes and we didn’t execute on a couple of plays, made a few key mistakes in a couple of key situations and McGill was certainly good enough to capitalize on that,” said Schwartz on Concordia’s seventh-inning collapse. “They didn’t beat us, we just didn’t finish our game plan.”

Although the loss came late in the game, Schwartz said that he is optimistic moving forward and doesn’t think that the score truly indicated what the game was really like.

“We’ve been rattled with injuries, we’ve done pretty good moving things around and I think it’s a tribute to the team to how well they are put together to be able to come under such adverse conditions, so I’m really happy with these guys,” Schwartz said.

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Sports

Stingers deliver beat-down to cross-town rival

Photo by Keith Race

Concordia’s football team dominated from start to finish to earn a convincing victory

The Concordia Stingers are officially on a roll after defeating the McGill Redmen in the 46th annual Shaughnessy Cup on Friday by a score of 41-7. With the win, the Stingers improved to an impressive 2-0 on the season.

The win, according to Concordia’s head coach Mickey Donovan, was a result of concentration and energy.

“We got complacent a little bit as we were coming into the second half, but we had a great talk in the second half and the kids came together. The coaches did a great job and we came off firing,” Donovan said.

Photo by Keith Race

Headlining the game was Stingers’ quarterback Francois Dessureault, who was good on 16 of his 33 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns. Dessureault also carried the ball six times for 33 yards and ran for a touchdown of his own.

The Stingers defensive unit allowed minimal success for the Redmen offence, forcing two straight two-and-outs to begin the game, paving the way for Dessureault and his offence to score on three consecutive drives.

Fourth year veteran kicker Keegan Treloar opened the floodgates for the Stingers after connecting on a 15-yard field goal early in the first quarter. It was the first of his four successful attempts of the night.

On Concordia’s second possession, Dessureault crossed the goal line on an untouched five-yard sprint, giving Concordia an early 10-0 lead.

McGill’s ensuing possession was a short one. Concordia defensive back Kris Robertson, who was selected in the second round of the 2013 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, picked off Redmen quarterback Dallon Kuprowski and returned the football 48 yards. The turnover set up Dessureault to find his receiver J.C. Benny for a seven-yard touchdown.

The Redmen continued to struggle offensively in the first half. McGill gave up three safeties and only found the end zone once on a catch from Kuprowski to receiver Louis Brouillette.

The first half ended with the Stingers leading the Redmen 23-7. Unfortunately for McGill, the third quarter was all too familiar for Concordia.

Stingers running back Gunner Tatum continued his hot start to the season and found holes through McGill’s defensive line, allowing Treloar to add another three points from 42 yards out. The kick extended Concordia’s lead by 19 points.

McGill, in a rather large hole, decided to replace Kuprowski with quarterback Joel Houle, who found no luck penetrating Concordia’s relentless defense. Concordia continued to thrive, earning their fourth team safety and another 42-yard field goal from Treloar, increasing the Stingers lead to 24 by the end of the third quarter.

Dessureault continued to shine midway through the fourth quarter, capping off a drive with a 34-yard connection to receiver Daniel Skube for a 38-7 Concordia lead. Despite his strong day, Dessureault was quick to heap praise on his teammates.

“The chemistry is great. They’re making plays, they’re making great catches, making me look good actually. But with all the chemistry we have, we still have to learn how to finish our drives,” said Dessureault. “We left a lot of points out there and I think we could do a lot better.”

Concordia’s defense allowed only 48 rushing yards, recorded four sacks, and allowed only one score.

“I’m proud of them, and I’m proud of my brother (defensive coordinator Pat Donovan). He did a great job scheming all week. He got the guys going. Without Coach Pat here, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing,” said Donovan.

 The Stingers will now shift their focus to a Sept. 19 home clash with the Sherbrooke Vert & Or.

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Sports

Stingers men’s soccer team suffers tough loss at home

McGill Redmen score late in the game to spoil Concordia’s homecoming

The season opener for the Concordia Stingers men’s soccer club was spoiled on Sunday afternoon, following a 2-1 loss against the McGill Redmen.

The Stingers found themselves energized and motivated to succeed against their local rivals, as McGill knocked them out of playoff contention last season.

“We wanted to prepare the team for three points, to start the season at home and we didn’t do that, so we’re highly, highly disappointed,” said Stingers assistant coach Francois Bastien.

The match began with a very defensive, yet aggressive style. The first half displayed minimal chances from both teams due to relentless effort from Concordia and McGill’s defensive units.

During the 22nd minute of play, Concordia’s goalkeeper raced a streaking McGill forward, Valentin Radevich, who managed to get to the ball first and flip it lightly over the goalkeeper’s head for a 1-0 McGill lead. The lead would ultimately stand until the end of the first half.

Although the first half showed very few scoring chances from the Stingers, Bastien said that they wanted to apply what the team practiced and not make any dramatic changes to their strategy.

At the start of the second half, Concordia showed a lot of energy and endurance. Just over five minutes in, Concordia midfielder Karim Haroun placed a perfect corner kick to Nick Sisti who scored to tie the match.

Following the tying goal, both teams set their tempos even higher than before. Efforts from both teams showed no results until late in the match, when a cross from McGill forward, Antoine Chauvel, found fellow striker, Alexander King, for the late 2-1 lead. The lead was just enough for McGill to hang on for a Stingers spoiled homecoming.

“We have a lot of new players especially on the starting eleven so we were preparing for the entire season to get our formation and set plays organized,” said Bastien. “This was the first test and there are things that we obviously want to get better at and work on.”

There was no lack of persistence when it came to Concordia’s effort on the pitch. The defensive unit and goalkeeper played a terrific match, allowing for very few opposing opportunities. Meanwhile, their offensive unit was able to apply a sustainable amount of pressure to the Redmen mid-fielders.

“We wanted to pressure them and that’s what we did. Put pressure on their midfield [and] take over the midfield area, and I think we succeeded in doing that,” Said Bastien. “We didn’t succeed in finishing. We should have, of course, capitalized on some opportunities and we should have minimized those mistakes. We made two mistakes in the back which led to two goals.”

Despite the team’s first loss, coach Bastien can still pick out the positives of the failing effort.

“We started off with I think seven recruits today, so it’s always nerves that make the season hard to get started, especially if they haven’t played in university yet,” said Bastien. “Since we’ve taken care of that, we can really move forward.”

Concordia’s men’s soccer club aims to turn things around on Sept 12. against Laval.

Categories
Sports

Concordians excited for FIFA World Cup 2014

The soccer tournament brings people together, at least for one fan

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup set to kick off this June in Brazil fans around the world are gearing up to cheer for their respective countries.

As Canada will not partake in this year’s triumph to win the world title, we asked soccer fans at Concordia who they were rooting for, their thoughts on the grand tournament, and memories that came along with it.

Flickr photo by Matthew Perkins

For Concordia student Jason Ghetler and some of his friends, what soccer means to them is “get ready and

 drop everything.” Ghetler always looks forward to the return of the World Cup every four years.

“We love to watch the World Cup together, it’s a newly found[ed] tradition dating back to the last World Cup in 2010,” said Ghetler.

Ghetler, who has been a longtime soccer fan, is a little more enthusiastic than his buddies in regards to getting the opportunity to catch a match.

“We were in Las Vegas during the last World Cup and I’ll never forget that following a night of sheer adventures, I was able to sneak in a few hours of sleep before I went to the lobby by myself to watch the Netherlands take on Brazil in the quarter-finals.”

Ghetler remembers being alone upon arrival in the lobby and being greeted to endless televisions, mounted on a big wall, and airing all kinds of events and games. He sat himself down barely keeping his eyes open, drank a Red Bull, and was suddenly joined by approximately 20 soccer fans who were all interested in watching the same game.

“None of them were my friends,” Ghetler said. “But we were all friends as the match continued. Regardless of who we were even cheering for, it was a great game and I have never been part of an experience like that in my entire life. I hope that I’ll never forget it.”

This time around, the three friends are prepared and hopeful to watch all the matches they can together.

For another set of friends and Concordia students, Andrew Khawam and Roger Girgis, enjoying a soccer match may cause just a little bit of friction.

“My mother roots for Italy and my father roots for France, so when the whole family is together to watch a game, there’s a lot of complications, but we all know it’s in good fun,” said Khawam.

Meanwhile, Girgis cannot tolerate that his friend cheers for Italy and not France.

“He’s got both sides in his roots, but he chooses to side with Italy. I guess in the end it just adds some more excitement when we watch matches together.”

Both Khawam and Girgis are avid soccer fans and cannot express their excitement enough for the tournament to begin.

It is the 20th FIFA World Cup tournament in history, which will see 32 countries compete for soccer’s ultimate prize. The World Cup is scheduled to take place between June 12 and July 13.

 

Categories
Music

Tea Time for the Homeless host music night

Inspired by a stomach-churning sight during a volunteer trip to Nepal, 20-year-old Montreal native Josh Broadman began a heartfelt mission to raise awareness for the underprivileged.

After building a lasting relationship with a local restaurant in Nepal, Tea Time, Broadman decided to take his efforts to the next level by creating a not-for-profit charitable foundation called Tea Time for the Homeless.

“One night when I passed four young boys sleeping on the street, looking completely beaten and as if they hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days, I bought them food and water, and walked away yearning to do more. Not just for them, but for others too,” writes Broadman on the foundation’s website.

On April 5, Broadman and his organization will seek to raise money and awareness for underprivileged people in Nepal by hosting their first music night, a lively and enjoyable evening with live performances.

“We’re always looking to make events. Being an avid music fan and musician, I thought the idea to finally hold a show of my own, a coffee house show, would be a great event where people can bring their friends to enjoy their peers, and to support a great cause,” said Broadman about the event.

The event will be held at Karina Club on Crescent St. in Montreal’s downtown core, beginning at 7:30 p.m.. The night will showcase 14 young up-and-coming performers from all over the city.

“Because of the performers, I anticipate that the crowd will be young, energetic and supportive, the type of crowd I wanted to attract for the evening. I wanted to get the younger college generation, my peers, to be more involved and support an important cause,” said Broadman.

Attendees can expect to hear a variety of genres, sounds and original scores from local musicians, singers, and rappers like Sara Diamond, Nick Frai, Yo-Yoshi!, Renata Masucci, General Mills, Jess TG, and Rebecca Shemie.

The event itself will be MC’ed by rap performer and Concordia University student, Nick Frai, who is eager and passionate, and looks forward to his debut in front a hometown audience.

“I hope to bring a lot of energy. It’s a comfortable setting for me, I work as an MC and I love to be in front of a crowd, so I hope I could bring that energy that I have on stage and bring it into my performance, hopefully I could do a great job,” said Frai.

Frai will be performing a three-song set featuring two original tracks from his soon-to-be-released mix tape entitled NICKSTAPE.

“If I’m not with friends or at school, I’ll constantly be rapping and coming up with lyrics in my head. I’ve been rapping since I was about 10 years old, and recently I’ve been doing it a lot,” said Frai.

Diamond, who has performed in several charity events similar to Tea Time for the Homeless, is excited to cater to a more mellow crowd.

“It’s an acoustic vibe, and it’s a homey vibe for me. That kind of setting makes me comfortable to perform in, you could experiment with different tones,” said Diamond who will also be performing a three-song set.

The performers are eager to display their talent for an important cause and hope to create an atmosphere where people can sit back and enjoy a fun show.

Tickets for the event are $15, with most of the proceeds going towards the Namaste Children’s Foundation, an organization partnering with Tea Time for the Homeless.

The funds collected will be going towards projects such as scholarship programs, women development programs, and orphanages.

“The rest of the money will go towards our next project, where we hope to build a school; we currently have a correspondent in Nepal who is doing ongoing research for us,” Broadman added.

For more information on how to donate or how to purchase tickets for the event, visit www.teatimeforthehomeless.com/, or www.facebook.com/TeaTimeForTheHomeless/info

 

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