The Stingers had a slow start, which led to the Gee-Gees’s first two goals of the game. Stingers head coach Julie Chu said the team didn’t have a good first period.
“We’ve had a good first five minutes, and then got a little bit sloppy,” Chu said. “The second and third periods were much better. Obviously, we have to work on our puck tracking. The Gee-Gees did a good job at executing and creating space for themselves on opportunities, but ultimately we need to find a way to not give up so many opportunities.”
The Stingers found their rhythm in the second period after having some serious scoring chances on the power play. Chu said despite not scoring, she liked chances produced by her team’s power play this weekend.
“We started with McGill yesterday where we had some pretty good looks,” Chu said. “I thought today, we were moving the puck and getting some opportunities. Obviously, we need to continue finding our lanes and getting great screens, as well as putting pucks away.”
When everybody thought overtime was coming after Stingers’s forward Marie-Pascale Bernier scored her second goal of the game to tied it at 4-4, forward Audrey-Ann Rodrigue scored the game-winning goal with just 40 seconds left. Rodrigue used her speed to cut the defender and drive to the net and score. She said she will remember that goal for along time.
The Stingers women's hockey team's offence came to life in the third period as the home team scored four goals to secure a wild 5-4 comeback victory over Ottawa in the 2019-20 home opener. #CUstingers#CUhockey#Montrealpic.twitter.com/WP45Pkd4ne
“I followed my intuition and shot it on net, thinking I had nothing to lose,” Rodrigue said. “It was close to the end of regulation, so all shots were big. My parents were there, so I was really happy. I come from far away, so they’re not coming often.”
First-year player Léonie Philbert scored her first career U SPORTS goal in the third period. For Chu, to have contributions from the younger players is huge.
“They’re great players. They’re playing in all situations, and I think that’s really critical for us. We have the veteran presence that has a lot of experience and is able to do a great job,” Chu said. “Yet, we’re also able to put in some of our younger players to gain some experience. I think this is a good test for our team. If people push and work hard in practice, then opportunities will come.”
The Stingers play their next game against the Carleton University Ravens on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Ice House in Ottawa.
The Stingers missed the playoffs for the first time in five years. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
With just two games remaining in their regular season, and at risk of missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the Stingers need to bring some much-needed intensity, solid individual play, and good play-calling against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or and McGill to do so.
We decided to ask head coach Brad Collinson and offensive coordinator Alex Suprenant on their thoughts about their upcoming pursuit of that elusive final playoff spot.
Brad Collinson: “We gotta fight and take it one game at a time. We have a big game this weekend. If we win, we’re in. We had an off game against Laval, and that was…unfortunate. All we want is to continue progressing and I think we have the team and the offence to compete with anybody. Our defence practices with good intensity, they fly around. They need to run around the ball and get some turnovers.”
Alex Suprenant: “We just need to execute. We did against Sherbrooke at home, we did well against Montreal the week after, we had a bad one against Laval. We need to focus on what we need to do on the field, and if we do that we should be good. [Adam Vance] is our leader, he’s one of our best players, I’m pretty sure he’ll bounce back from the game he had against Laval. We expect that James Tyrrell, Jeremy Murphy, Jacob Salvail, maybe Vince Alessandrini will have big games. Our running backs are young, but they did some good things the past games. We’re going to make sure everyone can touch the ball and spread it out as much as possible.”
Here are what our sports editors (and myself) think of the season so far and how the Stingers can take their last two games.
Matthew Ohayon – Sports Editor: “Quarterbacks and running backs are only as good as their offensive line. Vance has done really well when given the proper protection to use his arm but the running game has struggled. If the offence wants to find sustainable success to make a playoff push, the running game needs to get going so that Vance and Surprenant can keep defenses guessing. Musangu, Foster and Mather have the talent to be an amazing backfield, but the offensive line needs to give them some help in creating holes to explode through.”
“Another offensive note; this team needs to finish off their drives with six points. These few games remaining are absolutely crucial and this team cannot be leaving points on the table. Turnovers on third down and field goals will not cut it — they need to put up touchdowns. It sounds obvious, but it’s been a major problem with the team this season. They put together methodical, time-killing drives but get stalled and have to settle for field goals. I know at a certain point, you are what your record says what you are, but this team is a lot more capable of what the stat-lines show.”
“On the defensive side of the ball, it’s quite simple. The Stingers only have seven sacks on the season — they need more pressure from their defensive line. Opposing QBs have way too much time to find open receivers and running backs have way too big of gaps to run through. If they are able to tighten that part of their defence up, it will make life so much easier against Sherbrooke and McGill.”
Alec Brideau – Assistant Sports Editor: “While there are surely things to fix on defence after a 74-0 loss, the other side of me’s thinking it’s the third time of the season the Stingers score six points or less in a game. Not many expect the Stingers to limit their opponent to a touchdown or two, but the reality is that you rarely win a game without scoring. With two games left, the Stingers will need to limit their offensive errors and make sure they’re the ones on offence most of the time. Simple plays and great runs could be the keys for those games.”
Matthew Coyte – Managing Editor: “Despite some really positive progressions this season on offence from players like Vance, Murphy and Tyrrell, the reality is that the run game needs to be better. Teams like Laval and Montreal are so good because they can burn you on the ground and in the air, and that combination is what puts defences on their heels. I would love to see Kevin Foster and Glody Musangu get more reps in the next two weeks and see what they can do.”
“The other key is on defence. The team’s struggled to stop drives and is the last place in most statistical categories, despite having some of the division’s best players. There’s a lot that could go better, but I’ll say that if the Stingers can stifle the run against Sherbrooke and McGill, they’ll give themselves a good chance to pick up some wins.For the Stingers to make the playoffs, it’s just going to take the offensive, defensive and special teams aspects of their game showing up and coming together at the same time.”
“The division’s been in a blender all year. McGill blows out Concordia, the Stingers almost beat Montreal twice, Sherbrooke actually DOES beat Montreal (the mad lads), Montreal smokes McGill. Nothing makes sense, the world is chaos, and not a single spot in the standings is determined yet. We haven’t seen the RSEQ this exciting in a long time.”
This year’s Stingers roster will present a more mature group than last season, when 11 players were rookies. Stingers head coach Julie Chu said the team experienced a lot of growth over the past months, which is a big factor in approaching the new season.
“It’s the commitment it takes to play at this level,” Chu said. “It’s the patience to know that with so many first-year players, it takes time to get to the level we need to be in regards to fitness, conditioning, overall execution on a consistent basis, and just understanding the system at the next level.”
The ending of the Stingers’s last season pushed the players to work even harder this summer. Chu said it’s incredible to see the effort and commitment players made over the summer, and how it helped them improve their game.
“Over the summer, all of our returning players wanted to make a commitment at getting better, and making sure that by the start of this season, they were in a much better position [than last year],” Chu said. “Because of that, we’re in a much different spot and we’re able to compete at a higher level [since the beginning of our exhibition games].”
Stingers forward Claudia Dubois will be one of the team’s veterans in 2019-20, as this season will be her fifth. Having been part of both 2018 RESQ’s championship team and last year’s team that lost in the semi-finals, Dubois said she’s gained enough experience to be a leader this season.
“It’s for sure a big role in the team,” Dubois said. “I just want to lead by example the best I can with the rookies, and guide them in the best direction as possible for the upcoming years at university.”
Dubois said players took a step back at the conclusion of last season. Even if the Stingers were hoping for a better result, Dubois thought this was a needed lesson, as it’s been a couple of good years for the Concordia women’s hockey program.
“I think to have experienced that as a team was a reset for this season,” Dubois said. “We know we’ll have to work hard for everything. It was hard at the beginning of the off-season, but as we were moving forward this summer, it became a motivation for all of us in discussions and practices. We’re looking forward to play McGill, but any team in the league will be sort of a revenge and opportunity to prove it was a mistake [last season’s results].”
Chu said the current Stingers roster is not only a great one, but also the ideal kind of group for players and coaches. She explained that compared to last year with all the rookies, this year’s team presents a better mix of players from all years.
“We can’t have a team of only rookies because that’s a lot of energy,” Chu said. “Yet, we also can’t have a team of only returners. Now that we’re introducing five new players to our program, it’s just adding to the veterans that we have here, which makes it better. What we have here is a really good balance of different qualities and skills that players bring to our team, lineup, and practices every day.”
With most players having already played their first year at university level, Chu said everyone seems more settled in than at the same point of the year last off-season.
“We don’t have as many players going through their first moments of figuring out everything like last year, where half of our team was new,” Chu said. “A lot more energy was spent on things as simple as understanding how to register for classes, or even moving to Montreal. It’s really fun to see our team coming together, and be in a good position in order to continue moving forward and getting better in this early part of the season.”
Stingers forward Rosalie Bégin-Cyr, RSEQ’s highest-scoring rookie and one of the Stingers’ 11 first-year players last year, said most of the team will now have made a little step forward with that first season completed.
“We now know how the league works, as well as the team’s system and everything that’s around it. We certainly have a really talented group right now with quality players in all positions.”
Dubois said players know they have what it takes to win. However, she explained the team is focusing on one step at a time, and doesn’t want to look too far ahead.
“We’re focusing on the first half of the season [that goes] until Christmas,” Dubois said. “We started playing better in the second half of the season last year. It wasn’t too late, but it didn’t help us at the end with the standings and the playoffs. We want to win and we know we have the team to do it, so we’ll proceed one step at a time and it all starts now.”
As the second season of Brad Collinson’s tenure as head coach of the Concordia Stingers begins, a quick look at the team’s roster makes something extremely clear.
There are a lot of new faces on this squad.
The Stingers currently have 22 first-year players on their roster, with 13 more red-shirting. Three of those rookies are receivers.
If you’ve tuned in to the team’s first couple games this season, one of those rookies you’ve probably seen the most is receiver Jeremy Murphy. In the season opener, Murphy caught five passes for 95 yards. In week two against McGill, he caught seven passes for 58 yards. In week three, he added another 24 yards on two receptions. Murphy was last year’s RSEQ Division 3 Offensive Player of the Year thanks to an impressive season at Champlain College Saint-Lambert.
Alongside the first-year receiver are only two fifth-year ones on the team, James Tyrrell and Sam Nadon – both of whom have been relied on to provide on and off field leadership. Collinson spoke about the importance of building a culture of competition between younger and older players.
“Everybody is learning this year because it’s a brand new offense,” said Collinson. “We want to create competition, we want those young guys to learn from the veterans, and to have some of those young guys beat out those veterans [for roster spots].”
Murphy is joined by other first-year receivers like Tristan Mancini and Jean-Simon L’Italien. For Murphy and Mancini, who played together at Cégep, the chance to lean on the veterans around them has been invaluable.
“It’s pretty cool because these guys have been here a while,” said Murphy. “I’m next to (Tyrrell) on the field all the time, he knows what he’s doing and everything he’s taught me has helped me a lot.”
“There’s a vet on my left, there’s a vet on my right,” added Mancini. “As soon as I have a question, I can ask them.”
Tyrrell and Nadon have embraced their roles this year as leaders on the team. When I caught up with Tyrrell, Nadon, Murphy, and Mancini after practice before their match against Laval, the two fifth years were quick to praise their rookie receivers for their eagerness to be a part of the team and learn, including showing up for summer workouts before the season even started.
“It’s pretty cool that we have rookies that come in with talent and willingness to learn and get better,” said Tyrrell. “There’s an immediate trust on the field once the ice is broken off the field.”
“These guys are open-minded,” said Nadon. “When we tell them something, they listen. They’re two guys who fit in real good, real nice guys.”
On the field, the Stingers look to establish themselves as a contender in the RSEQ division alongside the usual powerhouses of Laval and UDEM. Off the field, Tyrrell and Nadon both talked about wanting to teach the younger guys to continue to be as open as possible.
“Be a sponge,” said Tyrrell. “For your first couple of years, it’s just about absorbing as much information as possible.”
As Murphy and Mancini continue to establish themselves on the team, the biggest thing they’ve learned is how much more skilled university game is compared to CEGEP.
“You gotta play with speed,” said Mancini, who caught his first U Sports pass in week three on a long 27-yard reception. “You can’t be hesitant anymore because everyone’s good here.”
“Everyone’s bigger and faster so you really can’t think twice,” added Murphy. “If you’re doing something, just go. Even if you’re messing up, you just have to go.”
One of the major changes that the Concordia Stingers football team made after last season was hiring former St-Jean Géants head coach, Alex Surprenant, as offensive coordinator.
Fast-forward to the present, and Surprenant now has two games under his belt as the Stingers offensive coordinator. Those games may not have gone the way the team would have liked, starting out with two losses, but Surprenant knows that this is a young team trying to rebuild their program.
Head coach Brad Collinson and Surprenant put an emphasis on recruiting fast and local players on the offensive side of the ball during the off-season to play in Surprenant’s Run-Pass option, or RPO, system.
“If you want to win [long term] it really depends on your recruiting class,” said Surprenant. “Coach Brad also put together a great coaching staff. The football world is a little community where everyone knows everyone and he surrounded me with a great staff.”
The RPO system is something relatively new to the Canadian football world. It’s a tough system to implement, as there are only three downs as opposed to the American game, where there are four downs where it’s a lot easier to use it in.
“The biggest adjustment is that it’s three downs here instead of four like in CEGEP,” Surprenant said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still football so it’s not that difficult to adapt.”
Stingers offensive coordinator Alex Surprenant was hired back in February 2019. Photo by Laurence BD
Another major change to the offence is that they also use a no-huddle system. That means that quarterback Adam Vance gets the signal from the sideline and yells it to the rest of the team from the line of scrimmage without going into a huddle. This allows the offence to move at a faster pace.
“My inspiration comes from the [Kansas City] Chiefs, [New England] Patriots, and the Oregon Ducks from back in the day,” said Surprenant. “Those offences are the best at getting to the line quickly and using their speed.”
The players aren’t the only ones excited about the new offence. Collinson says he was also very excited to see the system that Surprenant put into place during training camp.
“Any time you put in something new, you get excited and want to learn it,” said Collinson. “There’s a lot of diversity in what we’re doing too, like RPO and zone-read options. Alex ran a really good offence at the CEGEP level and we’re seeing some of it here.”
The first two games of the season proved to be tough ones for the offence for many different reasons. But that is to be expected with a young team trying to find its identity. However, these are not excuses for the coaching staff.
Against Les Carabins de l’Université de Montréal, there were multiple missed opportunities by the Stingers to advance the ball down the field due to penalties and dropped passes that would have extended the Stingers offence’s time on the field.
“If we played our best game and lost 10-3, we would have been happy,” said Surprenant. “But after watching film, we’re not happy. We had a lot of missed opportunities at the end of the game that would have given our team a way better chance at winning.”
Whatever the reason may be for the dropped passes in that game, the Stingers could revisit what worked well for them. They moved quickly in their no-huddle offence and kept the Carabins, a top three team in the country, on their heels for a lot of the game whenever they got into an offensive rhythm.
However, this past week against McGill, their game plan got away from them. It started off with a four play offensive drive that ended in an Andrew Stevens punt. McGill caught the Stingers flat footed on defense and drove 82 yards in just three plays and never looked back.
A big part of any offence is the offensive line. Vance and his running backs can only do their jobs if the offensive line gives them the time to make plays. In the first quarter, starting left tackle Damien Constantin went down with an injury and did not return.
For right-handed quarterbacks, such as Vance, the left tackle is the most important position on the line as that position protects the quarterback’s blindside.
“It’s tough to overcome,” said Vance after Friday’s loss. “We don’t have a lot of depth [at the position]. It’s a really big blow.”
The Stingers found a bit of a rhythm in the second half but not enough to mount a comeback, as it was too little too late.
“We came [to McGill] and thought they’d roll over, but last time I checked we haven’t won a game in something like 300 days so we can’t be thinking like that,” Vance said.
The Stingers still have six more games this season to right their wrongs and get the offence on track. It is hard to temper expectations after such a strong effort in their first game against the Carabins, but they are still a very young team with a lot to learn, according to Surprenant.
“Coach Brad told the guys, ‘we need to learn how to win. You’re not born a winner and nothing is given.’ It’s a hard process but we know we will get to where we want to be,” said Surprenant.
Stingers hockey captain Philippe Hudon continues to set the bar higher
“Coming to Concordia, to be quite honest, it wasn’t planned,” said Philippe Hudon, captain of the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team. “I wanted to continue playing competitive hockey. I was the one really approaching the team. It was all last second.”
While his time with the Stingers has “turned out great,” Hudon said it was not the path he expected to take.
“If coming here as a Stinger was a bump in the road, it’s been one hell of a bump,” Hudon said. “I was able to learn a whole lot about myself and the type of hockey player that I want to be. I’m really thankful for the experience I’ve had at Concordia, and I can already be thankful for the next two years.”
Over the past three seasons, Hudon has established himself as a physical forward with a quick release who uses his size to pressure defenders on the forecheck. After former captain Olivier Hinse graduated at the end of last season, head coach Marc-André Élement told Hudon he would be team captain for the 2017-18 season.
“Phil is a professional,” Élement said. “He’s easy to coach. He’s so well respected by his teammates, so for me it was an easy choice. He’s doing a great job, he’s a great leader. I’m really happy that I chose him to be captain.”
By the time he started at Choate, Hudon was already touted as a top prospect. He had decided to play at the boarding school instead of playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), according to NHL.com. He quickly impressed Choate’s head coach, Pat Dennehy, who said in an interview with NHL.com that Hudon was one of the most “high-profile” players he has ever coached. In his three years at the school, Hudon collected 59 points in 73 games, scoring the ninth-most points in the school’s history.
“The type of person I am, if I exceed expectations, I set the bar higher,” Hudon said about the standards he sets for himself on the ice and in the classroom.
The 2010-11 school year was a life-changing year for Hudon. It was his senior year at Choate, and he had committed to play the 2011-12 season at Cornell University. He was also scouted as one of the top 75 North American skaters going into the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) draft. At one point, he was ranked as high as 31st among North American skaters. It was the same year he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Hudon said he remembers how his condition affected him in school and on the ice. He also realized things were not normal in his life.
In five games played this season, Hudon has one goal and three assists. The Stingers have a 4-1-1 record. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
“I knew something was wrong, but I just kept pushing because I thought everything would fall into place,” he said. “I was alone, my parents were five or six hours away. I had a roommate. Things were kind of normal, but the year that it happened was my draft year.”
Hudon said after he committed to Cornell during his senior year, he had to maintain a good enough GPA in order to attend the following year.
“Expectations were very high, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. It got to a point where it wasn’t manageable. My [expectations] weren’t attainable. I kept trying and trying. I always had this personality trait of always having everything in order, very organized.”
The forward said he remembers when he realized his condition was getting out of hand. He would spent a good part of his day organizing his room, telling himself it would help him focus on school and hockey.
“It ended up tormenting me, hindering [me] to play the hockey that I would normally play, and to be a good student,” Hudon said.
He said he remembers feeling as though something was wrong, but believed he could power through it.
“There was one day, I had to take an exam at night that I had missed during the day because of hockey. I had studied quite a bit. I had studied a lot. There was a lot of anxiety inside of me and pressure exerted on me,” Hudon said. “As soon as I got my test, I opened my booklet and blanked. Nothing was coming to mind. I couldn’t write. I broke down immediately. I kind of had a panic attack, I didn’t necessarily know what was going on.”
Afterwards, Hudon said he got help right away and saw a psychologist at Choate.
“That’s when everything started heading in the right direction,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for the test, I don’t know how much longer I would have lasted. I had to learn the hard way. Since then, I’ve only been able to better understand myself.”
In June 2011, the Detroit Red Wings selected Hudon at 145th in the NHL Entry Draft. “It’s a memory that I’ll cherish for my entire life,” Hudon said.
The experience of being drafted and attending training camp showed him what sets the NHL apart from any other hockey league in the world.
“You don’t notice it until you’ve lived it,” Hudon said. “I got a lot of experience by going to NHL camps. I learned a lot, even though I didn’t get to play any pre-season games, let alone play in the AHL [American Hockey League]. I got a lot of experience, got a lot out of the professionals that were there.”
This season, Hudon plays on the power play as a defenceman, as well as on the penalty kill. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Hudon opted out of his commitment to Cornell in the fall of 2011, taking a “leave of absence” after briefly attending the university. He stated his medical condition as a primary reason for leaving. Instead, he decided to play for the Victoriaville Tigres in the QMJHL. In three years with the Tigres, Hudon put up 71 points in 156 games.
In 2014, three years after getting drafted, the Red Wings did not sign Hudon to an NHL entry-level contract, meaning he became an unrestricted free agent and was able to sign where he liked. Hudon said that, at this point, his plans for playing pro hockey got “pretty chaotic.” He signed a contract with the then-named Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL, the third tier of professional hockey in North America. Only two months after signing, Hudon was released by the team.
While he doesn’t dwell on it too much anymore, Hudon said he remembers being disappointed at the time.
“Business is business, and they sent me home because [Greenville] had a lot of forwards coming down from the AHL,” he said. “You have to play the guys that are paid more. I obviously have nothing against the business of hockey, but I felt like I belonged there, if not in a league above that.”
Hudon said he wanted a better chance to play in a professional league. “I thought I deserved more. Whether it was because they saw a downside to my mental condition or not, I really didn’t think that it did anything. As soon as I stepped on the ice, that was my only safe haven. Nothing else mattered, not even my medical condition.”
After the Greenville Road Warriors signed and released him in a matter of two months, Hudon said he hoped to play at least one more year professionally before thinking about his academic future. In the end, his choice came down to McGill or Concordia. He picked Concordia in 2014 because he wanted to attend the John Molson School of Business as a finance major.
Even after the setbacks, Hudon’s goal remains unchanged. After his time at Concordia, he still hopes to play in the NHL. Hudon has seen other U Sports hockey players move up the ranks of professional hockey after graduating, and is hoping to follow that path. Recently, University of New Brunswick centre Francis Beauvillier, a Florida Panthers prospect, has been playing in the AHL.
“What distinguishes me is my relentlessness, that fact that I always want to play for the crest that’s on the front of my jersey, and not the [name] on the back. I just want to be on the ice,” Hudon said. “I’ve been passionate about hockey for a very long time. It’s not going to end tomorrow, not next year, not the year after that. I’m going to keep pushing until really [no opportunities] are open. I’m that determined.”
According to Hudon, he has big skates to fill with Hinse gone, but he’s not going to change the type of leader he is. He’s focused on leading the Stingers by example.
“Even if I was an assistant [captain], or not an assistant, I’m going to be the same person,” Hudon said. “Obviously [as captain] I’m going to be a little more vocal—it comes with the role. I’m not going to become someone that I’m not.”
Photos by Alex Hutchins
A previous version of this article wrongly called the ECHL the East Coast Hockey League. The Concordian apologizes for the error.
IMG_8962_AHutchins: Ricardo Mongue dribbles towards the basket in preseason action against the University of New Hampshire. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Head coach Rastko Popovic looks to evaluate young talent with preseason series
For the second year in a row, the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team will host NCAA Division 1 teams in a series of exhibition games. The Stingers tip off their preseason with six games from Aug. 21 to Sept. 1.
For Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic, the exhibition series is an opportunity to prepare the team for their upcoming season, which starts in November.
“It gives us the chance to play some early games,” he said. “It gives us the chance to get some extra reps in, watch some extra video and give our young guys a chance to play a lot in games.”
New York’s Canisius Griffins, Hofstra Pride, St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers and Siena Saints, Boston’s Northeastern Huskies, and the New Hampshire Wildcats will make the trip to play at Concordia.
Like in every preseason, Popovic’s goal is to evaluate how some of his younger and newer players will integrate with the team. After last year’s five-game exhibition series against NCAA teams — which saw the Stingers win three games — he noted some young players were able to contribute more offensively and defensively when the season started.
“If they get on the floor and they’re not nervous and they’re able to do things, it shows they are able to play under pressure early in a season,” he said.
Adrian Armstrong looks for a teammate in a preseason game against the University of New Hampshire. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Popovic, who is set to begin his third season as head coach, has four new players joining the team. Oge Nwoko, Michel Hakizimana and Mattis Gueret are first-year players, while Jonathan Koud becomes a Stinger after transferring from Northwest Junior College in Wyoming.
“It’s important for them to get some meaningful playing time so that they gain some valuable experience,” Popovic added.
While he is particularly focused on testing out the rookies, Popovic said it’s also important for the veterans to play in the exhibition series. He wants to see how his returning players improved over the summer, and how his team plays as a unit.
In addition, Popovic said the preseason games will allow him to scope out the Stingers’ strengths, particularly because they will be playing against strong teams.
“There’s a good chance the games will be competitive,” Popovic said, adding that Canadian university teams are finally able to play at the same level as some American teams. “There’s a good chance there are some games [the NCAA teams] won’t win.”
Popovic was a shooting guard during the 2005-06 season, when the Stingers were decimated 123-66 during an away game against the Duke Blue Devils — a top NCAA powerhouse. Over a decade later, though, his Stingers are now capable of beating other NCAA teams, as they proved with their three wins during the preseason series last year. This shows the growth of the men’s basketball program at Concordia and of the sport in Canada as a whole, since many teams now have the skill level to compete with American teams. The Carleton Ravens, for example, recently beat the Alabama Crimson Tide, a top American basketball team, 84-71.
“I think it’s good for U Sports basketball because it shows we can compete with these Division 1 teams,” Popovic said, adding that, “For people who want to see what our team will look like, it’s a good opportunity to come and watch some basketball.”
So far in the series, the Stingers have suffered three defeats: 82-69 against Canisius, 75-45 against Northeastern and 94-81 against New Hampshire.
They play against the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers on Aug. 29, against Siena on Aug. 31 and finish the preseason against Hofstra on Sept. 1.
Concordia’s athletes and coaches were honoured for the 2016-17 season
Athletes from all of Concordia’s sports teams packed into the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall at the Loyola campus for the Stingers annual athletics awards gala on April 6.
The event was hosted by TV host Chantal Desjardins, who opened the evening with jokes that got the crowd roaring with laughter. Later in the night, the two Stingers valedictorians got on stage to leave the players with some words of wisdom, while also making some jokes at the expense of their teammates and coaches. The valedictorians were Antoine Marchand of the men’s hockey team and Emily Hickson of the women’s rugby team.
“It was honestly extremely unexpected and humbling,” Hickson said about being selected as valedictorian. “It’s an honour to be representing the athletes this way, and it was a really amazing experience.”
Like Hickson, Marchand said he felt being able to speak on behalf of his fellow athletes was an honour.
“Words can’t explain what it means after four years of being here,” Marchand said. “There are so many amazing people graduating here this year, and to be able to represent them and sum up the year for them was more than honourable—it’s inexplicable.”
Hockey player Anthony De Luca won Male Athlete of the Year at the awards gala. Photos by Alex Hutchins.
The first awards of the night were the President’s Academic Awards which were given to the female and male athletes who achieved the highest academic standing while demonstrating success in their sport.
Hockey player Alexandra Nikolidakis won the award, as well as football player Patrick Mills.
Immediately after, the Marvin Cooper Award, which is given to the athlete who has successfully overcome the most adversity, was awarded to football player Mickael Côté. Côté has been through shoulder and leg injuries in the past three years, but his determination to keep playing football is what ultimately earned him the award, according to the Stingers.
About halfway through the evening, Interim Athletic Director D’Arcy Ryan handed out the awards for each team’s best rookie and most valuable player.
Men’s hockey forward Anthony De Luca swept his team’s awards, winning men’s hockey team rookie of the year, while also being named MVP. De Luca led the men’s hockey team to their best season in 30 years, according to the Stingers. He scored 24 goals and recorded 19 assists for a total of 43 points.
At the end of the night, De Luca was also named Male Athlete of the Year. While the awards may recognize individuals, De Luca said he could not have done it without his teammates.
“It’s an honour, and I love the fact that in my first year I can make an impact,” De Luca said. “It was a great season, and I’m really proud of my teammates and the progress we made. But as I say in all of my other interviews, there’s room for improvement on my end and the entire team, and we’re going to get ready for next season.”
For the second time in her career, Alex Tessier took home the Female Athlete of the Year award.
In women’s rugby, fourth-year player Alex Tessier won the team’s MVP award and, later in the night, Female Athlete of the Year. Tessier won the award in 2015 as well, during her second year with the Stingers. She has played with Canada’s national rugby team and was named to the tournament’s all-star team at nationals in 2016.
“It’s always such an honour. It’s one of the best awards you can win at the banquet,” Tessier said regarding winning Athlete of the Year. “Honestly, I did not expect it this year, but it’s definitely one of the best feelings I’ve had in my four years here to win it again.”
In the last three years, the Female Athlete of the Year awards have all gone to rugby players, as Frédérique Rajotte won it in 2016. For Tessier, sharing the award with her teammate is special.
“Me and Frédérique have such a connection on and off the field,” Tessier said. “We’re actually roommates and she’s a good friend of mine. I’m proud of what she’s accomplished.”
After the awards were handed out, graduating football player Andrew Barlett said a few words to the crowd before being interrupted by hockey captain Olivier Hinse, who told Barlett he wasn’t actually the valedictorian. Of course, this was simply a joke Hinse and Barlett were already in on. As the crowd laughed and Barlett left the stage, Hinse introduced Marchand and Hickson for their valedictorian speeches.
According to Hickson, the initial nerves she had about her speech were settled thanks to one of her classes earlier in the day.
“I was a little bit nervous, but I had a class presentation about two hours before the event so I got the nerves out,” Hickson said. “I was just excited to speak in front of everybody because it’s been an amazing five years here and I had a lot of jokes to say.”
The night was also a send-off for this year’s graduating Stingers athletes. Marchand, who has been at the school for four years and has helped run the Swarm,—an organization dedicated to creating more unity around the Stingers—said he’ll definitely miss his time as a Stinger.
“Honestly, it’s hard to explain just the love, the family coming together here,” Marchand said. “The fact that I’m leaving hasn’t even sunk in yet to be honest with you so I couldn’t even tell you how it feels to leave.”
Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that requires speed, skill and precision
Yes, Ultimate Frisbee is a real sport, and no, it’s not like playing with your dog in the park.
At least those are a few of the things Luca Stabile, a McGill student from the West Island who plays on McGill Ultimate Frisbee team, has heard some people say.
“It’s different than other sports,” Stabile said. “It’s still pretty demanding in terms of athleticism, although people don’t recognize that.”
For many, Ultimate Frisbee, which is normally referred to as “Ultimate,” is just a sport they played in elementary or high school. But it’s a lot more serious than people think, according to Stabile.
“When you’re on the field, you’re literally sprinting,” Stabile said, adding the sport demands a lot of cardiovascular strength.
Depending on the league, team size can vary from four-a-side or five-a-side to the standard seven-a-side. In 4v4 and 5v5 leagues, they play the width of a football field, but in the competitive divisions, they play the whole length of the field.
In standard leagues, there is no time limit to a game, but rather, a team must reach a certain number of points agreed upon by the teams before the game, which is usually 15. Some leagues with limited time on a field may set a time limit, and Stabile said most games are like soccer, with two halves of 45 minutes.
Changing players on the fly is allowed in recreational divisions, but in competitive leagues, players must stay on the field until a team scores a point. This can mean some long shifts at times.
“There was one game for the McGill B team, we were on the field for 30 minutes,” Stabile said. “That was really brutal.”
The rules of Ultimate are pretty simple. In fact, there’s only one big rule: don’t run with the disc. But Stabile said there are a lot more technicalities than that. A defending player cannot make contact with a receiver, and players have 10 seconds to throw the disc.
There’s a catch to this handful of rules—there are no referees. Players must call the fowls that are committed against them. In competitive leagues, however, there are observers to settle disputes between players.
“Some people who know all the rules will abuse them essentially, and people who know [the rules] less get taken advantaged of,” Stabile said.
Ultimate is not just a bunch of people throwing around a disc trying to score points, though—there are a lot of strategies players must learn.
“There are a lot of offensive formations that you run, similar to football, to get the disc up the field,” Stabile said.
In Ultimate, there are three different ways to throw the disc. There’s the backhand, the classic forehand throw known as the flick and the hammer, an overhead throw.
The sport is popular in Montreal as the main league in the city, Association Ultimate de Montréal (AUM), had more than 215 teams and 2,991 members in 2014.
Universities in Montreal are also forming teams to compete against each other, although not through U SPORTS. McGill, Concordia, Université de Montréal and Université de Québec à Montréal will all be competing in the AUM upcoming spring season.
If you want to get involved with Concordia’s Ultimate Frisbee team, you can visit their website for details.
In his last year, Fosu has been regarded as a leader on the team.
Stingers forward Michael Fosu talks about being a fifth-year player on the basketball squad
Concordia Stingers men’s basketball forward Michael Fosu is now competing in his fifth year with the team. But before that, he played one year with the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds.
Fosu, who played basketball in CEGEP for Vanier College, initially chose to go to New Brunswick to play with one of his teammates from Vanier. However, just a year in, he decided to come to Concordia.
“It’s a great school, don’t get me wrong,” Fosu said. “People are nice over there, but [for me] it was about winning. I wanted to make the playoffs. That’s what we’ve been able to do here.”
The fifth-year Stinger also went to Lucien Page, a French high school here in Montreal. With a strong knowledge of French, Fosu found himself in Concordia’s French Studies program, from which he is set to graduate from this year. However, he said his field of study had no bearing on his decision to come to Concordia. His decision was purely from a competitive standpoint.
Having been with the Stingers for four years, Fosu has seen many players come and go. He recalled Zach Brisebois and Taylor Garner, among others, as being his favourite teammates to play with.
osu played a year of university basketball in New Brunswick before coming to the Stingers. Photos by Brianna Thicke.
“My first year here is the only year where I can say that I played with veteran guys who know the game of basketball,” Fosu said.
He also explained he had a great relationship with the team’s head coach at the time, John Dore.
“He was more like a father figure to me,” Fosu said.
Fosu also explained the community within the basketball program was one of the major reasons he knew Concordia was the right team for him, describing the overall atmosphere as one of a “family.” As soon as he set foot on campus, he said it was easy for him to joke around with his older teammates—which is something he tries to do now with the younger guys on the team.
“Of course they are rookies,” Fosu said. “But at the same time, we let them know that they are a part of the family. “
That same team spirit is the reason why the transition between Dore and current head coach Rastko Popovic has been so effortless. Popovic was an assistant coach with the women’s and men’s teams before being promoted to head coach of the men’s team. Having known the guys on the team for a while, Popovic looked to Fosu to provide leadership for the team.
“I am a man of few words,” Fosu said. “I am a guy who leads by example.”
Fosu also noted that, during his collegiate career, a few players have come in and out of the program without ever being able to sustain the level of play that’s demanded. This is a reality that has drastically changed over the course of the last year or so.
“The new guys coming in are so mature for their age,” Fosu said. “I can’t wait to see what they’ll do in the future.”
When talking about the new Stingers players, Fosu referenced Olivier Simon and Roman Power as guys who have already shown promise in their first year.
For Fosu and the team, the goal is to win a championship—just like every year. However, optimism is high due to the current crop of young players who will help solidify the Stingers as serious competitors—not just this year, but for the years to come. Fosu is excited to be a part of that process despite that this is his last year.
Fosu’s experience has made him a major contributor to his team, having started eight games out of nine this season and averaging 8.7 points per game. He also plays 22 minutes per game, which ranks him fourth amongst his teammates—a testament to the depth Popovic has been able to assemble.
Fosu also believes this year’s team is the one most likely to contend for a title in years.
“This is the most talented team we’ve had since I got here,” Fosu said. “We’ve always been one step away from really winning it all, but this year, hopefully with the young guys, we can get to the championship.”
There is no doubt in his mind the program is in good hands.
“If I have an opportunity to be an assistant coach, I will take it,” Fosu said. “I want to stay involved in the game.”
Water polo looks calm on the surface, but most of the action happens below the water. Photo by Frank Caracciolo
Examining the surprisingly rough sport of water polo
“You’re not guaranteed every breath that you’re going to take.” That’s how Dollard-Des-Ormeaux water polo coach Evan Emory describes water polo.
Yes, the sport is tough, but the unknown and underrated game has a lot to offer those who don’t know much about it. Water polo is like handball in water, but also has soccer and basketball elements to it. And, because this is Canada, the toughness of hockey is involved too.
Water polo is a traditional team sport, with four quarters of seven or eight minutes, depending on the league. Each team has seven players, including a goalie, and the aim of the game is to score as many goals as possible. Ideally, the games are played in 25-by-20-metre pools, deep enough that players cannot touch the bottom.
Aesthetically, water polo looks much like handball ,but, in reality, the two sports don’t share many rules. Unlike handball, a water polo player can move freely with the ball, and there is no restricted arch around the net from which a water polo player cannot shoot. The only restriction for attacking players is that they cannot go within two metres of the goalie without the ball.
Like in soccer, if a major foul is committed within five metres of the net, a penalty shot is awarded. There are also corner throws when a defending team last touches a shot that goes out of bounds across the goal line.
Similarly to basketball, a player cannot hold the ball with two hands and there is a shot clock. Teams must shoot the ball within 30 seconds of getting possession. And like in basketball, unlimited substitutions are allowed at stoppages of play.
Water polo is a fast-paced game that requires all players in the pool to contribute both on offence and defence. Transitioning between offence and defence is important in water polo, as all players must hustle back fast. As soon as a team takes a shot, there’s no time to watch it—the players have to be ready to swim back.
Nitesh Agarwal, a water polo player from Montreal, explained everybody in the water plays every position and no one is assigned one set role.
“It’s not like football where there’s offence and defence, or hockey with defencemen and forwards,” Agarwal said. “You’re just as much a defender as top scorer.”
Although water pool seems like a gentlemen’s game on TV, the majority of the action happens underwater. This is where the toughness of hockey—or rugby—comes in.
Graphic by Thom Bell
“It looks a lot of the time like the guys are floating there,” Emory said. “Every second that you’re not hanging off the wall, you’re expending energy.”
“We’re fighting for position, we’re pushing, wrestling, we’re scrapping, we’re hitting each other.” Agarwal added. “No one knows if you kick someone, no one knows if you pull someone underwater or if you’re getting drowned. If you’re a weaker person, you’re going to get swam over.”
With the constant treading water, swimming, physical play and attentiveness to the fast-paced game, it’s easy to get tired playing the game. But for Agarwal, it’s what makes water polo great.
“In the moment, I hated being gassed, but then you kind of realize those are the fun moments—when you have no energy left and you have to haul yourself up,” Agarwal said.
Emory said he believes the tough, physical nature of the game leaves only those who want to play left to play.
“It’s survival of the fittest. The ones who don’t want to do it just get out of the water,” Emory said. “Some guys just become tougher because of it.”
The hungriest-competitor-wins attitude brings a certain culture of discipline to the sport, according to Emory. He said players who come with the wrong attitude just get left behind, and those willing to push and sacrifice for their team will play.
“You’re there for your brothers,” he said.
This passion that water polo players carry led to one of the most famous incidents in the history of the game. In the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia, Hungary and the USSR faced off in the semi-final. Tensions were high between the two countries, as Soviet-ruled Hungary was in the midst of a political revolution against the Soviet forces.
The game was physical, and in the fourth quarter, with Hungary up 4-0, Soviet player Valentin Prokopov punched Hungarian star Ervin Zador, who scored two goals in the match, right above his right eye. Zador came out of the pool with blood dripping down his face, which prompted Hungarian supporters to clear the stands and hurl insults at the Soviets. The game is named the “Blood in the Water” match, and remains one of the most famous water polo games in history, according to BBC.
For those hearing about the sport for the first time, fear not—you will not get punched if you try it. And don’t worry, you will get your next breath.
The Concordia Stingers now have a record of 2-1 after their loss to McGIll. Photo by Alexander Cole
The Stingers almost came back from five goals down to tie the game but lost 6-5
After going down 6-1 at the beginning of the third period on Oct. 14 against the McGill Redmen, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team mounted a late comeback but it was too little, too late, as the team lost 6-5.
“It was a lesson for the guys,” Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement said. “We’re a young team but the guys are going to have to learn that if you want to win in the [Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS)] you have to play a full 60 minutes. We played about 25 minutes.”
The first period was a rough one for the Stingers as they gave up four goals because of bad bounces and defensive miscues. Just five minutes into the game, Redmen defenseman Étienne Boutet scored on a shot from the blue line that floated by the blocker of Stingers goaltender Philippe Cadorette.
Less than a minute later, Redmen forward Samuel Hodhod scored after a scramble in front of the net. Later in the period, Redmen forwards Frédéric Gamelin and Patrick Delisle-Houde each netted a goal to give the home team a 4-0 lead.
“Yeah we got unlucky but you create your own luck also,” Élement said. “I got to give [the Redmen] credit. They were working harder than us so for us it’s a really good wake up call.”
To start the second period Cadorette was replaced by backup goalie Miguel Sullivan after allowing four goals on 12 shots.
The period started in the Stingers’ favour after a quick goal 25 seconds in by rookie forward Anthony Deluca. The Redmen would come back quickly with goals by defensemen Dominic Talbot-Tassi and Redgie Bois. At the end of the second period, the score was 6-1 in favour of the Redmen.
“They went on hard in the first two periods,” Stingers captain Olivier Hinse said. “We were not winning our battles. The first two periods we were not there mentally or physically and they were all over us.”
The third period started off slow and seemed to be a write-off for the Stingers, until a goal by Stingers forward Raphael Lafontaine pumped new life into the team with eight minutes left in the game.
Within two and half minutes of Lafontaine’s goal, Stingers forwards Scott Oke and Dominic Beauchemin each added a goal to bring the score to 6-4 in favour of the Redmen.
With four minutes left, Lafontaine picked up his second goal and lowered the deficit to one goal. Despite taking out Sullivan late to add an extra attacker, the Stingers were unable to tie the game and suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of their McGill rivals.
“The third period was amazing and that’s who we are as the Stingers,” Hinse said.
One high point of the game for the Stingers was the brewing chemistry between the top line of Hinse, Deluca and Sanche. Deluca scored his first goal of the season, and the whole line demonstrated crisp passing and lightning speed.
“We practiced a bit together this summer in three-on-three leagues,” Deluca said. “I think it’s a really good mix. We’re really close on and off the ice, and the chemistry we’ve built has shown and hopefully it helps us all season.”
The Stingers will play their home-opener on Oct. 15 against the University of Carleton at 7:30 p.m. at the Ed Meagher arena.
