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Stingers come from behind to win third-straight

stingers come
The Stingers won both games this weekend after being down by two goals. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Captain Philippe Hudon: This win shows tremendous character

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team shocked their home crowd by defeating the first-place Ottawa Gee-Gees Saturday night at the Ed Meagher Arena. With eight games remaining in the regular season, the 3-2 shootout win couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We needed more emotion. It was part of my pre-game speech,” said head coach Marc-André Élement. “We’re in front of our fans, in our barn for the first time after Christmas, it was important to get that win and play well.”

Although it was a shaky start, through the team’s strong defensive play, the Stingers managed to stay competitive by killing off four early power plays and avoiding disaster.

The Stingers won both games this weekend after being down by two goals. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Down 2-0 after the first period, the Stingers got their first goal from captain Philippe Hudon. A lucky deflection flew over the helmet of Gee-Gees goaltender Graham Hunt midway through the second period, igniting the crowd.

With the momentum shifting, and the game getting physical, assistant captain Philippe Sanche started to lead by example. His heart and tenacity were evident, which helped the Stingers’s special teams.

“We managed to win some battles down low and create some chances, and we finally got the tying goal late in the game,” said Sanche.

Nearly five minutes into the third period, Hudon capitalized on the Stingers’s only power play of the game by tying up the score with a juicy rebound shot from Sanche.

Overtime solved nothing, bringing the game to a shootout. After two saves from Stingers goalie Anthony Dumont-Bouchard, Sanche scored the only goal with a beautiful wrist shot.

“I practiced it a lot during our practices,” Sanche said. “I try to keep it simple and beat the goalie with a quick release shot—it worked again tonight.”

This is the third-straight win for the Stingers, and second in as many days after they beat the McGill Redmen 5-4 on Friday. The two big wins this weekend certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Concordia’s captain.

“It’s probably one of the toughest weekends that we’ve had on the schedule so far, and honestly it’s incredible for us to have pulled it off. It shows tremendous character,” Hudon said. “Against McGill, we were down by two goals, and were again tonight. In both games, we managed to battle back. I sure hope it’s going to give us the boost we need for the last stretch.”

With the Stingers peaking at the right time, it was an all-around team effort at both ends of the ice.

“We’re playing well as a team,” said defenceman Carl Neill. “We have a game plan and modify it against the team we play every night. Tonight, the boys stuck to it. Give credit to our special units, obviously, that’s what won the game for us—Dumont as well.”

The Stingers play twice at home next weekend, with the first game on Jan. 18 against the Queen’s Gaels at 7:30 p.m.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

 

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Stingers bounce back from loss with convincing win

Despite the win, the Stingers still sit four points behind McGill for second place. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Katherine Purchase returns to action and records a shutout

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team blanked the Carleton University Ravens 6-0 Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena. Forward Stéphanie Lalancette scored two goals and goaltender Katherine Purchase registered the shutout in her first start of the season to help the Stingers beat the Ravens.

Following Saturday’s lost to the McGill Martlets, Stingers head coach Julie Chu said her team missed killer instinct. She was pleased with how her team responded against the Ravens.

“We liked what we did today,” Chu said. “We had a pretty hard message on them after the game [Saturday]. Obviously they want to win, so when they lose 5-1 they’re really not feeling great about it. Then, we made sure they felt a little bit tougher about it. The best thing about this team is that they respond, and we have great leadership and great veterans that stepped up and realized we just needed a little reset.”

This was goalie Katherine Purchase’s first start since nationals last March. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Stingers took many of their 44 shots from the blue line and used their defencemen to create scoring opportunities. Chu said the team focused on playing great in the offensive zone.

“I think when we start some attacks down low it opens up our opportunities up top,” Chu said. “Our forwards did a really good job driving the net, creating spaces and time down low. It naturally opened up up top. What we were looking for our defencemen was to make sure we had some good puck movement and shots through as much as we could. I thought overall we did a really good job with that.”

The Stingers scored two power play goals in the game. According to Chu, the team’s special units worked well because of their quick puck management.

“It’s when we hold on to the puck a little bit longer [that it doesn’t work],” Chu said. “Maybe sometimes on the power play our intensity goes down. We have to move the puck quickly, tape to tape, and make sure we have a great net front presence.”

Forward Audrey Belzile, who recorded one goal and two assists in the victory, said the Stingers showed a totally different power play look than the one against the Martlets.

“I think we were moving the puck faster than yesterday,” Belzile said. “Yesterday we were stressed to make a mistake, but today we were simply moving the puck and taking shots. It’s especially what we didn’t do yesterday [that we did today], which is having a screen in front of the net to block the goaltender’s view. That’s what helped because she didn’t see pucks arrive.”

Purchase saved all 14 shots she received in her first start of the season with the Stingers. Chu said Purchase responded well to a game she knew would be challenging.

“Katherine [Purchase] did a great job,” Chu said. “In her first game, she had a tough start. Regardless of the score, she had to make some really good saves early on when it was 1-0 or 2-0. She had a two-on-one opportunity where she had to come up with a big save. If she doesn’t make that save, maybe it [would have changed] the flow of the game a little bit.”

 

Purchase said she prepared for this game knowing the team wanted to avenge their disappointing loss from Saturday. “It was a must win game for us,” Purchase said. “You could see just from the warm up that the team was ready and that gave me confidence.”

The Stingers play their next game on Jan. 18 against the Université de Montréal Carabins. The puck drop is at 7 p.m. at the CEPSUM Arena.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers lack killer instinct in 5-1 loss

The Martlets are now six points ahead of the Stingers in the standings. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

McGill has beaten Concordia in all three meetings this season

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team were defeated 5-1 by the McGill Martlets Saturday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena. The Martlets have now won the three meetings played so far between the teams this season.

The Martlets took control early in the game when they scored in the opening minute. The Stingers’s lone goal was by forward Lidia Fillion, scored in the last minute of the first period, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Despite having 37 shots on net, the Stingers only managed to score once. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Stingers head coach Julie Chu said the score early in the game didn’t reflect the team’s effort. “We had two crossbars, and [had] different plays,” Chu said. “It could have been a very different first period outcome.”

Chu added that her team played a good second period, but missed many scoring chances. “We had a lot of chances, a lot of odd-man rushes, and it’s our job to bury them out and make sure we score on those,” Chu said. She added the Stingers didn’t have that “killer instinct.”

According to Fillion, the Stingers couldn’t find the scoring touch. “We had a lot of momentum, but we missed that finishing,” Fillion said. “We missed that second effort, the little spark that made us score.”

“I think we’re still playing good hockey,” Chu said. “We created chances, and that’s step one. But at some point, we have to find a way to have that little extra hunger and be able to put it past a good goaltender.”

Stingers goaltender Alice Philbert was pulled from the game in the third period after conceding five goals on 28 shots.

The two teams will meet again on Jan. 25 at McGill. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

“I think at some point it’s time to get a little bit of a change. Then, we get an opportunity to get Katherine [Purchase] some ice-time as well, and get some feeling to the puck,” Chu said. This was Purchase’s first game of the season, as she’s been out with an injury. “I’m not going to stand here and say that we lost because of Alice. We’re not that type of team,” Chu added.

The Stingers finished the game with 37 shots, while the Martlets finished with 34. Forward Audrey Belzile said that everyone has to work on themselves for the next game.

“We have to focus on ourselves [for tomorrow], and stop focusing about others,” Belzile said. “If it doesn’t go well, [then] we support each other. When we are trailing, we need to stop looking at the negative and look at the positive.”

The Stingers will be in action against the Carleton Ravens on Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier. 

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Stingers teams continue rolling with doubleheader wins against Bishop’s

Aurelie D’Anjou-Drouin (#9) had three steals for the Stingers. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams improve to 5-1

Both Concordia Stingers basketball teams walked away with a win against the Bishop’s Gaiters Thursday night at the Concordia Gym. It was the first ff a back-to-back games between the schools, as they meet again on Sat. Jan. 12 in Sherbrooke.

Women’s game

The Stingers women’s basketball team won 66-53 with a good performance in their first game after the holiday break. The Stingers held a 28-point lead at halftime after having dominated the first half.

The momentum of the game change in the second half as Bishop’s dominated the last portion of the game. Despite giving up points in second half, the Stingers were able to hold on to a comfortable lead and found a way to win.

“I think on the first half we came out with a lot of energy,” said head coach Tenicha Gittens about her team’s performance. “Especially on the defensive end.”

What started off looking like a potential blow-out win turned into a tight game during the second half. The Stingers were slower and gave many turnovers to their opponents, opening the door for a big offensive push by the Gaiters.

“We did not stick to our game plan and we did not take care of the ball offensively so it caused turnovers,” Gittens said. “At the end of the day, you want the W and that’s what we want.”

Both guard Myriam Leclerc and forward Coralie Dumont led the Stingers offensively with 19 and 18 points respectively. Dumont scored 16 of her points in the first half alone.

“The first half was really good and that what we practiced in defence paid off,” Dumont said. “Yes we won, but it’s disappointing to win by that margin when we were up by a lot more. We will look back at the second half and will make sure we are ready for Saturday’s game.”

She continued to say that the Stingers dropped off in the second half because they “had no legs and [Bishop’s] played without fear.”

Good rebound control and ball possession combined with speed made a big difference during the first two quarters, and allowed the Stingers to win the game.

Garry Merisier started for the Stingers and was one of four players to score more than 10 points. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.
Men’s game

The men’s team also picked up a win following the women’s game, by a score of 78-68. It was a really tight game, as there were 15 lead changes during the game. The Stingers took a seven-point lead during the first quarter, but lifted their foot off the gas at the beginning of the second half. This allowed the Gaiters to came back in the game and take the lead for a little while.

Sami Ghandour’s buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter allowed Concordia to regain some momentum. They readjusted and showcased toughness for the end of the game.

“We played hard, we competed, we had a good start on defence,” said head coach Rastko Popovic, who was happy with his team’s performance. “We did not pay attention on the scouting report details and it made us look bad on defence. You can’t relax at basketball.”

Popovic thought his team bounced back really well at the end of the game. “In the fourth quarter we played really well defensively; we showed some toughness and character and we found a way to win,” the coach added. “It’s never easy to win by a lot. If you relax any team can come back.”

Popovic was happy by the defensive performances from Ricardo Monge and Cedrick Coriolan. “The key was that we made good plays; many of them made a big difference both offensively and defensively,” he said. “There is some plays you don’t see on the score sheet but we know they made a difference.”

During the holiday break, the Stingers played three exhibition games in Florida. Popovic contributed their second-half success to their trip. “The trip allowed us to be prepared for the second half, because it’s tough if you don’t play during the break,” he said.

Forward Olivier Simon, who finished the game with 21 points, said key three-point shots helped the team win. They went 9-for-25 from three-point shooting.

“We need to be more tough mentally and be focused, and that’s what we have been able to do during the last five minutes of the game,” Simon added.

Moving to their game against Bishop’s on Saturday, Popovic is looking forward to how his team responds. “We have to watch video, we have to take care of the basketball better. It’s like a challenge and I am looking forward to that game,” Popovic said.

Simon is also looking forward to it. “I am really confident for Saturday. We will look at video and have a good practice,” he said. “We will showcase that we deserve our ninth spot in Canada.”

Both the men’s and women’s teams improved to a 5-1 record this season.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier.

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Basketball teams end semester on a winning note

Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers sweep the Citadins; both Concordia teams now have a 4-1 record

The Concordia Stingers basketball teams beat the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the Concordia Gym.

Women’s game

Despite a 64-53 victory, the Stingers had a rough first half—something head coach Tenicha Gittens was quick to change at halftime. Her team played with character and pride in the second half to help them to the win.

“We started it off slow in the first half,” Gittens said. “We didn’t follow the game plan defensively and we weren’t competitive on the glass.”

With the game tied at 26, Gittens had a clear message for her team at halftime: to protect home court. “We pride ourselves on defence, and UQAM is a very good team,” she said.

The head coach said her players acknowledged their initial poor performance and adjusted to have a better second half.

“The key was defence,” Gittens said. “We forced turnovers.”

The Stingers were quick on rebounds and made good passes in the second half. They had proper positioning both offensively and defensively. After taking the lead early in the third quarter, the Stingers didn’t let go of the lead for the rest of the game.

Although UQAM—with its 0-5 record—is not a top-ranking team in the standings, Gittens said she was impressed by how the Citadins challenged her team.

Offensively, point guard Myriam Leclerc led the Stingers with a solid performance, scoring 25 points. Her three three-pointers certainly helped the Stingers increase their lead, but Gittens said she was also happy with how the team played defensively.

“When you look at the turnovers and the rebounds, it made a big difference and was a key in today’s win,” she said.

Adrian Armstrong was instrumental in the team’s three-point shooting success. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
Men’s game

Speed, preparation and accuracy helped the Stingers in their 83-59 win over the Citadins. Their defence quashed most of UQAM’s scoring opportunities, and the Stingers made the most of their time with the ball, hitting 12/35 three-point attempts.

“I am happy the way we played and the way we competed,” said Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic.

After a disappointing 17-point loss to the Citadins on Nov. 15, the Stingers were ready for redemption. “This was a very, very important game for us,” Popovic said.

The team’s preparation was evident; they dominated from the start, on a high from two consecutive wins last weekend. Stingers guard Cedrick Coriolan said he was pleased with the way his team played.

“They key was our defence; we kept them under 70 points which is usually our goal,” Coriolan said. “We followed the scouting report perfectly, and that allowed us to earn the win.”

Stingers point guard Ricardo Monge dominated offensively, recording the game-high in points with 22, but Popovic said the victory was a full-team effort.

“Everyone who showed up on the court today played well,” Popovic said. “I thought the guys executed the game plan as a team. Everybody is responsible for our success.”

The head coach stressed the importance of this win, which allows the Stingers to head into the winter break in first place. “They are buying in now, and they understand what’s necessary to win,” he said. “You don’t want to lose your last game before the break and think about it for weeks. That is a big win for us.”

Both basketball teams are off for the winter break and will be back on Jan. 10 with a home doubleheader against the Bishop’s University Gaiters.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers dominate in 9-2 win over Nipissing

Despite the four-game winning streak, the Stingers head into the break in seventh place. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Concordia heads into break with four-game winning streak

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team beat the Nipissing Lakers 9-2 at the Ed Meagher Arena on Dec. 1.  

The Stingers dominated all aspects of the game: they outshot the Lakers 60-20, they got more hits, and they had puck possession for most of the game. Concordia also went 6/12 on the powerplay, and forward Hugo Roy scored their first goal of the game on a five-on-three advantage. Roy led the Stingers with four goals in the game.

Hugo Roy (left) scored four goals in the win. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

After defenceman Carl Neill scored late in the first period, the Stingers opened the second with three consecutive goals, forcing the Lakers to change their goaltender.

Concordia took advantage of its opportunities on the power plays and was able to build a solid lead early in the game. Concordia spent most of the time in the offensive zone forcing the Lakers to take penalties. It seems like the Lakers spent too much energy defending and didn’t have enough to attack at the other end of the ice.

It was a physical game and the Stingers won most of the battles along the boards. They were also faster than the Lakers with a quick transition game to leave their zone and go on the attack. The Stingers’s defencemen also contributed offensively, transitioning the play from zone to zone.

Even though the Stingers dominated most of the game in the offensive zone, they still played well defensively, blocking numerous shots.

The Stingers have now won four-straight games, a streak that started with a win in Nipissing. Concordia is now on break, with a 9-6-1 record, and will return on Jan. 11 to face the McGill Redmen on the road.

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Stingers lose rivalry game 3-2 against Martlets

Forward Audrey Belzile (pictured) hit two posts in the game. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Concordia heads into winter break third in conference

A third-period push wasn’t enough for the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team to comeback against the McGill Martlets on Saturday afternoon. The Martlets beat the Stingers 3-2 at the Ed Meagher Arena in the rivalry game.

“It’s a game of bounces, and in the first period we had a few breakdowns that [gave] McGill a few bounces that we didn’t get,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “For sure it was a fun game, it was back-and-forth and very much like a playoff-atmosphere game.”

The Stingers and Martlets will face off in the first game after the break. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Early in the game, the Martlets displayed why they are ranked third in the country by U Sports. Emilia Cotter opened the scoring five minutes in, before Concordia’s Marie-Pascale Bernier tied the game four minutes later. McGill continued to fire shots on goalie Alice Philbert, and finally got one past her midway through the first for the lead.

After outshooting the Stingers 13-8 in the first, the Martlets extended their lead to two goals just three minutes into the second. “We have to tighten up so we don’t give those opportunities,” Chu said. “Even their third goal was a tough bounce that deflected weird and ended up going in.”

The Stingers stormed back during the second period. A power play gave them the energy they needed and created multiple scoring chances, only goalie Tricia Deguire to stop them. Stingers forward Audrey Belzile even hit a post in the second, only to hit a second post in the third. Concordia did cut the lead in half with an early third-period goal by Sophie Gagnon. It seemed to energize the team and the crowd at the Ed Meagher Arena, as they outshot McGill 18-7 in the final period—but couldn’t tie the game.

“I thought the third period we were tremendous, we were all over them and buzzing, plus we had a lot of good opportunities,” Chu said. “At the end of the day when we play a good team in one of the best leagues [in the country], we’re going to go back-and-forth, and some chances will go in, and others won’t.”

With 10 games played, the Stingers are halfway through their season and have a 5-3-1 record heading into the winter break. They sit third in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec conférence, four points behind McGill.

The Stingers host the Theresa Humes Tournament from Dec. 28 to Dec. 30, before returning to league play against McGill on Jan. 12.

“We’ve worked really hard and grown as a team [this season],” Chu said. “But the key for our girls is to focus on their exams and to make sure to still get some work-outs in December.”

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers win third-straight with comeback against RMC

The three-game winning streak is the highest of the Stingers’s season so far. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Concordia bounces back from 2-0 deficit to win 4-3

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team won their third-straight game Friday night. They defeated the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins 4-3 at the Ed Meagher Arena.

After a first period controlled by the visitors, the Stingers scored three unanswered goals in the last 40 minutes of play to defeat the Paladins. The Stingers finally broke the tie 41 seconds into the third period with a goal from forward Jean-Philippe Beaulieu.

Head coach Marc-André Élément said the Stingers will need better starts if they want to win their upcoming games.

“We didn’t show up in the first period,” Élément said. “We have to learn from that. However, our guys stepped up in the second and third period, allowing us to get two huge points tonight.”

After trailing 15 to 13 in shots after the first period, the Stingers came back strong and finished the game ahead 44-27 in that category.

“I think the big difference between the first period and the rest of the game is that we won our battles [for the puck] and kept it simple in the defensive zone,” said Stingers defenceman Charlie Roy, who scored his first goal of the season in the first period.

Defenceman Anthony Gingras, who scored the Stingers’s second goal, also got his first of the season.

Élément said the team made adjustments and played more aggressive in the second and third periods.

“I wasn’t shy to let the players know after the first period that they had to be better,” Élement said. “At university level, you can’t afford to make the kind of mistakes we made in the first period.”

The Stingers received 25 penalty minutes, while the Paladins received 12. Stingers forward Francis Brunelle received a game misconduct penalty in the third period for a hit from behind.

“It was definitely tiring [taking all the penalties],” said Stingers forward Jake Fletcher. “It seemed like there were penalties after penalties.”

Goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 24 saves in the victory. It’s his sixth win this season, and his third-straight after the team’s 8-1 loss against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Nov. 17.

“You need to focus on the present,” Turcotte said. “It’s about paying attention to what’s happening around, just staying in the game.”

The Stingers play their last game before the holiday break this Saturday night against the Nipissing University Lakers. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Myriam Leclerc is taking on a leadership role

Growing up in Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu, Leclerc moved to Quebec City to play basketball in Cégep, and now lives in Montreal. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Rookie already impressing women’s basketball team

It’s clear Myriam Leclerc can score points for the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team. In her three years playing for Cégep Ste-Foy in Quebec City, she averaged 12.7 points per game, and led the league in scoring in her final season last year. But what she brings to the Stingers is so much more than just scoring—she brings leadership.

“I need to be a leader, speak and don’t be shy to say what I think,” Leclerc said about her leadership style. “I think I’m the type of person you could talk to.”

Myriam Leclerc says she wants to be as vocal as possible on the court. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Leclerc is in her first season with the Stingers and when head coach Tenicha Gittens was recruiting her, she challenged her to be a vocal leader.

“She always has this poise to her, you never know what she’s thinking, and as a point guard, you have to be poised,” said Gittens about Leclerc. “But you also have to be vocal. You have to get other people involved, directing using hand gestures, and that’s something I challenge her everyday to do in practice.”

The point guard is one of six rookies on the new-look basketball team. Coming out of Cégep, Leclerc chose Concordia because she knew it’s where she belonged right away.

“When I visited here, I felt like it was my place with the girls and coaches, and the atmosphere felt really good,” Leclerc said. She enrolled in accounting because she enjoys working with numbers and business, and heard great things about the John Molson School of Business. “Everything was just a good choice for me, academically and with the team sports.”

Leclerc said she’s enjoying her first semester at Concordia, but is only taking three classes because it’s the first time she’s doing her schooling in English. It’s not the first time she’s playing basketball in an English environment—she first did that with the Canadian national team at various youth levels. Since 2014, Leclerc has been participating in training camps for the youth national team in Toronto, where she first learned how to be a leader.

“The whole experience [with Team Canada] was great, and I could speak more English than I was before, and I’m more confident with meeting people,” Leclerc said, adding that it helped her come to Concordia with knowledge of English basketball terms. Still, her teammates are there for her when she needs them.

“I know if I’m struggling [to find a word], I know the girls have my back, so I’m confident about it,” Leclerc said.

“We make a lot of fun of my accent in the locker room,” Leclerc added with a big laugh, saying it’s all in good fun. “We know it’s friendly and lovely.”

The rookie’s play on the court is nothing to laugh at. She instantly made an impact for her team, carrying the Stingers to a perfect 3-0 record and winning the MVP award at the Concordia Classic tournament. She has already been named the female Stingers athlete of the week twice this semester, once for her performance at the Concordia Classic on Oct. 9, and again on Nov. 13 for her 17-point game in the home-opener. As a point guard, Leclerc controls the play and sees the court well. “My greatest strength is my IQ, like I know when to rush [the ball up] or when not to,” Leclerc said.

“She’s a floor general and understands the game,” Gittens said. “She can score freely and get other people involved. She creates [chances] for other people and creates them for herself, and brings a calmness to the team.”

WBasketball_23_HEwen8 – Leclerc drives the basket against the Bishop’s Gaiters on Nov. 24. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Gittens is benefitting from having a player like Leclerc. A year after going 4-12 and missing the playoffs, the Stingers went 9-1 in the preseason and sit in second place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) with a 3-1 record. Leclerc is averaging a team-high 17.8 points, 3.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. But this doesn’t come as a surprise to Gittens.

“If anyone followed her throughout her Cégep career and saw what she did on the court with the team she had, then coming here with [the players we have], then it’s no surprise to what she’s done,” Gittens said.

Leclerc credits the team’s success to a good atmosphere. “We’re always together and bonding, we’re a loud team and we’ve just had so much fun so far this year” Leclerc said. “We just like each other, there’s no one [girl] you like more than any other. We’re just like a family with a bunch of sisters and we have each others’s backs.”

The first-year grew up in Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu, a municipality of over 2,000 people close to 80 kilometres east of the Loyola campus. There, she started playing basketball at eight years old, before moving to Quebec City for Cégep. Now in Montreal, she’s closer to her family.

Leclerc said her biggest role models growing up were her parents, Rosanne and Bruno, who were always there for her. “They worked so hard for me and pushed me,” Leclerc said. “When I was not knowing what to do or didn’t know if I wanted to continue playing basketball, they were there for me and kept pushing me.”

The rookie point guard said there were times, such as between high school and Cégep, when she wondered if it was worth pursuing basketball. “But for me, it wasn’t an option to stop—I needed to play basketball.”

Luckily for the Stingers, Leclerc has continued playing until now, and wants to help her team succeed. “We want to be the provincial champions for sure. We have the team to do it, we just need to keep pushing and get better every day.”

Main photo Gabe Chevalier.

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The best from the 2018 sports year

Graphic by Ana Bolokin.

Besides Montreal’s losing teams, fans had fun things to watch

The past 12 months in the world of sports have seen plenty of interesting stories. Montreal sports teams can’t find a way to win, a king found a new home while a prince emerged in Russia, and we saw sports can be fun sometimes. Here is The Concordian’s 2018 sports year in review.

No playoffs in Montreal

Since 1995, at least one of the Montreal Canadiens, Alouettes or Impact have qualified for the postseason in any given year. For the first time since then, none of Montreal’s men’s professional sports teams made the playoffs in their respective leagues.

The Canadiens finished the 2017-18 season with a 29-40-13 record, missing out on the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Goalie Carey Price did not look like the MVP goalie he was in 2015, posting a 12-19-9 record with an 89.5 save percentage and 3.22 goals-against average in 2018. The Canadiens also traded captain Max Pacioretty, which originally did not look so good, but things are improving for the team.

The Impact and Alouettes both had new head coaches this year, going 14-16-4 and 5-13 in their respective seasons.

You can’t forget the Canadiennes of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, who finished first with a 22-5-1 record. They were upset by the Markham Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, with a 2-0 series sweep. So really, no professional team in this city won a playoff game in 2018.

The Philly Special

Who says there can’t be fun in the pressure-filled world of professional sports? The Philadelphia Eagles certainly had fun at the Super Bowl in February. Up 15-12 in the second quarter, with a fourth down on the one-yard line against the New England Patriots, the Eagles ran a trick play to throw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles. The play has become known as “The Philly Special” and it’s probably one of the boldest calls ever made in a championship game.

The Eagles had perfect execution on the play. Foles fooled the Patriots’s defence by pretending to bark out orders to his linemen, before scrambling off to the side for the open catch.

Mbappé shines in Russia

The FIFA World Cup is meant for players to shine, and French forward Kylian Mbappé did exactly that. He helped France win the World Cup, and tied in second for most goals scored at the tournament with four. He made his mark in the round of 16 match against Argentina, where he scored two goals four minutes apart in the win, including the game-winning goal.

Mbappé’s strength and speed showed the world he’s the next soccer star. The 19-year-old won the tournament’s best youngest player award, and he also completed his permanent transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, worth over CAD$250 million. What a year for Mbappé.

James heads to Los Angeles

After spending four seasons back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, basketball superstar LeBron James decided to join the L.A. Lakers. The Lakers finished last season with a 35-47 record, but with the help of James, they’ve instantly become a much better team.

James’s exit from Cleveland shifted powers in the league, putting the stars and best teams, like Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, in the Western Conference. The Toronto Raptors also traded fan-favourite DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, becoming the beasts of the Eastern Conference in the off-season.

Graphic by Ana Bolokin.

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Sports

A look at the 2018 Stingers all-stars

The men’s rugby team led all fall teams with the most all-star players. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Men’s rugby highlights individual accolades by Concordia athletes

The 2018 fall varsity season is coming to an end, and Concordia saw its athletes in football, soccer, and rugby represent the Stingers with pride. Some teams did better than others, while some athletes were recognized for their stellar performances. Here’s a breakdown of all the Stingers all-stars winners and Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) award-winners for the fall season.

Men’s rugby

Being the only Stingers team to win their championship this fall season, it’s no surprise the men’s rugby team have the most all-stars. Out of the 14 first-team all-stars, seven are Stingers: Stephen Martinez, Julian Alexander, Charles Debove, Thomas Goetz, Jackson Marquardt, Eliott Goussanou, and Lucas Hotton. Surprisingly, none of these players won any of the individual awards.

On the second all-star team, Dylan MacDonald, Michael Laplaine-Pereira, Jérome Lévesque, and Jonathan Banks represent the Stingers.

After winning their second-straight RSEQ championship, the Stingers finished fourth at nationals in Victoria, B.C.

Women’s rugby

Under new head coach Jocelyn Barrieau, the Stingers just missed the playoffs with a 2-5 record. The women’s rugby team was young—out of 28 players on the team, 21 were in their first or second year, with only two fifth-years.

Despite the amount of younger players, fourth-year veteran back Lia Hoyte was the Stingers’s sole representative on the first all-star team. Two of the other team’s backs, second-year Shawna Brayton and first-year Jasmine Baxter, were on the second all-star team.

Football

Like the women’s rugby team, the Stingers football team had a new head coach this season. Brad Collinson faced plenty of challenges, as the team went 2-6, missing out on the playoffs for the first time in five years.

The football team had two stars shining bright this season. Offensive lineman Maurice Simba and wide receiver Jarryd Taylor both made the first all-star team. Simba is draft-eligible for both the NFL and CFL, and will be one of the first players from a Canadian university to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January. Taylor led the league in receiving with 527 yards on 24 catches with two touchdowns.

Assistant coach Peter Regimbald, who was in his 50th and final season with the Stingers, also won the RSEQ’s assistant coach of the year award. He has been with the team since they were still known as the Loyola Warriors.

Women’s soccer midfielder Chama Sedki made the RSEQ second all-star team. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
Women’s soccer

Following the theme of new coaches, the women’s soccer team, in their first season under Greg Sutton, finished with a 4-9-1 record, 13 points out of a playoff spot. Regardless, it’s tied for the most wins they’ve had in a season since 2013.

Even though forward Sarah Humes and defender Claudia Asselin finished tied ninth in league scoring with five goals each, only midfielder Chama Sedki made the second all-star team. Sedki played in 12 games, scoring three goals and adding three assists.

Men’s soccer

On the men’s side, the Stingers had their worst season since 2014, finishing with a 1-10-1 record. It’s at least one win better than their winless season four years ago. Forward Yazid Dawiss led the team with two goals, while eight other players had one goal each. No players made the RSEQ all-star teams.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Sports

Colour commentary: Habs defence needs to be better

Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary

Montreal Canadiens offence is clicking, but they’re still losing

The Montreal Canadiens’s start to the season has been a promising one: they have an 11-7-4 record and sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Not many people, including myself, expected the Habs to be this good this season, so it’s been a pleasant surprise.

One particular stand-out is forward Max Domi. When the Canadiens acquired him in June for Alex Galchenyuk, fans were outraged, mainly because Domi scored nine goals last season with the Arizona Coyotes. Now, he has 26 points in 24 games, and had an 11-game point streak until the Habs’s loss on Nov. 23 against Buffalo.

New acquisition Tomáš Tatar is impressing fans with his work ethic and scoring ability, while Jonathan Drouin is finally becoming the player people expected him to be. 18-year-old rookie sensation Jesperi Kotkaniemi doesn’t look out of place either.

Despite all the promise they have offensively, the biggest worry for the Habs in this young season is their defence. They’ve allowed the fifth-most goals in the NHL, with 81, and no other team in a playoff spot has allowed more than 75. They’re lucky their 74 goals for is one shy of the top-10 in the league, which explains why they’ve been winning games.

The Habs defence is to blame for allowing so many goals—not goalie Carey Price. When looking at the Habs defence, players like David Schlemko, and Jordie Benn just aren’t good enough for today’s fast NHL. Even a young player like Victor Mete, who had the potential to be a first-pairing defenceman, struggles to defend bigger players. At this point, Jeff Petry carries the defence, as he averages 24:57 ice time per game, which is the second-most in the Atlantic Division.

This Habs defence core is really missing captain Shea Weber, who will be returning from an injury as early as Nov. 27. Weber brings a style of play that is both physical and calm—he knows when to pick up the tempo or slow it down. There’s no other defenceman who can do that right now.

Still, even with Weber back, Price will still need a good defenceman on the left side. Too many times this season have the Canadiens allowed a player open on the left side to score. I think the Habs are one good left-handed defenceman away from being a strong team, but for now, they will struggle to hold the fort defensively.

Until the defence can improve, the Habs have to rely on Price to stand on his head and bail his team out. But you can’t expect him to bake a cake without eggs or milk.

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