Tag: Anthony Beauregard

Categories
Sports

How Anthony Beauregard overcame adversity and pursued his dreams

Anthony Beauregard, Concordia Stingers, 2018. Brianna Thicke/Concordia Stingers

Anthony Beauregard reflects back on a hockey journey that’s taken him across the globe

At three years old, Anthony Beauregard put on a pair of skates for the first time.

Throughout childhood, he was obsessed with hockey. He still remembers his mother buying him little cars, and him playing hockey with them instead. He spent his childhood around arenas, either playing, or watching his father’s games.

Fast-forward 23 years to June of 2021, where Anthony Beauregard was the top scorer for the Wichita Thunder, and was named the East Coast Hockey League’s (ECHL) Most Valuable Player for 2020-2021. He was second in the league in scoring with 22 goals and 71 points in 62 games playing in Wichita, Kansas.

Beauregard said that although he had an incredible season playing centre at Concordia in 2017-18 – in which he amassed 19 goals and 60 points in 28 games – to accomplish something as big at a professional level in Wichita was even more significant.

Bruce Ramsay, the Thunder’s head coach, said that Beauregard was a key factor in the team’s success in making it to the 2020-21 playoffs.

“He was a great motivator, he played with his heart on his sleeve, he wanted to win as much as anybody, and he was actually a physical player for his size. He played a hard physical game,” Ramsay said, referring to his 5-foot-7, 165-pound star. “He brought a lot of great attributes to our organization and was a huge reason for our success last year.”

Beauregard expressed that he wasn’t thinking about any awards during the season, but being named ECHL MVP was like a pat on the back.

“It was big for me because there aren’t a lot of Quebecers who accomplish this,” he said.

Another big achievement that Beauregard will always remember was playing for the Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket, in 2017-18, after the Stingers’ season had ended.

“It was really fun. The experience of playing in the AHL, especially near home, it’s an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life. In my first game, there were about 60 or 70 people who went to see me there. I’ll never forget it.”

However, it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows for the Quebecer.

The following year, Beauregard signed a contract with the Brampton Beast, which was the Ottawa Senators’ ECHL affiliate, with the hopes of being called up to the AHL. After having an excellent season with Concordia, winning the Most Outstanding Player award in U Sports, and playing in the AHL, he was expecting a big role in Brampton, but that didn’t happen.

“I didn’t play a lot in Brampton, the coach didn’t really trust me. It was hard, it was a difficult year for me, personally,” Beauregard said. “It was a disappointing year, but the fact that I went to Dundee after, had a good season and loved it there, it made me want to play hockey again and be an important part of a team.”

He spent the 2019-20 season in Scotland with the Dundee Stars of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Beauregard had re-signed another year with the team, but with the risk of the season getting cancelled because of COVID-19 and being stuck in Europe, Beauregard decided to go play in Wichita, which was only a two-and-a-half-hour flight away from his parents’ and childhood home in Saint-Damase, Quebec.

“It was a decision based on COVID, but if you look at what happened, it was a good thing,” he said.

Beauregard is now a winger for Sierre-Anniviers in the Swiss League. He is one of the team’s two imports (who both happen to be Quebecers), with the other one being Eric Castonguay.

“There’s a bit more pressure on us because the fans expect us to deliver and help win games,” he explained. “So, we have some pressure, but it’s a fun kind of pressure to handle because you know the fans are behind you, so for the moment I’m loving it, I’m very happy here.”

Beauregard said he feels good about his season so far. He’s racked up six goals and 25 points in 32 games played.

Anthony Beauregard, HC Sierre, 2021. Justine Eyer/Propulsion

Although this isn’t the first time he’s played in Europe, it’s the first time he’s played in such an offensive-oriented environment.

“The style of play in the U.K. is really close to the style in North America. There were a lot of hits, there were fights, it was a physical game, so I wasn’t disoriented with respect to that,” Beauregard recounted. “Here [in Switzerland] it’s a less physical game, there can’t be fights, and it’s a more offensive game, so my style of play is adapted to the style here.”

Ramsay expected Beauregard to adjust well to the offensive style of play in Switzerland.

“He’s an elite player,” Ramsay said. “I think no matter what country or what situation he’s put in, if he’s put on a sheet of ice, he’s going to play his heart out and have success.”

Beauregard has always wanted to play hockey in Switzerland.

“It’s an amazing country, and I know a lot of people who played in Switzerland and who’ve told me positive things,” he said. “The lifestyle is different than in North America. You play fewer games, so your body has time to recover, and on the monetary side, it’s better in Europe than in the East Coast (ECHL). I loved the time I spent in Dundee, so from there, I told myself ‘let’s give it a go in Europe.’”

He is currently on a one-year contract, but said he would like to stay in Switzerland for another year or two, if given the opportunity.

His goal remains to play at the highest level possible, so he hasn’t forgotten about the possibility of playing in the AHL or National Hockey League (NHL). However, he said he has to be realistic. At 26 years old, Beauregard realizes he’s a bit old to switch over to the NHL. So, his main focus is to take things one year at a time, to finish this season and see what happens from there.

As he reflected on his journey, Beauregard emphasized that one of the most important things is to never give up.

“I’m not a big player, so during my childhood, I kept hearing that I was too small, that I couldn’t play with men,” he said. “I always wanted to prove people who didn’t believe in me wrong.”

He added that he always tries to change negative comments into positivity.

“So for young players who are told the same thing, take those negative comments and use them as motivation,” he said.

“Never give up, no matter the situation. You’re never going to have an easy road, except if you’re an exceptional player. You’ll always have a year where you get cut, and you ask yourself if you should continue or stop.”

However, the lesson that we can take from Beauregard’s career is that when it comes to our biggest dreams, stopping is never the solution.

 

Photograph by Brianna Thicke

Categories
Sports

Celebrating success at gala

Frédérique Rajotte (left) and Olivier Georges (right) were the athletic valedictorians. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Frédérique Rajotte, Francis Carter and Anthony Beauregard named athletes of the year

The Concordia Stingers wrapped up the 2017-18 athletic season with their annual awards gala on April 6 at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall. The Stingers celebrated their successes this season, during which two teams won championships, and they were able to laugh about the not-so-good moments.

Sebastian Iaricci of the men’s rugby team made sure to bring their championship banner when accepting his award. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

The Stingers held a cocktail party before the gala for all its athletes, which created an energetic atmosphere in the auditorium.

“We don’t always get together, but we see each other [around the complex] and we’re happy,” said fifth-year rugby player Frédérique Rajotte after the event. “It’s a big camaraderie and it’s very special.”

Here’s a breakdown of how each team did this season, and which players won each team’s most valuable player (MVP) and rookie of the year (ROY) awards.

Women’s hockey

The women’s hockey team was the most successful team this year. They had a 14-4-2 record during the regular season, and went on to win the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship in March. They won the bronze medal at the U Sports national championship. A few of their players also picked up awards at the gala.

MVP: Claudia Dubois

ROY: Lidia Fillion, who also won the overall rookie of the year award.

President’s Academic Award: Alexandra Nikolidakis and Audrey-Anne Allard

Fittest Female Athlete: Melinda Prévost

Men’s hockey

The men’s hockey team didn’t share the same success as the women’s team, despite finishing the regular season with a 18-7-3 record. They won the bronze medal in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference, and athletics director D’Arcy Ryan told the crowd, “bronze is the new gold.”

MVP: Anthony Beauregard, who also won the Stingers male athlete of the year.

ROY: Carl Neill, also named Stingers male rookie of the year.

Men’s rugby

The men’s rugby team won Concordia’s other championship this season, also winning the RSEQ title. They had a perfect 9-0 season in provincial play, but lost both games at nationals. They were easily the rowdiest team at the awards gala, bouncing an oversized beach ball around.

MVP: Charles Debove

ROY: Sebastian Iaricci

Marvin Cooper Award for overcoming adversity: Moritz Wittmann

Ron Lapointe Award for leadership and community service: Andreas Krawczyk

Women’s rugby

The women’s rugby stars, Rajotte and Alex Tessier, stole the show. Rajotte was also the female athletic valedictorian, and she said some of the smaller teams like wrestling, golf and cross-country deserve praise too. “I don’t think we talk about many of the teams, like wrestling that kill it every year, and deserve that recognition,” Rajotte said. “All those teams need to be recognized even if they’re not the main face of social media.”

MVP: Rajotte, also named as Stingers female athlete of the year.

ROY: Shawna Brayton

Michael Di Grappa Award for senior distinction: Alex Tessier

Wrestling

The wrestling team often goes unnoticed when compared to other Stingers teams. Head coach Victor Zilberman’s squad picked up major hardware this season, and continued to do so at awards night. At nationals, the team finished in second place.

MVPs: Jade Dufour and Francis Carter. Carter was also named male athlete of the year alongside Beauregard, and earned the President’s Academic Award.

ROYs: Laurence Beauregard and Alex Moore

Michael Di Grappa Award for senior distinction: Vincent De Marinis

Soccer

Simon Malaborsa of the men’s team picked up the MVP and ROY of the year honours. Olivier Georges was the male athlete valedictorian. The women’s team also collected a few distinctions. Chama Sedki’s long-distance goal in a September game was voted by the athletes as the play of the year.

MVP: Chama Sedki

ROY: Imane Chebel

Denise Beaudet Award for leadership and community service: Laura Lamontagne

After the event, men’s hockey defenceman Neill said all the athletes are part of the Stingers family.

“It’s fun to recognize all the teams at once, and all the teams appreciate the other teams,” Neill said. “You saw when we played [in the playoffs] against McGill, every team was present, and we support other teams too.”

Other Teams

Football

MVP: Mickael Côté, also named fittest male athlete.

ROY: Khadeem Pierre

Basketball

MVPs: Ken Beaulieu and Caroline Task

ROYs: Anthony Sonogo and Coralie Dumont. Dumont was also named a Stingers rookie of the year.

Baseball

MVP: Stefan Brady

ROY: Kyle Hazel

Cross-country

MVPs: Gabrielle Boyer-Antoni and Rikirogo Shinozuka

ROYs: Brittany Jackson and Ben Daurodovicious

Golf

MVPs: Ali Koury and Warren Sellors

ROYs: Maria Veronica Noriega and Ryan Mitchell

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

Anthony Beauregard makes AHL debut for Laval Rocket

Anthony Beauregard played his first game with the Laval Rocket since signing an amateur tryout contract on March 20. This deal comes after the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey forward won the Most Outstanding Player award in U Sports this season, recording 60 points in 28 games. The Stingers season came to end earlier this month following an 8-1 loss to the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds at nationals.

After spending the week practising with the team, Beauregard stepped on the ice for the Rocket on their fourth line, centering Nikita Korostelev and Jeremiah Addison. All three were playing in their first game with the Rocket, facing off against the Charlotte Checkers.

Beauregard said he got nervous jitters out of the way early. “After my first two shifts, I was confident. We had a good line out there [with Korostelev and Addison],” Beauregard said after the game. “The stress was there maybe the first five minutes, but after that I think I just played my game and that’s it.”

The Rocket jumped to a 1-0 lead off a goal from Adam Cracknell. In the second period, Beauregard’s line doubled the Rocket’s lead. Addison found the puck in the high slot before ripping a shot past Checkers goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. Despite not getting a point on the play, the goal seemed to give Beauregard, as well as his line, some confidence for the rest of the game.

Rocket head coach Sylvain Lefebvre was happy with the line of newcomers, saying they brought energy to the game.

“They made good plays, plays that were thought out, and they weren’t taking too many risks,” Lefebvre said after the game. “In the offensive zone, they had some time and they made some good decisions with the puck. They got some scoring chances as well.”

Lefebvre said he doesn’t know Beauregard well, but he’s curious to see what the new signing could bring to the game. “I wanted to see his hockey sense. I really liked the way that he was composed out there. He won some face-offs, had some good  [offensive] zone time, and even defensively, he made some really nice plays to protect the puck and defend. I really liked his game.”

Despite playing little throughout the game, Beauregard showed signs of confidence, setting up two nice scoring opportunities on his first shift. While he didn’t produce anything exceptional, the forward looked comfortable and focused on his positioning.

“I want to prove that I can play in this league. I just want to be in the lineup everyday. I just want to prove to the organization that I can play at this level,” Beauregard said. “The game is just faster. These guys are big, they’re strong. I think I did well today, but I need to bring that every game.”

Anthony Beauregard thought he had his first AHL assist, but it was later changed. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

Beauregard and Lefebvre both talked about areas that need to improve in order for Beauregard to stick with the team. For Beauregard, he said he wanted to focus on “little details,” like face-offs, defensive zone play and on-ice awareness. Lefebvre is looking for Beauregard to continue to work on more technical areas.

“[Beauregard] will be the first to tell you that his skating needs to improve, his strength on the puck as well, but he’s a smart hockey player. He knows what to do with the puck no matter where he is on the ice, defensively or offensively,” Lefebvre said. “He’s aware of what’s going on and making plays for him is second nature.”

The Rocket lost the game 3-2 in overtime. Beauregard finished the game with a +1 rating.

“I felt great. It was a great experience.The result was bad, but at the end of the day, it was good for me and was a great first game,” Beauregard said. “I want to play at this level. I want to play for Laval. We don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the season, so I just want to do my best and play well.”

Lefebvre said it’s too early to tell if Beauregard will be offered a full contract at the end of the season. Beauregard also played in the following game on Saturday, but was kept off the stat sheet once again.

Pictures by Matthew Coyte.

Categories
Sports

Stingers lose OUA East final against Redmen

The Concordia Stingers huddle around goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte after being eliminated from the playoffs. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

McGill dominated after Pépin was tossed from game

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team were overwhelmed by the McGill Redmen Sunday night at the McConnell Arena, losing 6-2. The Redmen won the best-of-three Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East final, advancing to the Queen’s Cup next weekend against the Brock Badgers.

“It was like a game seven,” said Stingers forward Anthony Beauregard. “For sure we were a bit stressed, but we just tried to push hard. Obviously, it wasn’t the result we wanted.”

The Stingers got off to the start they wanted, with captain Philippe Hudon scoring just 31 seconds into the game. However, less than two minutes later, Stingers forward Alexis Pépin was ejected from the game for a hit to Quinn Syrydiuk’s head.

“We had a good start, but that was a hit that [deserved] five minutes [major penalty],” said head coach Marc-André Élement. “It’s a good call, and we have to live with it […] I don’t want to blame Pépin because he’s a physical guy, and the other guy was in a vulnerable position, but that’s hockey.”

Players on both teams didn’t forget about their rivalry in game three. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

The penalty gave the Redmen a five-minute power play that would continue if they scored. And they capitalized twice. Defenceman Nikolas Brouillard and forward Jerome Verrier—the game two overtime hero—both beat Stingers goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte on the blocker side. These goals got over 1,000 people at the arena fired up, and put the Stingers on their heels.

The Stingers shot chart. By Matthew Coyte

Despite Stingers defenceman Philippe Charbonneau tying the game midway through the first period, the Redmen regained the lead a minute later with a goal by Jan Kaminsky. That goal was all the Redmen needed, as they scored one more in the second and two more in the third, to beat their cross-town rivals.

The Stingers just couldn’t capitalize on their scoring chances. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

In the second period, the Stingers continued to get penalized when defenceman Alexandre Gosselin received a 10-minute major for hitting from behind. Élement said his players were undisciplined.

“Sometimes, in a game like that of high-intensity, the emotions are really high,” Élement added.

The Redmen are a team full of veterans, while the Stingers have many players still in their first and second years of eligibility. McGill’s composure in this series showed, considering they were a shot away from losing in overtime in game two, and climbed back to win.

“Our playoff run was huge for our program,” Élement said. “I’ve got to give them credit, they have a really good team. You know what, I hope they win the Queen’s Cup. I know it’s always a rivalry between us and them, but I hope a Quebec team wins.”

While the Redmen travel to Brock University to play the Badgers in the Queen’s Cup, the Stingers will host the York Lions

While the Redmen travel to Brock University to play the Badgers in the Queen’s Cup, the Stingers will host the York Lions on Friday, March 9 at the Ed Meagher Arena, in a bronze-medal match. The winner of that game will join the Redmen and the Badgers at nationals.

“We’re going to be ready for Friday,” Élement said. “We just hope we get the chance to win it on Friday and play [the Redmen] at nationals.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

A good look at statistics from Stingers stars

Stingers forward Anthony Beauregard led the nation with 60 points this season. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Anthony Beauregard and Massimo Carozza’s point production gave team a chance to win

It was a regular season to remember for forwards Anthony Beauregard and Massimo Carozza on the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team. Beauregard led all of U Sports in points with 60 (19 goals and 41 assists), while Carozza’s 35 points (15 goals and 20 assists) were the most among rookies in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference.

The two players on the Stingers’s top line benefitted from each other’s success for most of the season. However, at the beginning of the season, both were playing centre on different lines. Beauregard, who joined the Stingers midway through last season and scored 17 goals in 11 games, had four goals and four assists in the first five games of this season. He played with a few different wingers, including Philippe Hudon, Alexis Pépin and Scott Oke.

Graphic by Zeze Le lin.

Carozza played his first five games centering Antoine Masson and Charles-Éric Légaré. He started his season well for a rookie, scoring two goals and two assists.

However, in the Stingers’s sixth game of the season, on Oct. 28 away against the Queen’s Gaels, head coach Marc-André Élement decided to mix his lines up. He put Beauregard and Carozza on a line together for the first time.

“Carozza was a centre, and we just decided to put him on the wing. He has a lot of speed,” Élement said. “Those two click together and they [had] success, and I’m really happy about their season.”

In that game against Queen’s, Carozza and Beauregard assisted on three goals together. Two of them were to Dominic Beauchemin, and the third was on the overtime-winning goal to defenceman Carl Neill. Their next game, on Nov. 3 at home against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks, the Stingers won 6-2. Beauregard had two goals and four assists, while Carozza scored three goals, all of which were assisted by Beauregard.

The way they played told the rest of the league they were a threat offensively, and they haven’t been separated since. They have played 23 games together, with Beauregard scoring 15 goals and 37 assists for 52 points, and Carozza scoring 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points. Between the two of them, they have either scored or assisted on 57 of the Stingers’s 91 goals since they were put together, with both players getting points on 26 of those goals (Figure 1).

Click image to enlarge. Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

“He’s such a good player,” Beauregard said about Carozza. “He has good speed and good hands, and we try to keep the momentum [going] every game.”

According to Carozza, it didn’t take much time to get used to playing with Beauregard once they were put together. They already knew each other from training over the summer, and Carozza said he developed chemistry with Beauregard after only a few practices.

“We’re really good friends. We like to joke around a lot, we’re both jokers, and we clicked right away,” Carozza said. “On the ice, we try to take it serious.”

It takes a company of three to make a line, and they’ve played with Philippe Sanche for most of the season. He scored 15 goals in the regular season, with 14 of his goals assisted by either Beauregard or Carozza, including six from both his linemates (Figure 2). Sanche missed a few games near the beginning and end of the season. When he was out, captain Hudon played on the top line.

“With both Phils—Hudon and Sanche, whoever comes on our line—we produce,” Carozza said. “It’s been easy for me. We work well together, and it shows on the ice.”

Click image to enlarge. Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

The Stingers had success when their top line scored. When Beauregard scored a goal, the Stingers went 12-2-1. Considering their total record of 18-7-3, when he didn’t score, they went 6-5-2. As for when Carozza scored a goal, Concordia had a 8-2-1 record (Figure 3).

With so many wins attributed to the pair’s scoring, head coach Élement knows how valuable they are to the team. He said, ideally, both Carozza and Beauregard will remain with the Stingers next season, but he knows each of them could leave the team to play professionally.

Beauregard said he doesn’t know what his Concordia future holds.

“I’m just concentrated on this year,” the second-year forward said. “You never know what’s going to happen in two months or next year. I just try to be focused here.”

Carozza, on the other hand, said he wants to get his degree first. He’s currently in independent studies. He added that he has an Italian passport and would consider playing in Europe.

“I want to continue playing hockey,” he said. “Just because I didn’t get a pro contract this year doesn’t mean I can’t get it in two, three or four years.”

The Stingers play the McGill Redmen in the OUA East final, starting Feb. 28.  

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

Stingers mount late comeback to win Corey Cup

A year after losing the Corey Cup in overtime, the Stingers beat the Redmen in a shootout. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Anthony Beauregard collects 60th point of the season and scores shootout winner

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team beat the McGill Redmen 4-3 in a shootout to win the 31st annual Corey Cup on Feb. 9. Goals from Anthony Beauregard, Charles-Eric Legare and Philippe Hudon, along with the shootout winner from Beauregard sealed the win for the Stingers at the Ed Meagher Arena.

It wasn’t an easy win though. Like any game against McGill, it was physical and explosive. Adding to that energy was a near-sold-out Ed Meagher Arena at Concordia’s Loyola campus. Hudon said he had never heard the arena that loud in his four years at Concordia.

With 14 minutes left in the third period, the Redmen held a 3-1 lead with goals from Jerome Verrier, Keanu Yamamoto and Nikolas Brouillard. They played a fast, hard-hitting game, and were able to keep the Stingers on their heels for most of the game. A goal from Legare off a blocked shot midway through the third period cut the lead down to one.

“I told the guys straight up, ‘There is no one who is going to quit in here,’” said head coach Marc-André Élement. “We’re going to get it.”

Élement told the players before the game that their success would rely on their ability to take control of special team situations. But special teams almost cost the Stingers the game. The Redmen scored all three of their goals on the powerplay, and the Stingers only scored one. Each team had eight power plays.

With five minutes left in the third and the Stingers down one, McGill got called for too many men on the ice. As soon as the play started, Hudon parked himself right in the crease, waiting for a tip. The first shot sent his way hit him in the shoulder.

“I thought I was going to lose some chiclets,” Hudon said. The play reset, and a long wrist shot from the blue line from Beauregard was heading high, but Hudon managed to tip the puck down and through the legs of a still-standing Redmen goalie Louis-Philippe Guindon. Despite protests of a high stick from the Redmen players, the goal stood.

“I love playoffs; I love to play for something,” Hudon said about the post-season starting next week. “I’ve stepped it up. I had a mediocre first half. I worked on a few things in practice. My game is surging.”

His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Élement praised how Hudon has bounced back after a rocky start to the year.

“I don’t know what happened, but since his suspension [in November], every night he’s one of our best players,” Élement said. “He plays the game intense and physical.” The head coach added he could see Hudon playing professional hockey soon.

With Hudon’s tying goal, the game headed into three-on-three overtime. The Redmen managed to get some of their momentum back, with several scoring chances from Brouillard. After a lot of back and forth, the game headed to a shootout.

The Ed Meagher Arena was nearly sold out for the Corey Cup. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Beauregard was the third shooter up for Concordia. None of the previous shooters from either team had been able to solve the goalies. Beauregard wound up and carried the puck in on Guindon. At the top of the faceoff circles, he did a quick stutter step, switched his weight from one foot to another, froze Guindon and ripped a wrist shot top shelf.

Beauregard said the only thought going through his mind during his attempt was to score. Stingers goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte bolted from his crease and was the first player to celebrate with Beauregard, before the bench cleared to join in at centre ice.

Before this game, Concordia lost three of their last four. Both teams already clinched their spot in the playoffs, but the Stingers were battling for position in the standing. Like any game against McGill, though, it was about pride.

“It doesn’t feel like a regular win,” Hudon said. “We’re playing our cross-town rivals, and it means that much more because it’s the Corey Cup game […] This was a character win. It’s going to turn things around for us.”

Every game this season between the Stingers and the Redmen has been decided by one goal, with two needing extra time. With this win, the Stingers sit in fourth place in the division, clinching home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They wrap up their season hosting the third-placed Carleton Ravens on Feb. 10.

Main photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Categories
Sports

Stingers survive scare with 6-4 win

Defenceman Carl Neill will be an assistant captain in his second season with the Stingers. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.

Beauregard, Neill with four assists each against Nipissing

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team improved to a 11-2-2 record on the season with a 6-4 win against the Nipissing University Lakers on Dec. 1 at the Ed Meagher Arena. Despite the Lakers scoring four power-play goals, Stingers forwards Philippe Sanche and Massimo Carozza each scored twice to help propel Concordia to the win.

Stingers forward Anthony Beauregard continued producing points on the top line with Carozza and Sanche. He had four assists in the win, extending his U Sports-leading point total on the season to 34 points. Head coach Marc-André Élement had high praise for the trio of Sanche, Beauregard and Carozza.

“They’re really good,” Élement said with a laugh. “They’re performing, they’re battling and they’re working hard. This is how we’re going to have success, when they’re doing all the little details to have success.”

Carozza opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the game, scoring in the slot off a pass from Beauregard. Sanche doubled the Stingers lead on the power play seven minutes later, when his attempted pass from the corner took a bounce off a Lakers defenceman and went past goalie Domenic Graham. Sanche, who started the season injured, was playing in his 10th game this season, and scored his sixth and seventh goals of the year.

Stingers defenceman Alexandre Gosselin skates by a Lakers forward during their game on Dec. 1. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

“It’s huge,” Élement said about having Sanche back in the lineup. “He’s one of the top players in the country […] He’s the smallest player in the league, but he plays the hardest. He blocks shots, and he’s just a great leader.”

The Lakers scored a power-play goal late in the first period to cut the Stingers’ lead down to 2-1 after the opening frame. Sanche added his second of the game early in the second period to restore the two-goal lead. The Lakers capitalized on some undisciplined Concordia play in the second period to score two power-play goals and tie the game at 3-3 heading into the third period.

In total, the Stingers had 12 penalties resulting in 40 minutes, including 10-minute misconduct penalties on defenceman Philippe Charbonneau in the first period, and forward Alexis Pépin in the second period. The Stingers had to kill off 10 penalties, and all four of the Lakers goals were scored on the power play.

“Sometimes we put ourselves in situations where we’re prone to getting penalties, so we have to learn to kind of avoid those situations so we don’t put ourselves in a tough spot,” said captain Philippe Hudon. “It sucks, but we have to learn from it.”

In a two-minute span in the middle of the third period, the Stingers scored three goals to put the game out of reach for Nipissing. Carozza scored off a pass from Beauregard, before forward Antoine Masson took advantage of a bad line change by the Lakers to score on a breakaway. Forward Charles-Eric Legare capped off the sequence by capitalizing on a rebound off a shot from forward Jean-Philippe Beaulieu.

“It was a big sequence for us,” said defenceman Carl Neill, who also finished the game with four assists, two of which came from the first two of the three quick goals. “After the second, it was 3-3 and they were still in the game. We wanted to turn things our way, and we were lucky we got a few lucky bounces so things turned out the right way.”

The Stingers’ next game is on Dec. 2 against the Laurentian Voyageurs. It will be their last game before the winter break.

Categories
Sports

Stingers manage to hold on for 5-3 win against RMC

Stingers forward Dominic Beauchemin celebrates his first-period goal against the RMC Paladins on Nov. 4. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Concordia improves to a 6-1-1 record to start the season

“We were just trying to hold on,” said Concordia Stingers defenceman Carl Neill after their game against the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins on Nov. 4. “It was really not a good third period.” The Stingers managed to stave off a late push from the Paladins for a 5-3 win.

With this win, the Stingers improve to a 6-1-1 record, leaving them tied with the Carleton Ravens in third place in the East division of the Ontario University Athletics conference (OUA). The Stingers were also without forwards Philippe Hudon and Philippe Sanche due to injuries, and forward Raphaёl Lafontaine due to a suspension.

“I’m really happy about our start [to the season], but we have a lot of stuff that we need to work on, especially our discipline,” said head coach Marc-André Élement after the game. “I just addressed the guys. I’m really not happy about what happened tonight.” The coach added that the team will be going through the tape of the game extensively later this week.

The Stingers took eight minor penalties, with leading scorer forward Anthony Beauregard finding himself in the box three times with minors. He also had a goal and two assists in the game. Beauregard now has 20 points in eight games so far this season, putting him at the top of the OUA scoring charts, seven points ahead of the next closest player.

“I feel good. It’s not just about me, it’s about the team,” Beauregard said. “We’re good on the penalty kill, we’re good on the powerplay. It’s fun, but at the end of the day, it’s another week next week. We just need to focus on that.”

Stingers rookie forward Massimo Carozza takes a face-off during a 5-3 against the RMC Paladins on Nov. 4. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

The Paladins, who have lost all nine of their games this season, were unable to convert on any of their eight power play chances. RMC also took seven minor penalties, with Stingers forward Dominic Beauchemin able to convert on a power play to give Concordia a 1-0 lead late in the first period. The two teams swapped goals in the second period, giving the Stingers a 2-1 lead after two periods.

Two early goals in the third period by Neill and Beauregard gave the Stingers a 4-1 lead. RMC began putting pressure on Concordia, playing a tight-checking, physical game that saw them neutralize the Stingers offence. The Paladins scored two goals two minutes apart to bring the score to 4-3. The late surge wasn’t enough, as Stingers goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte played well, stopping 18 of 21 shots. He got some help from his skaters who went down and blocked a couple of shots. Stingers forward Antoine Masson added an empty-net goal to close the game out.

“We just need to be safe out there,” Beauregard said. “We need to play hard, yes, but we need to pay attention to the details. I think we have some good leaders in the room who talked about that. Next week has to be better.”

Élement was not impressed with the team’s effort. “You have your leaders taking stupid penalties, and in the long run, it’s going to cost us some games,” he said. “We started cheating. It almost cost us the game.”

Both Concordia and RMC were playing their second game in two nights, and the Stingers seemed gassed at points, but Élement said that was “no excuse.”

“[RMC] had a tough game against McGill last night,” he added. “We need to get better. I’m happy we got the two points, but I’m not happy with our performance tonight.”

The Stingers are on the road next weekend with games against the Nipissing Lakers on Nov. 10 and the Laurentian Voyageurs on Nov. 11.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

Anthony Beauregard’s six points give Stingers a 6-2 win

Massimo Carozza scored a hat-trick against UOIT Ridgebacks

Anthony Beauregard’s six points propelled the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team to a 6-2 win over the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks on Nov. 3. Stingers rookie forward Massimo Carozza scored three goals in the win at the Ed Meagher Arena.

“They were moving their feet,” said head coach Marc-André Élement about Carozza and Beauregard. “Carozza is a fast skater, and Beauregard’s vision is so good. Those two, with [Dominic] Beauchemin, it’s a really good line, so I’m happy about their performance tonight.”

The Ridgebacks controlled the game in the first period. They failed to generate any real scoring chances, with only seven shots on Stingers goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte, who returned between the pipes after missing the last two games with an injury.

With the Ridgebacks on a power play late in the first period, Beauregard stole the puck from a UOIT defenceman deep in their zone, and beat Ridgebacks goalie Tyson Teichmann high-glove side to give the Stingers a 1-0 lead.

The Stingers continued their undisciplined start to the season with two minor penalties in the first period. At the end of the period, Stingers forward Raphaël Lafontaine hit Ridgebacks forward Josh Maguire from behind, and received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

“We have to be more disciplined,” Élement said. “We can’t give teams chances to get momentum on their power play.”

The Ridgebacks started the second period with a five-on-three power play after the Lafontaine and Beauchemin penalties in the first period. The Ridgebacks failed to score on the power play, including the remainder of Lafontaine’s five-minute penalty.

“Our penalty kill was good,” Élement said. “I find that’s the key of the game, when you don’t get scored on [during the penalty kill]. The guys paid the price by blocking shots.”

The Stingers pulled the game in their favour in the second period. Five minutes in, forward Brandon Kosik scored from the high slot off a pass from Beauregard, to give the Stingers a 2-0 lead. After Carozza extended the lead to three goals less than two minutes later, Ridgebacks forward Mike Robinson put his team on the board midway through the period.

With 30 seconds remaining in the second period, Beauregard scored from behind the Ridgebacks goal line by shooting the puck off Teichmann’s back and in.

“I just saw an opportunity to put [the puck] on net and go short side,” Beauregard said. “I just tried, and at the end of the day, it was a goal.” The Stingers led 4-1 after two periods.

Anthony Beauregard scored a wonderful goal from behind the goal line in the second period. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

In the third period, Carozza and Beauregard continued their dominance. Just under a minute in, Beauregard created a turnover in the Stingers zone, then flipped the puck through the neutral zone to Carozza, who went on a breakaway and scored with a backhand shot.

On a power play late in the third period, Carozza scored his third goal from a rebound. Carozza credited his hat-trick to his linemates, who “made nice plays,” and all he had to do was “put it in.”

“It’s a couple of games [Beauregard and I] are playing together now,” Carozza said. “I see him on the ice, and he sees me, so it’s working well so far.”

Beauregard said after the game that his line wouldn’t be as good without Beauchemin, whose defensive play allows Beauregard and Carozza to create scoring opportunities.

“We have a good line. Me and Massimo have good chemistry out there,” Beauregard said. “With the speed of Carozza, I try to play with that, and I try to use his speed.”

Beauregard now has seven goals and 10 assists in seven games this year. He’s the leading scorer in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and has the third-most points in U Sports.

The Stingers, who improved to a 5-1-1 record, play their next game on Nov. 4 at home against the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

Stingers men’s hockey team wins home opener 5-3

Carl Neill forgot to protect his goalie. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Forward Anthony Beauregard scores hat-trick against the Brock Badgers

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team grinded out a 5-3 victory over the Brock Badgers in their home opener on Oct. 20.

“Intensity, skating and speed: that’s what it takes to win,” said head coach Marc-André Élement. “Every night is going to be a battle.”

The Stingers came out of the gate in the first period with intensity and speed, but three penalties late in the period slowed them down. Goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte kept his team in the game with 14 saves in the first period.

“He’s been nothing short of spectacular for us since the beginning,” said Stingers captain Philippe Hudon, who finished the game with three assists.

Hudon was in a gleeful mood after the match as it was his first home game at the Ed Meagher Arena as team captain. “Nothing short [of] great,” he said.

The second period opened with two quick Stingers power-play goals that came 48 seconds apart from veteran forward Scott Oke and sophomore winger Anthony Beauregard. However, three minutes later, the Badgers answered with two quick goals from Mitch Nardi and Brandon O’Quinn, coming 23 seconds apart. Nonetheless, the veteran Stingers kept the team focused after blowing the 2-0 lead.

The Concordia Stingers crowd around Marc-Antoine Turcotte during a stoppage in play in the game against the Brock Badgers. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

“We have great leaders on our team, like Dominic Beauchemin and Phil Hudon,” Beauregard said. “They are like our grandfathers, reminding us whenever things go bad that it’s just hockey.”

That relaxed mentality paid dividends for the Stingers, especially Beauregard. The second-year player netted a hat-trick, including the game-winning goal and received first star honours. “It felt good, but the most important thing was the [win],’” Beauregard said. “But we need to be better tomorrow.”

The game was a physical and chippy affair. Beauregard said he felt the team needed to be more disciplined. The Stingers took nine minor penalties in the contest, however, were a perfect nine for nine on the penalty kill. The Badgers also had their fair share of infractions, with 13 minor penalties.

“We got out of hand when it came to controlling our emotions,” Hudon said. “That’s something we have to work on […] We’ve got to remain cool and calm.”

“The refs did a good job on both sides tonight,” coach Élement said. “I wasn’t happy about the last penalty, but I wasn’t unhappy with the ref—I was unhappy that my player would take that penalty.”

The Badgers certainly had trouble controlling their emotions near the end of the game. Brock players Skylar Pacheco and Nardi were both ejected from the game in the third period. The Stingers did not engage in the extracurriculars in the third period as they knew they had a lead to protect.

The Stingers men’s hockey team’s next game is Oct. 21 at home against the Guelph Gryphons, who are coming off of a 7-4 loss to the McGill Redmen.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Exit mobile version