Category: Hockey

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Another successful weekend for Stingers hockey!

The (W) hockey Stingers celebrate with pink stick tape. Photo credit: Concordia Athletics

Both Stingers hockey teams are back in the win column, combined 3-0-0 record over the weekend.

It was an eventful weekend at Ed Meagher Arena—the home for the latest Stingers hockey homestand and the 2023 Pink in the Rink weekend.

For the third time in their program’s history, the Stingers hosted the Pink in the Rink event which consisted of a bake sale, an auction filled with prizes, and the women’s team sporting limited-time pink jerseys. All proceeds raised were donated to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Head coach Julie Chu spoke on what it meant for the team to take part in an event like this for such a good cause. “When we get a chance to run events for positive change, that’s what we want to do and we take a lot of pride in that,” she said. “With everything that we put into it, we also wanted to make sure that when it came down to being great on the ice, we were able to do so.” 

The Stingers women’s team kicked off the action with their game against the Bishop’s Gaiters on Nov. 17. Prior to the opening face-off, a ceremonial puck drop took place to honour breast cancer survivors—a beautiful way to begin the weekend.

Concordia came out of the gate hemming the Gaiters in their defensive zone, outshooting them 10-0 in the first half of the opening frame. Eleven minutes in, the Stingers got rewarded with the first goal of the game off a mid-slot deflection by forward Émilie Lussier.

The Gaiters knotted it up five minutes later, but the Stingers responded with a goal of their own. This one came from forward Émilie Lavoie, bringing the score to 2-1.

The second period of the game consisted of a similar outcome. Concordia scored three unanswered goals to open a 5-1 lead towards the end of the period. The Gaiters closed the gap to 5-2, but the Stingers added another three goals in the third, securing the big 8-2 victory. 

Lussier, Lavoie, and forward Caroline Moquin-Joubert all scored multiple goals and brought momentum into their second game the following day.

After a quick turnaround, the Stingers hit the ice against the Carleton Ravens on Nov. 18. The game had a slow start compared to the day prior—the Ravens and Stingers tied at one after 20 minutes of play. The two teams exchanged goals to open the second period, followed by the Stingers’ third power play goal of the game, making the score 3-2 in favour of the home team.

In the third, the Stingers ran away with the game. Three more goals, including a hat trick from forward Jessymaude Drapeau, topped off another victory for Concordia. 

“We stuck with it. We wanted to make sure that we stayed to our habits and kept our mindset in a good spot even if we were in a tight game,”  coach Chu expressed postgame. 

The team has now improved to a perfect 10-0-0 on the season, holding first place in the RSEQ standings as well as on the U Sports’ women’s hockey power rankings list.

The Stingers men’s team then took to the ice for the second leg of the day. This game was a big one for the Stingers as they had lost four out of their last five games after starting the year 6-1-0. They faced off against Ontario University Athletics West Division opponent Lakehead Thunderwolves. The first period saw the Stingers firing on all cylinders.

A deflection by captain and forward Phélix Martineau off a seeing-eye shot from defenseman Simon Lavigne saw the Stingers jump in front of the Thunderwolves 1-0. One minute later, Stingers forward Loïck Daigle found the puck on his stick all alone in the slot and fired it past the Lakehead goaltender making it 2-0. The Stingers went on to add two more goals before the intermission, leading 4-0 after the first period.

After Lakehead got on the board early in the second period, Stingers forward Isiah Campbell responded by scoring two goals to extend the Concordia lead to 6-1 going into the third period. Despite conceding a late goal, Stingers forward Mathieu Bizier added two third-period goals to cap the 8-2 statement win. Head coach Marc-André Élément spoke postgame about his team’s victorious effort.

Isiah Campbell vs. Lakehead
Photo Credit: Concordia Athletics

“Tonight we played well—we managed the puck properly and that’s why we had success,” Élément said. “There were some guys on our team who scored some big goals tonight that will translate with them continuing to produce offensively, hopefully [this win] will motivate them to keep trending in the right direction going into the winter break.”

Three well-earned wins and a fundraiser for a great cause were the highlights of a very successful weekend for the Stingers hockey community. The teams will be back in action this week with the men’s team playing at McGill on Nov. 23 and the women’s team at the Université de Montréal Carabins on Nov. 24.

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Stingers hockey is off to a great start (again)

Faceoff Photo Credit: David J. Beaudoin

Women’s team leads their division in points while men’s team trails division lead by just one point.

It is certainly an encouraging start to a season when both hockey teams in a school’s program are winning out the gate. The Concordia Stingers have done just that. While we haven’t reached the halfway point in the regular season, the men’s hockey team trails the tightly-contested Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Men’s Hockey East Division standings by a single point. On an even higher note, the women’s hockey team leads the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) hockey standings by four points. This is on top of remaining undefeated this season.

The Stingers’ women’s hockey team has been nothing short of impressive in the early going of their regular season campaign. Following a loss in the Theresa Humes Cup championship game on Oct. 1, the team won eight straight games, including six in league play. 

With wins against division rivals like the Université de Montréal Carabins, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, and most recently the Bishop Gaiters, the Stingers have shown how they could compete and be successful against any team in their division. Stingers head coach Julie Chu spoke on how proud she is of the team’s hard work and success. “We have found a way to win differently in all [our] games, and that’s what I’m really proud of,” shared Chu following a 6-1 win against the Gee-Gees on Nov. 3. 

While the start was a victorious one, Chu wants to make sure nobody gets ahead of themselves with it only being November. “We always come out of every game with ‘this is what we did well’ and ‘this is what we need to do better,’” she explains. “It’s always our mentality, and regardless of being undefeated and winning five games so far, it’s a long season, and where we actually want to play our best hockey is at the end of the season.”

The Stingers’ women’s team will look to keep the win streak going when they play next at McGill on Nov. 10.

The men’s team has a lot to be proud about to this point as well. Despite dropping their last two games to the East division-leading Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes, the Stingers began the season with a 6-1-0 record.

This season, the OUA expanded the amount of teams that each university plays. The East division now plays against the West in league play, which only makes the competition tougher.

That being said, the Stingers handled the change well. Concordia earned at least one point against the top two teams in the West division, beating the second place Toronto Varsity Blues 4-3 on Oct. 20 and losing in overtime to the first place Brock Badgers 3-2 on Oct. 28.

Defensemen Christopher Inniss takes a slap shot
Photo Credit: Concordia Athletics

Goaltender Jordan Naylor split the games as starter with teammate Nikolas Hurtubise as the men’s team tried to find a consistent starting netminder after Jonathan Lemieux left in the offseason on a professional contract. To this point, Naylor is second amongst all OUA goaltenders in goals against average (1.98) and tied for fourth in save percentage (0.923).

Also high up on the leaderboard is Stingers’ right winger Charles-Antoine Paiement. He is currently tied for third place amongst leading goal scorers in the entire OUA.

The Stingers’ men’s team will be back in action on Nov. 10 when they travel to face the Western University Mustangs.

As the season progresses for both the women’s and men’s hockey teams, the competition will only continue to increase. But if the Stingers continue to improve on what they have already accomplished, both teams are bound to have success this season.

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Concordia Stingers takes on the Ivy League

Stingers celebrate a goal. Photo courtesy of Arianne Bergeron.

Stingers women’s hockey beats Harvard Crimson and Dartmouth Big Green 5-1 and 4-1 respectively.

It is not every day that the Concordia Stingers get to face off against an Ivy League opponent. On Oct. 14–15, the Stingers women’s hockey team got to take on two of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 universities to start the 2023-24 season.

Following their victory against the McGill Redbirds to open the regular season on Oct. 12, the Stingers travelled south to the Bright-Landry Hockey Center in Boston, Massachusetts to take on the Harvard Crimson in an exhibition game for the two teams. It was the Crimson’s third game of the season, following a win against  McGill in an exhibition on Oct. 6 and a loss against Dartmouth College on Oct. 13. The Stingers jumped out to a lead and never looked back, winning their first exhibition game of the weekend 5-1.

Not only was it a special trip for the players, it was for head coach Julie Chu as well. Chu, who played at Harvard University between 2002–2007, was inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame on Oct. 14. This is an amazing and well-deserved accomplishment for Chu, who helped lead the Crimson to two Ivy League Championships in 2003 and 2005, as well as leading the entire NCAA scoring during the 2007 season.

As the team concluded the eventful day in Boston, they travelled up to Thompson Arena in Hanover, New Hampshire for their next game against the Big Green. The Dartmouth College team had been coming off the winner against Assumption University and Harvard University, repping a 2-0-0 record coming into the exhibition with Concordia.

The Stingers extended their lead again and kept the momentum rolling, as Concordia skated to another win, this time by a score of 4-1.

This was an impressive road trip to the United States for a team who has proven to be a top team in Canada. Facing off against Division 1 schools is always a tough task, and to win both games while only surrendering two goals is a statement.

The Stingers women’s hockey team will return to home ice on Oct. 29 when they will face off against city rival Carabins de l’Université de Montréal. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.

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The puck has officially dropped for the Stingers’ preseason

Stingers' Captain Phélix Martineau closes in on the puck. Credit: Liam Mahoney / Concordia Athletics

Concordia Stingers Men’s Hockey split their first two preseason games, winning 2-1 and losing 5-4

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team hosted two non-conference preseason hockey games against the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.

This marked the first time that Saint Mary’s and Concordia have faced off against each other in preseason play. The Huskies are coming off a successful season in 2022–23—one that was very similar to the Stingers’. Both teams qualified for the U Sports University Cup in Prince Edward Island in March 2023, with the Stingers at rank six and the Huskies at rank seven.

These two games also featured Concordia’s new goaltenders, Nikolas Hurtubise and Kevyn Brassard. With two of their three goaltenders leaving after the 2022-23 season, the Stingers will now have to adjust to a new goalie tandem. This includes the loss of last season’s starting netminder Jonathan Lemieux who signed with the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League. 

“We liked what we saw out of [Hurtubise and Brassard] but it’s an adjustment,” said head coach Marc-André Élément. “They played junior last year and now they’re at a higher level. We are going to continue our evaluation through the preseason, but I’m happy with what we saw this weekend.”

A scoreless contest persisted through the first 30 minutes of game one. Huskies defenseman Cameron Pound opened the scoring in the second period with a wrist shot beating Hurtubise. Concordia finally got on the board in the third period after solid defence and goaltending on both sides had kept the scoresheet relatively empty. 

Stingers defenseman Nathan Lavoie netted his first goal of the preseason with 15 minutes remaining, tying the game at one. However, the Stingers could not capitalise on their late power play, causing the game to be sent into overtime.

A short 14 seconds into overtime, Stingers forward and captain Phélix Martineau put the game to rest on a gorgeous individual effort. The 2-1 Stingers win was a fitting way to start off the preseason on home ice.

Game two on Sept. 16 had a very different feel than the first. As a result of having played each other the day prior, the first period saw a much faster pace with more goals scored.

The Stingers got off to a quick 2-0 lead with goals from Martineau and forward Isiah Campbell. This was followed by the Huskies retaliating with two goals of their own, making it a 2-2 contest.

In the second period, the Stingers retook the lead on a goal from alternate captain Tyler Hylland. This did not last long, however, as the Huskies scored three unanswered goals, bringing the score to 5-3.

As the clock favoured Saint Mary’s and their lead in the third period, the Stingers got a goal in with only two minutes to go. A last-ditch effort saw the Stingers come within inches of tying the game as the puck snuck in behind the Huskies’ goaltender, but could not find the back of the net. The team fell just short and game two ended at 5-4.

Despite the result, coach Élément was pleased with the resilience and leadership shown by his team in the final minutes. “The guys, when they are on the ice, they want to produce and they want to have success. Our leadership group is amazing, so for sure they are going to step up at big moments and get results,” he said.

The Stingers will continue their preseason with one more game versus McGill on Sept. 30. Concordia will kick off their regular season schedule with two games on the road against McGill and Carleton, and will return for their home opener against Ontario Tech on Oct. 11. 

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Introducing the new professional women’s hockey league

Illustration by Maggie Zeng

The PWHL strives to bring more attention to women’s hockey and the talent its players offer.

On Aug. 29, 2023, it was announced that there would be a brand new ice hockey league in the works for a start date in 2024. The newly-launched league would be known as The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which will include three teams in Canada and another three in the United States.

Why is this league a big deal? It all goes back to 2019 when the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) had to cease operations due to economic hardship. Following this situation, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) was created. The union consisted of dozens of female ice hockey players who worked to ensure adequate funding, health insurance, and resources to the women players of different hockey leagues.

Though the CWHL shut down in 2019, the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) was still active and had offered to add the players affected by the shutdown. However, the former CWHL players declined the offer, refusing to play in a North American league again until sufficient resources and funding was presented to the players.

This year, the NWHL—now named the Premier Hockey Federation—made an announcement that they would be selling the league to a new owner. This new owner would be the founder of the new PWHL. The members of the PWHPA have finally established a league that would have the resources and financial structure to support the athletes who had been fighting for change for several years.

The PWHL owners established a collective bargaining agreement that will be effective through 2031 by working closely with the PWHL and partnering with the Billie Jean King group. This is great news for the future of women’s hockey. Not only does the collective bargaining agreement include a minimum salary that the members of the PWHPA are satisfied with, but it also ensures that the league will be around for several years—allowing it to grow instead of fearing another league shutdown.

The National Hockey League (NHL) also released a statement following the announcement of the PWHL that they look forward to helping grow the sport and supporting the new league. Past collaborations of the NHL with women’s hockey leagues, like their All-Star Game, have already brought positive attention to women’s hockey. 

The future is bright not only for the players of the PWHL, but for the fans as well. As we know so far, there will be six franchise locations: in Boston, New York, Minneapolis, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. 

Montreal hockey fans already have a reason to be excited. Star players Laura Stacey, Ann-Renée Desbiens, and even Marie-Philip Poulin—known to many as the best women’s hockey player of all time—have agreed to contracts with Montreal’s new team.

Fans tuned in to watch the inaugural PWHL draft which took place on Sept.18. Franchises until this point have been able to sign up to three free agent players to contracts. During the draft, the six teams were able to fill out the remaining spots on their rosters. The draft player-pool includes some impeccable talent, including dozens of Olympic medalists as well as rookie players. With 268 athletes from around the world eligible to be drafted, it surely is a sight to see for hockey fans.

With this being the first time that the best women’s hockey players will be playing against each other in a league, the start of the PWHL is certainly one to be excited for. Once the teams are set following the draft, training camp will open shortly after. Fans should keep an eye open for information on purchasing tickets, as the league is yet to announce dates, times, and venues for its games. Before we know it, the calendar will flip to 2024, and the first PWHL season will be ready to launch. Whether you are a player or fan, it is undoubtedly an exciting time for women’s hockey. 

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