Author: Tim Lazier

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Sports

Family comes first for Gerry McGrath

Photo by Brianna Thicke

In all his years as Concordia’s football coach, his office has never looked quite like this: old trophies on the floor in the corner, waiting for packaging and only a few pictures still hanging, showing bare white walls. It’s a strange sight, but Gerry McGrath is getting ready to move on.

Photo by Brianna Thicke

Following the Stingers’ last game of the season (a loss to Sherbrooke on Oct. 26), McGrath gathered the team for a post-game speech. Unbeknownst to them, it would be McGrath’s last. He told them he wanted to spend more time with his family and, after 14 years as head coach, he announced his retirement.

“I think Concordia will become a great football program in the near future,” said McGrath. “I just think at this point it was time for me to move on.”

McGrath has thought about retiring for a while. With three young kids at home, it was time to turn his focus from football to family.

“At this point I need to put my family first,” said McGrath. “But Concordia is a close second and will always be.”

McGrath explained how there’s no defining moment that he his most proud of during the span of his career. Being able to go to work everyday with young men and coaches who were just as passionate about football as he was is all he could have ever asked for.

“The thing that I will miss most is the kids. I work for my players, I don’t work for anybody else,” said McGrath. “I work for the kids I recruit and for the coaches that work with me.”

There’s one thing that hasn’t been packed away in McGrath’s office: a large plaque, hanging on the wall, of miniature helmets inscribed with Stingers who’ve gone on to professional teams, both NFL and CFL. Although he’s proud of seeing his players excel on the field, or achieving their dreams by making it to the pros, these are not the most important things for McGrath as a coach.

“I know I have the players who made the pros on the board, but there are guys that have come through here who didn’t make professional football,” said McGrath. “Some have PhDs or went on to have great business careers and become leaders in their communities. Those things are just as important.”

Coaching was always about much more than wins, losses, and individual stats for McGrath. Not only did he want to be a coach on the field, but a mentor and teacher off it. One of the things that he learnt over the years was how to communicate with the players, that yelling and getting worked up on the sideline only goes so far.

“At the end of the day people will forget scores of football games, but people won’t forget someone who cared about them and was there for them,” said McGrath. “Really at the end of the day that’s enough reward.”

Despite his plans to stay on with the Stingers next year as an advisor, many realized how much he meant to them when he told his players about his decision to step down.

“It’s very emotional,” said senior linebacker Max Caron in a press release after the team’s final game. “For me, Gerry’s been there my whole career. What I love about Gerry is that he really cares […] I’m really going to miss him.”

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Sports

Stingers dominate Royal Military College

File photo Maddy Hajek

The Stingers looked comfortable in their home opener at the Verdun Auditorium on Friday night as they beat the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins 10-3.

File photo Maddy Hajek

Concordia improved their record to 2-1-2 on the season and sit tied for fourth in the East Division of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) standings.

From puck-drop, the Stingers played a relentless offensive game that put the Paladins on their heels. Although the game was tied 1-1 for most of the first period, after goals by Stingers right-winger Jessyco Bernard and Paladins forward Chris Smerek, Stingers centre Hugo Vinatier and left-winger Taylor Lambke scored in the last five minutes of the first period. Heading into intermission up 3-1, the Stingers never looked back.

As Concordia’s last four games were all decided by one goal, Stinger’s head coach Kevin Figsby wanted his offense to step up and build some momentum. Hopefully, Friday’s win was a sign of more things to come.

“We had some guys who were struggling to find the net, but tonight they found the back of the net,” said Figsby. “There seemed to be a different groove going up front and it was good.”

The second period was much of the same as the Stingers continued to control the pace. The Stingers got goals from centres George Lovatsis and Olivier Hinse and defenseman Sean Blunden and went into the third period up 6-2.

A big part of Concordia’s success was that they stuck to their game plan. Although RMC managed a couple of goals, the Stingers were focused for the whole 60 minutes. Offensively they wreaked havoc, and defensively they played a composed and positional game. Stingers goaltender Antonio Mastropietro anchored the defense with a solid performance. He turned away 18 out of the 21 shots that he faced.

“We did what we wanted to do tonight,” said Figsby. “We stayed in our game plan, and didn’t change it. We didn’t start chasing pucks, we stayed in our positions and scored 10 goals as a result.”

In the third period, left-winger Dany Potvin scored late, while Bernard, Hinse and Lambke all added their second goals of the night. Concordia’s top line composed of Potvin, Bernard and Hinse were the different makers as they combined for 16 points. Hinse, who had two goals and three assists, has been lighting up the scoreboard early this season. He is tied for top scorer in the country with 14 points through five games.

The Stingers’ special teams was another positive aspect of the game. Concordia killed off all of their penalties as RMC went 0-for-6 on the power play. On the other end, the Stingers went an impressive 3-for-5 with the man advantage. The Stingers’ special teams actually contributed to four of the team’s goals as Potvin scored a short-handed goal in the first period.

 

Concordia is at home for the next three games, starting with a game on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. against rivals McGill. Home games will be at the Verdun Auditorium until renovations are completed at Ed Meagher Arena.

 

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Sports

Stingers can’t catch a break against Redmen

Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin.
Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the McGill Redmen and Concordia Stingers battled until the bitter end for the 27th annual Shrine Bowl. After a back-and-forth afternoon, the Redmen won 53-52 in overtime, handing the Stingers a heartbreaking loss.

The opening quarter was all about field position and special teams as neither Concordia nor McGill found their way into the endzone. McGill’s kicker Samy Rassy made two out of his four field goal attempts in the first quarter to give the Redmen a 6-3 lead. Concordia’s kicker Keegan Treloar put the Stingers on the board with an impressive 50-yard field goal. Treloar had a good game going three for three, making two more long field goals from 44 and 48 yards.

Concordia scored the first touchdown of the game when Stingers’ quarterback Francois Dessureault punched in a one-yard run. Dessureault replaced starting quarterback Reid Quest midway through the first quarter after Quest threw an interception. Dessureault would end the game with 309 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Concordia would score another touchdown in the second quarter thanks to a seven-yard run by running back Kevin Wade. Going into halftime, the Stingers defense held the Redmen without a touchdown and helped the Stingers secure a 20-12 lead. Although it seemed like a defensive battle, the game was about to be blown wide open.

After McGill surrendered a safety to start the second half, Concordia scored 12 unanswered points and led 32-12. Halfway through the third quarter, it seemed as if the Stingers were going to cruise to their first win of the season but the Redmen had other plans.

McGill scored 24 unanswered points of their own and with 10 minutes left in the game, the Redmen were up 36-32. For the rest of the game, both McGill and Concordia’s offenses exchanged blows. With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Dessureault marched the Concordia offense down the field. The late drive was capped off by a third down completion to wide receiver Shayne Stinson for an eight-yard touchdown. With 1:14 left in the game, Concordia was up 46-43. However, McGill stormed back with an 11-play, 60-yard drive and Rassy hit a game-tying field goal with no time left on the clock.

In overtime, McGill received the ball first on Concordia’s 35-yard line. They marched the ball into the Stingers end zone and ended their drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Luis Guimont-Mota. Needing a touchdown and an extra point to tie, Dessureault once again drove the Stingers offense into the end zone.

That’s when tragedy struck. On the extra-point attempt, the snap was fumbled and Concordia could not get the kick off. The game ended 53-52.

“Both teams played hard obviously and it’s always a great rivalry, I’d rather see the game won on a big play than have it end that way,” said Stingers’ head coach Gerry McGrath, “That was unfortunate but that’s why we play the game.”

After the game, awards were handed out to players from each team. Concordia’s MVP was defensive tackle Quinn Smith and Mikael Charland won the outstanding defensive player award, Dessureault won the outstanding offensive player award.

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Sports

Sports in the News – Sept. 24, 2013

Leading the way

Former Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman made the jump to the NFL this year and things could not have gotten off to a better start. His Chicago Bears are 3-0 after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 24-21 in week one, the Minnesota Vikings 31-30 in week two and the Pittsburgh Steelers 40-23 in week three. The Bears are first in their division, the NFC North.

Trestman, who spent five years in the CFL from 2008-2012, led the Alouettes to two Grey Cup championships in three appearances. He was also named CFL coach of the year in 2009. Known as a quarterback guru, this is Trestman’s first head coaching job in the NFL.

-Tim Lazier

Race to the postseason

The MLB regular season may be winding down but the postseason races are heating up. In the National League, the Braves have a stranglehold on the NL East while the LA Dodgers have clinched the NL West. Things get interesting in the NL Central. Although the St. Louis Cardinals are in first, the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates are both two games back, heading into this past weekend. The Reds and Pirates have a five game lead in the wildcard, with the Washington Nationals on the outside looking in.

In the American League, the Boston Red Sox have clinched the AL East while the Detroit Tigers sit atop of the AL Central and the Oakland Athletics have the AL West under control. When it comes to the AL wildcard race, it’s anyone’s game. As of Saturday, the Cleveland Indians and the Tampa Bay Rays cling to the final two spots. However, the Texas Rangers are only a half game back, while the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals are just two and a half games behind. Lurking in the background, the New York Yankees have an outside shot with three games back.

-Tim Lazier

Hail to the Chiefs

Andy Reid and his Kansas City Chiefs made a statement Thursday night when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-16. Reid, who coached the Eagles for 14 seasons, has his new Chiefs sitting at 3-0 on the season and are surprising everyone. The Chiefs went 2-14 last season and ended dead last in the NFL. This offseason, Chiefs front office signed Reid, after he was let go by the Eagles. They also traded for starting quarterback Alex Smith. Smith was previously the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers until being replaced late last year by the highly-talented and younger quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.

-Tim Lazier

Playball

As reported last week on Sportsnet, Montreal is going to officially have professional baseball back in Quebec. For two games next March with the Toronto Blue Jays hosting the New York Mets at the Big-O in exhibition game action. This will be the first professional baseball game in Montreal since 2004 when the Montreal Expos played their last game before relocating to Washington. The goal of this event is to help bring a major league team back to Montreal within the next 10 years. Tickets are now on sale for both games on evenko.ca

-Chris Cordella

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Sports

A game it would be better to forget

The Stingers offense finally found some traction late in the second quarter when they had their best drive of the half. Starting on their own 47-yard line, Concordia put together a six-play drive that ended with a 17-yard field goal by Treloar. Photo by Keith Race.

The Concordia Stingers and McGill Redmen football teams faced-off at Percival Molson Stadium for the 45th annual Shaughnessy Cup last Friday night. Looking to get their first win of the season, the Stingers lost 32-19 and fell to 0-2 for the year.

The game started out as a defensive battle as the first touchdown was not scored until the second half. McGill got on the board first with a 29-yard field goal by kicker Samy Rassy. Rookie Stingers punter Clark Green put up Concordia’s first point of the night with an impressive 57-yard punt for a touchback. Then, late in the first quarter, kicker Keegan Treloar showed off his leg strength with a 42-yard field goal to give Concordia a 4-3 lead.

In the second quarter, after the Stingers conceded a safety, the Redmen took a 5-4 lead. The Stingers offense finally found some traction late in the second quarter when they had their best drive of the half. Starting on their own 47-yard line, Concordia put together a six-play drive that ended with a 17-yard field goal by Treloar. Quarterback Reid Quest had three completions on three attempts that accumulated for 33 yards. The biggest play of the drive was an 18-yard completion to Stingers’ slotback Jamal Henry. The Stingers went into the locker room at the end of the half leading 7-5.

In the second half, the Redmen gave the home crowd something to cheer about as their offense came alive and defense stood strong. McGill scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter and gave the Redmen a 22-7 lead. After a 32-yard field goal by Rassy, the first touchdown of the night was scored off a 21-yard rush by McGill running back Luis Guimont-Mota.The Redmen scored their second touchdown of the quarter when quarterback Jonathan Collin found Joel Brtka for a 15-yard touchdown completion.

The Stingers scored their first touchdown of the night, and the season, on a 35-yard pass from Quest to Kris Bastien. After a failed two-point conversion, the Stingers trailed 22-13 but had life for the first time in the second half. Concordia’s momentum quickly ended as Rassy kicked his third field goal of the game for the Redmen, restoring McGill’s double-digit lead. Shortly after, Guimont-Mota found the endzone for his second touchdown of the game with a 28-yard run.

Stingers’ Bastien got his second touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter off a pass from backup quarterback François Dessureault to make the score 32-19. Including his two touchdown catches, Bastien reeled in six receptions and had 90 yards receiving on the night. Despite Bastien’s touchdown, it was too little too late.

McGill’s offense came to play in the second half while the Stingers offense was inconsistent. Concordia’s defense had a solid start, keeping the Redmen out of the endzone and gave the Stingers a chance to win. As the game went on however, the team as a whole did not execute.

“It was a tough game and our players played hard,” said Concordia’s assistant offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Bryan Chiu. “You have to give credit to McGill, but we have to get back to work as soon as possible.”

The frustration on the Stingers sideline was evident by the end of the game. In the final three minutes, the Stingers took four unnecessary roughness penalties and an objectionable conduct penalty.

The loss marked the first time since 2002 that the Stingers have fallen to the Redmen in the Shaughnessy Cup game. The annual Cup given at the beginning of every season is named after Frank Shaughnessy, who was a football coach for both the Stingers and the Redmen. He was known as a Canadian university football innovator as he was the first coach to adopt the forward pass in 1931. Shaughnessy was the first full-time Canadian university football coach when he was appointed head coach of the Redmen in 1912. Shaughnessy was later inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963, and the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Concordia’s next game is this Saturday at 1 p.m. at home when they host St. Francis Xavier.

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Sports

Climbing the Concordia ranks

Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin
Noivo started playing football in high school for the Lakeshore Cougars. By the time he was in Bantam, he realized his potential and helped lead his team to the provincial finals, only to lose in overtime. Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin

With defensive schemes and special teams’ papers scattered across his coffee table, and game tape on his laptop nearby, it’s clear that Stingers defensive end Eric Noivo is ready to make an impact.

Heading into his fourth and final season as a Concordia Stinger, Noivo will be the first to say that hard work, dedication, and tenacity got him to where he is today.

Growing up in the West Island, Noivo started playing football in high school for the Lakeshore Cougars. Although he didn’t see much of the field for his first three years, he stuck with it. By the time Noivo was in Bantam, he realized his potential and helped lead his team to the provincial finals, only to lose in overtime.

“It’s funny to think that I started out in Peewee as a 100-pound defensive back who didn’t really play much,” said Noivo. “Once kids started to play different sports, roster spots opened up and I began to improve.”

In CEGEP, Noivo attended John Abbott and played for the Islanders. It was there he realized football could help further his education and open doors for him, but only if he put in the necessary work.

“Playing for your town …] players just show up to practice and game day so I didn’t take it seriously,” said Noivo. “So going into my first training camp, I wasn’t where I wanted to be physically.”

Noivo’s game took a step back after suffering a torn MCL in his knee after just four games into his first season with the Islanders, causing him to miss the rest of the year. But after two more seasons with John Abbott, Noivo entered his first year at Concordia ready to prove himself. However, the jump to the university level was a lot harder than he had anticipated.

He did not dress for a game in his first season, but continued his strong work ethic and got ready for next season’s training camp.

“I had worked out a lot and put on twenty pounds during the off-season,” said Noivo. “Then I had a really strong camp and this time I knew I was one of the best players out there.”

Despite his hard work, Noivo wasn’t invited on the team’s annual pre-season road trip for the second year in a row.

“When I didn’t dress for the exhibition game again, that crushed me,” said Noivo. “I had dedicated so much of my time and didn’t even get a chance.”

Although it got off to a rocky start, Noivo’s second season would become a turning point in his Stingers career. After a couple of strong practices on the scout team, Noivo dressed for a game against McGill University.

“You can practice all you want but there’s nothing like the feeling of playing a game,” said Noivo. “All that work was worth it.”

Last year, under the new defensive line coach and special teams coordinator, Shawn Mayne, Noivo thrived. With a new coach, players were at a level playing field and Noivo took advantage of the opportunity. He started four of the nine season games, dressed for all of them, and recorded three and a half sacks in the process. Noivo’s perseverance was finally being rewarded and his coaches took notice.

“I have had the opportunity to see Eric grow as both a football player and a young man,” said Stingers offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Bryan Chiu. “As a coach, our greatest satisfaction is in seeing young men like Eric grow throughout his time at Concordia.”

Noivo was named a team captain at the end of training camp this year and hopes he can be a role model for the younger players.

“In football, everyone talks about height, weight, strength, and speed. The one thing that you can’t teach is heart,” said Chiu. “Eric is a perfect example of that.”

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Sports

Passing on the knowledge, passing on the passion

Photo by Catherine Grace
The camp took place from June 25 to 29, and it once again proved rewarding for not only the kids but for the coaches as well. Photo by Catherine Grace

This summer, the Concordia Stingers football program once again hosted their annual Football School for kids between the ages of 7 and 16. The camp took place from June 25 to 29, and it once again proved rewarding for not only the kids but for the coaches as well.

The week-long camp gave younger players the chance to lace up their cleats, strap up their pads and receive training from Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) coaches and players. Seen almost as a mini-training camp, Stingers coaches and players tried to teach the kids things they wouldn’t learn anywhere else, said Eric Noivo, the assistant director for the camp and defensive end for the Stingers football team. This summer, there were more than 60 kids who attended the school and, depending on their age, were divided into three groups: Novice (7 to 9-year-olds), Junior (10 to 12-year-olds) or Senior (13 to 16-year-olds).

Bryan Chiu, Concordia’s assistant offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, was the camp director. Other coaches that attended the school included defensive backs coach Nathan Taylor, fullback and tight ends coach Primo Capriolo-Morris and quarterbacks coach Jeff Willett. Other Stingers that led camp activities were Noivo, Kevin Prempeh, Gregory Beaulieu, Fred Landry-Simard, Mike Harrington and Jamal Henry.

Players would begin arriving shortly after 9 a.m. and begin every day with a two-and-a-half-hour practice that ran until noon. Following their lunch break, the campers would head into the gym for an hour session of dodgeball, soccer or basketball. After that, the kids were back on the field for another two-and-a-half-hour practice.

To end the day, the kids were divided up into teams for an air-force football tournament that continued throughout the week. Air-force football is touch football where the coaches lead their teams as the quarterback. Not only was it everyone’s favorite part of the day, but the Stingers coaches and players took it just as seriously as the kids.

“Playing [quarterback] in the touch tournament is as competitive as it gets,” said Noivo. “We take it very seriously because it gives you bragging rights until next year and it’s definitely the kids’ favourite part of the camp.”

As the word “student” in student-athlete comes first, not all the focus was on athletic abilities, according to Noivo. Time was set aside for Stingers coaches and players to talk to the kids about the significance of education, along with the importance of hard work, dedication, respect and teamwork. Campers also received a written evaluation of their football skills, overall attitude and effort.

By the end of the week, everyone was able to take something away from their experience at the Stingers Football School.

“It’s rewarding when you teach the kids a skill and you see them apply it and improve at it over the course of the week,” said Noivo. “In the end, it’s fun for the coaches too because it gives us an opportunity to teach the game we love to future Stingers.”

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Sports

Two losses extend Concordia’s losing streak

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Concordia’s men’s hockey team hit the ice twice against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes and the Carleton Ravens this past weekend. The Patriotes continued their strong play by beating the Stingers 4-1 at Ed Meagher Arena, while the Ravens shutout the Stingers 4-0. The Stingers are now 5-14-3 and are on a five game losing streak.

In front of a full crowd, the Stingers jumped off to a strong start, matching the Patriotes’ tempo step-for-step on Friday night. Concordia

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

successfully killed off two penalties in the first period and kept the game scoreless until late in the opening period.

UQTR defenceman Maxime Robichaud scored with nine seconds left in the first period to give the Patriotes a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Much like the first period, there wasn’t any scoring until late in the second. The Patriotes dominated most of the second period, bombarding Concordia’s goaltender Antonio Mastropietro with shots. Whereas UQTR’s offence had no trouble getting to the Stingers’ netminder, Concordia’s offence struggled throughout the game.

“We were getting four shots in a period or six shots in a period and that’s just not good enough at this level,” said Stingers head coach Kevin Figsby. “We didn’t give them enough to battle through tonight.”

With 2:16 left in the second period, Stinger’s forward Etienne Archambault took an interference penalty and the visitors did not waste any time. Ten seconds into the man advantage, Tommy Tremblay scored and extended the Patriotes’ lead to 2-0.

“We didn’t shoot enough and we didn’t do the basic things,” said Mastropietro. “I think if we had more shots on net it would of helped us out in the first two periods.”

Early into the third period, the Patriotes took a commanding lead with two quick goals a minute and 25 seconds apart. Emmanuel Boudreau and Pierre-Luc Lessard made it 4-0 for UQTR and by then the game was out of reach.

The Stingers gave the home crowd something to cheer about when Etienne Archambault scored with 1:58 left in the game. It was Archambault’s team-leading eighth goal of the season. He also leads the team in assists and points.

There were bright aspects of Concordia’s game on Friday night. The Stingers’ penalty kill went three-for-four and Mastropietro’s performance gave the Stingers a chance to come back. In the end however, Concordia’s offence struggled and never tested the Patriotes defence.

“One thing is for sure, you can’t have top-flight players with one shot in a game like tonight,” said Figsby. “Our top two scorers tonight had three shots combined. So that’s the difference in the game.”

On Saturday, Concordia headed to Ottawa to start a five-game road trip. They played against the Carleton Ravens at the Ice House Arena. The Ravens opened the scoring in the first period on the power-play and then added three goals in the second to win the game 4-0.

 

The Stingers continue their road trip with two games next weekend. The will play the McGill Redmen on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at McConnell Arena and then head to Ottawa on Sunday, Jan. 27 to face the Gee-Gees at 6 p.m.

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Sports

Disappointing road trip for the Stingers

Concordia was on the road this past weekend as they faced off against the Queen’s Gaels on Friday night and the Toronto Blues on Saturday.

It ended up being a disappointing road trip for the Stingers as they lost to Queen’s 3-2 in a shootout, and 7-2 to Toronto. They head into the semester break in ninth place in the Eastern Conference of the Ontario University Athletics League with a 4-10-2 record.

On Friday against the Gaels, the Stingers lost a close game but salvaged a point, despite being outplayed. By the end of the first, Queen’s had outshot Concordia 18-5 and led 1-0. The Stingers bounced back with two straight goals by Etienne Archambault and Philip Richer. The Gaels tied the game 2-2 halfway through the third and it remained that way until the Gaels won it in a shootout.

The Stingers were lucky to even get a point against Queen’s, thanks to starting goaltender Loic Boivin. Boivin kept Concordia in the game as he saved 50 out of the 52 shots he faced.

The Gaels doubled Concordia’s shot total, as the Stingers only had 26 shots all game. Had the Stingers been able to pull off a win in shootouts, it would have been the perfect ending to Boivin’s impressive performance.

Concordia’s final game of the road trip was against the Toronto Blues. The Blues jumped out to an early 2-0 lead halfway through the first. Concordia was able to tie the game with goals by Ben Dubois at the end of the first, and Alexandre Monahan at the start of the second.

Just when things seemed to be turning around for the Stingers, the Blues decided to take over. From five minutes into the second period the Blues went on to score five unanswered goals and cruised to a victory over the Stingers.

Even Boivin’s heroics could not help the Stingers in this game. He was pulled shortly into the third period after letting in five goals on 35 shots. Boivin’s replacement, Antonio Mastropietro, could not prevent the Blues offensive attack as he let in two goals on nine shots.

Concordia had opportunities but failed to take advantage of them. They peppered the Blues’ goaltender Brett Willows with 33 shots, but only beat him twice. The power play has been a big problem for the Stingers this season and Saturday night was no different. Concordia went 0-for-3 while Toronto went 2-for-4.

 

The Stingers have a month off for the holiday break before getting back on the ice. Their next game is at Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 5 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The following day Concordia will play host to the Carleton Ravens at 3 p.m.     

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Sports

Disappointing results for Stingers in a double header weekend

On Friday night, the Stingers hosted the Royal Military College Paladins at Ed Meagher Arena and lost a tight 3-2 game. It seemed lady luck was against the Stingers all game as nothing bounced in the home team’s favour. Missed breakaways and unlucky posts defined Concordia’s night, despite outshooting RMC and controlling the game.

Both teams came out firing in the first period and RMC opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game. The Stingers quickly responded with two fast goals by Olivier Hinse and Corey Garland, giving Concordia a 2-1 lead halfway through the period. The Paladins scored again with just six minutes left and both the teams went into the intermission tied with two goals apiece.

For the rest of the game the Stingers controlled the pace, but had nothing to show for it. In the second period, the Stingers outshot RMC 13-7 but could not get anything past Paladins goaltender Paul Dorsey. Dorsey stood on his head all night and saved 38 out of the 40 shots he faced.

“I thought their goaltender tonight was the difference,” said Stingers head coach Kevin Figsby. “He made some key saves at key times and that frustrated our scorers.”

Another frustrating aspect of the Stingers game was their inability to take advantage of powerplay opportunities. Concordia went zero-for-four with a one-man advantage and could not solve the RMC defense.

“I thought our defense were overplaying the puck and trying to do too much on the powerplay,” said Figsby. “We have skilled forwards and we have to put the puck low to them, all we did tonight was move the puck laterally along the blue line.”

By the third period, the Paladins were in perfect position to steal a win. They got their chance when they blocked a shot that sprung RMC forward Braden Casper on a breakaway. Casper scored on a forward-to-backhand deke three and a half minutes into the third and then RMC shut down Concordia’s offense for the rest of the game.

“We made one mistake but then we couldn’t buy a goal,” said Figsby. “That’s a game that frustrates you because you know we could have won.”

The season is still young and if Concordia continues to work and control games, the bounces will come.

Concordia traveled to RMC on Saturday night for the second game of the double header. RMC won that game 3-1.

 

Concordia’s next game is on Friday night at Ed Meagher Arena against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology at 7:30 p.m.

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Sports

Concordia’s comeback falls short

Photo by Marie-Josée Kelly.
Photo by Marie-Josée Kelly.

In any sport, if a team does not play from the first to the final whistle, odds are that team is going to lose. The Stingers men’s hockey team found out the hard way Friday night, when they hosted the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Despite controlling the last two periods, the Stingers could not overcome a slow start and lost 5-3.

Ottawa scored 32 seconds into the game and the Stingers were down before the home crowd at Ed Meagher Arena had settled into their seats. The Gee-Gees outshot the Stingers 14-5 and went two-for-two on power-play opportunities in the period, however, Concordia did not capitalize on theirs. By the end of the first period the Stingers were down 4-0 and could never come all the way back.

“I don’t think we came out the way we should have come out tonight,” said Concordia’s head coach Kevin Figsby. “For some reason we didn’t have that intensity in the first 20 minutes.”

Stingers starting goaltender Antonio Mastropietro had a short night as he gave up three goals on his first six shots. He was replaced by Loic Boivin who had a great game off the bench. Boivin saved 26 out of the 28 shots that he face and gave Concordia a chance to come back.

Once the Stingers stepped onto the ice to start the second period, the momentum changed. Etienne Archambault scored for the Stingers 43 seconds into the second and gave the home crowd life for the first time during the game. From then on, the Stingers took it to the Gee-Gees and out shot them 22-20 in the final two periods. Alexandre Monahan scored a shorthanded goal late in the second period and then Youssef Kabbaj scored three minutes into the third to cut the deficit to two.

“I am proud of the way the guys bounced back, I am proud of the intensity that we showed in the second period,” said Figsby. “For 40 minutes we were the better team on the ice.”

Although that was as close as it got for Concordia, there was reason for optimism. Most teams would have given up after falling behind 4-0, but the Stingers fought hard and made a game of it. If it was not for Concordia’s slow start, it would have been an entirely different game.

“It’s young in the season,” Figsby said. “We got to learn as a young team to play consistently for 60 minutes, we didn’t do it tonight and it hurt us.”

 

The team has a week to rest before playing a home-and-away double-header with the RMC Paladins. The Stingers will play host first on Friday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Ed Meagher Arena. Both teams will face off again on Saturday at RMC at 7 p.m.

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Sports

Stingers football team falls to Sherbrooke in the Shrine Bowl

It was a cold and crisp Saturday afternoon when Concordia’s football team hosted the Sherbrooke Vert et Or in the 26th annual Shrine Bowl. Both teams entered the game with a 2-3 record and were looking to get back to .500. The murky afternoon never brightened up for the Stingers as they lost to Sherbrooke in an upsetting 48-6 final score.

The game started with a bang when Stinger Raul Thompson returned the opening kickoff for 59 yards. Concordia capitalized from their starting field position and took an early 3-0 lead. That was as good as it got for the Stingers as the Vert et Or would respond with 18 unanswered points and went into halftime up 28-6.

With only 90 yards on the ground, Sherbrooke’s throwing game tormented Concordia’s defense throughout the entire match. Sherbrooke’s quarterbacks Jérémi Roch and James Goulet combined for 273 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Despite the score, Concordia’s offense also put up impressive stats even though they never scored a touchdown.

“I bet you the offensive statistics are pretty close between the two teams,” said Stingers coach Gerry McGrath after the game. The Stingers ended the afternoon with 235 yards in the air and 104 on the ground.

Concordia’s downfall was the turnovers. With three turnovers in the first quarter alone, the Stingers gave up a total of two interceptions, four fumbles and three turnovers on downs. Sherbrooke was able to capitalize off Concordia’s mistakes and scored 23 points on these turnovers.

“The biggest difference was turnovers,” said Stingers defensive end Eric Noivo. “Unfortunately for us, they got a couple of lucky bounces and we got behind early.”

By the end of the game, the packed crowd continued to cheer and were in their seats until the final whistle. Win or lose, the Shrine Bowl continues to generate donations for the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

“There was a certain excitement around the team leading up to the game,” said Noivo. “It’s fun to play for the kids, especially when you see how much it means to them.”

 

The Stingers’ next game is Saturday, Oct. 13 when they will travel to McGill to play for the Shaughnessy Cup at 1 p.m.

 

Photos by Veronique Thivierge

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