Tag: Concordia Stingers

Categories
Sports

Preparing for the season months in advance

season
The Stingers men’s team beat the RSEQ champions, Montréal Carabins, 2-1 on Feb. 4. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

What the Stingers soccer coaches are looking for during the winter season

After playing in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) fall season, the Concordia Stingers soccer teams returned to the pitch for the winter season. The teams use the winter season for training, and even though they play seven games against teams in their league, results aren’t a priority for head coaches Jorge Sanchez and Greg Sutton. The Concordian talked to each coach about how they use the winter season to prepare their team for the fall.

Women’s team

The women’s team missed the playoffs by two points in the fall season, finishing in sixth place out of eight teams with a 3-7-4 record. Head coach Jorge Sanchez has the luxury of keeping almost his entire team intact for next season, as only graduating midfielder Alice Grandpierre is certain to leave the team.

“We have a good core of players, so it’s about figuring out who’s good in the system,” Sanchez said. “Towards the end of the season, we discovered how we wanted to play, and we discovered certain tactical changes that worked. […] So it’s just reinforcing it and getting players comfortable with it.”

Madeleine McKenzie prepares to throw the ball in during a game on Feb. 4. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Sanchez noted that, even though the winter season is used to prepare for the fall season, he still wants his players to focus on staying competitive by winning.

“Part of the culture at this level is being part of a winning team, and you want to do that by winning games,” he said.

Despite frigid temperatures and a constant reminder that it’s not typical soccer weather outside, Sanchez said players know they need to commit to the Stingers in the winter as much as they do in the fall season.

“When we recruit them, we tell them if they come to Concordia, they will be playing soccer for an entire school year,” Sanchez said. “It’s not an off-season. It’s not a recreational time.”

Men’s team

The men’s team finished in sixth place out of seven teams in the RSEQ with a 3-8-1 record. In November, Sutton told The Concordian the season was marred by injuries, and there wasn’t enough experience on the team to replace the injured players.

In the winter league, he’s looking to play some younger players and players who didn’t compete as much during the fall season.

“We use [the winter season] as a testing ground for some of the guys who didn’t get to play in the fall, to see how they’re growing,” Sutton said. “And for our guys who played a regular role in the fall season, they need to continue to improve.”

During the team’s first three winter games, Sutton said forwards Simon Malaborsa, who led the team in scoring last fall with six goals in 12 matches, and Peter Campbell, who had two goals, have impressed him the most.

“When you have guys who come from the fall and they had a good season, you expect them to do that in the winter, and those two guys have done that,” Sutton said.

The Stingers also have two players on their winter team who didn’t play in the fall. According to Sutton, twins Andres and Martin Lopez had to sit out the season after transferring from the United States, but they will be playing next fall.

“Those two have a great ability on the ball,” Sutton said. “Now, we just need to make them understand what it takes to be successful in our league and the physicality they need to come with.”

So far this season, the men have a 3-0 record, and the women are 2-1. Their next games are on Feb. 11 at the Stingers Dome against McGill.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad. Video by Matthew Coyte and Antoine Heuillard.

Categories
Sports

Stingers take care of business with 7-2 win

Rookie Lidia Fillion scored her league-leading 10th goal of the season in the win. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Forward Audrey Belzile had four goals and an assist against the Carleton Ravens

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team dismantled the Carleton Ravens with a 7-2 win on Sunday, Feb. 4 at the Ed Meagher Arena. Forward Audrey Belzile was the star of the game, scoring four goals and adding an assist.

“Everyone decided to play a team game and really come out with a team effort,” said head coach Julie Chu.

The Stingers started off slow, allowing the last-placed Ravens to generate some scoring chances in the first period. Belzile opened the scoring late in the first period with a great individual effort, spinning around one defender before scoring short-side past Ravens goalie Katelyn Steele.

“Our first period is usually really not that good, so we talked about starting strong,” Belzile said. “Everybody was forechecking and making good passes.”

Audrey Belzile (right) recorded the league’s second hat-trick by any player this season. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Stingers dominated the second period, outshooting the Ravens 15-5 in the period. Forward Sophie Gagnon doubled the Stingers lead six minutes into the second, scoring on a bit of a controversial goal, as Steele lost her glove during a scrum in front of the net and tried to stop Gagnon’s shot bare-handed.

After Belzile scored her second of the game and the Ravens got on the board with a power-play goal, the Stingers scored three times in a two-minute span late in the second period. They had a 6-1 lead at the second intermission. Belzile and Gagnon each scored, and forward Lidia Fillion got her league-leading 10th goal of the season. Belzile scored her fourth goal late in the third period.

“There was a lot of hard work going not only into [Belzile scoring four goals], but also what’s happening around her to allow her to be in positions to get a great opportunity,” Chu said.

This was Belzile’s first multi-goal game of the season, and she said it was the first time she scored four goals in a game. She said good chemistry with her linemates, Stéphanie Lalancette and Fillion, led to her goals.

“With all my goals there were good passes, so it wasn’t just me. It was a team [effort],” Belzile said.

Fifth-year goalie Fréderike Berger-Lebel got her first start as a Stinger in a regular-season game. Chu said even though Berger-Lebel has been the third-string goalie for much of her time at Concordia, she remains a team player.

“Instead of being someone who is resentful in that role, she embodied it, and she allowed all her teammates to understand to push everyday in practice and still be ready if she gets the nod,” Chu said. “She earned the right to start this game, and her teammates loved the fact that she got that opportunity.”

“For sure we wanted her to win the game,” Belzile said. “We are so proud of her because she’s a good teammate, always coming to the rink with a smile.”

With the win, the Stingers improve to a 12-4-1 record, sitting in second place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). With three games remaining, they are three points behind the Montréal Carabins, but the Stingers have a game in hand. The two teams play each other at Montréal on Feb. 16.

The Stingers’s next game is at home against rivals McGill on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m.

Categories
Sports

Stingers drop third-straight game with loss against Gee-Gees

Stingers forward Scott Oke takes a shot on Gee-Gees goalie Graham Hunt. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

A late shorthanded Ottawa goal gave the visitors a 3-2 win

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team lost 3-2 against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Feb. 2 at the Ed Meagher Arena. A late shorthanded goal by Gee-Gees forward Quinn O’Brien handed the Stingers their third-straight loss.

The Stingers were without head coach Marc-André Élement, who was serving the first game of a two-game suspension. Assistant coach and Élement’s doppelganger, Kiefer Orsini, took over the head coaching duties for the game. He said miscommunication led to the Gee-Gees’s winning goal, which came with two minutes left.

“I think, earlier in the game, if we give up a goal like that, we have time to get it back,” Orsini said. “Unfortunately, it happened late, and we didn’t have enough [time] left to work with.”

The Stingers opened the scoring early in the game, with forward Massimo Carozza finding the back of the net off a pass from forward Anthony Beauregard. That was Beauregard’s 56th point of the season, the most in the country, and it extended his point streak to 14 games.

Forward Raphaël Lafontaine doubled the Stingers advantage late in the period, scoring on a rebound of a shot from Carl Neill.

The Gee-Gees started climbing their way back into the game with a strong second-period performance. They outshot the Stingers 12-8 in the second, and Stingers goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte made some key saves to keep his team’s two-goal lead. He couldn’t hold the fort forever though, and an Ottawa forward finally solved Turcotte with a late powerplay goal to cut Concordia’s lead in half.

Stingers forward Anthony Beauregard extended his nation-leading points total to 56 points. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

“First period, we were fine. We had the momentum pretty much the entire period,” said Stingers captain Philippe Hudon. “Then, we came out flat in the second and flatter in the third. We felt like there wasn’t much emotion on the bench.”

Ottawa tied the game early in the third period, with forward Connor Sills redirecting a pass from Mathieu Newcomb past Turcotte. The third period was rather mundane, with neither team generating much offence. The Stingers took six shots in the third, while the Gee-Gees took three. Hudon said the Stingers didn’t stick to their gameplan after the first period.

“Unfortunately, we get scored on, then our heads go down,” Hudon said. “It shouldn’t happen, because it wasn’t happening earlier in the season.”

Coming off three-straight losses, including four in their last five, the Stingers head on the road to face the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins on Feb. 3. The Paladins are tied with the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes for the eighth and final playoff spot, while the Stingers sit in fourth place, two points behind the third-placed Carleton Ravens. Both the Stingers and Paladins have three games remaining.

“We don’t have [time] to sit down and feel sorry for ourselves or try to figure it out,” Orsini said. “We have to get on the bus tomorrow and get two points, because the standings are very close.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

Fighting for the Olympic dream

Jade Dufour didn’t have an Olympic dream until grade 10, and now that’s her goal. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Stingers wrestler Jade Dufour is aiming to win a world title

Most kids play soccer growing up. For Concordia Stingers wrestler Jade Dufour, that didn’t really cut it.

“My parents saw that I was kind of done with it, so they figured they had to find something else,” she said. “They looked into karate. Since then, I’ve always been involved in physical contact sports.”

From mixed martial arts (MMA) to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Dufour’s parents wanted their children to learn how to defend themselves. “Thank God, because I wouldn’t mess with me or my brother,” Dufour said. “I was already used to being hit and being put into awkward positions.”

Making that transition from MMA to wrestling did take some time for Dufour because of the varying techniques and rules. However, once she finally committed to wrestling in high school in Windsor, Ont., she fell in love.

Even though she loved the sport, she hadn’t considered the “Olympic dream” to be a possibility until grade 10, when she attended the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que., and met Martine Dugrenier, a three-time world champion wrestler from Montreal. Dugrenier is now a coach with the Stingers.

“She had come down to Windsor to train with us, and a few of [my teammates] stayed at my house,” Dufour said. “Martine was in my room. This was right after she had competed at the Olympics in London. I was freaking out. She asked, ‘Hey do want to start wrestling at the next level?’ She thought I had potential so I should continue.”

Dufour competed in the 43-kilogram weight class and won gold at that 2013 Canada Summer Games.

Jade Dufour said winning bronze at the 2016 World Junior Wrestling Championship has been her proudest moment as a Stinger. Photo by Brianna Thicke.

When it came time to choosing a university, Dufour said she didn’t hesitate.

“Concordia had the program I liked, which is exercise science, but I loved the technicality of the wrestling club,” Dufour said.

She liked the individual attention that head coach Victor Zilberman put into their training. Working on individual performances while still training as a collective team was something that separated Concordia from other programs she visited.

As an exercise science student, Dufour said she feels like she has used her knowledge in the classroom and has been able to translate it to her work on the mat. Her interest in the topic really began when she fractured her ankle in high school. Dufour went through her physiotherapy rehab, and thought healing a body was interesting. She then enrolled in a kinesiology class in her senior year of high school.

“I can relate to this so much because I am an athlete,” the third-year Stinger said. “I feel like I know what’s happening to my body better. I understand how to cope and prevent injuries myself. The two go together nicely.”

Looking back on three years with the Stingers wrestling team, she counts winning bronze at the 2016 World Junior Wrestling Championship in Macon, France, as one of her proudest moments. Not because of the medal, but because of how she feels she responded to adversity after losing her first match of the tournament.

“I had to do a 360-degree turn in my attitude,” Dufour said. “Getting over that loss and the fact that I was able to get myself prepared and in that zone—I didn’t know if I was going to be able to wrestle. It happened, you can’t go back and change it, and to be honest, I wouldn’t change it.”

Even though this is her third season with the Stingers, outside of school, this is Dufour’s first season wrestling in the senior division against other wrestlers from across the country. In March, Dufour will be competing at the National Championship in Montreal.

At the senior level, there are no beginners. Every athlete wants to make it to the Olympics, and every athlete is competing for a spot on the national team.

“Hopefully I’ll do well in my first senior year,” Dufour said. “To make the Canadian national team against all of the kids who have been wrestling for 16 plus years, it would be something else. I’ve been on the world team at the junior level quite a few times.”

To make the senior roster and join Stingers teammate Laurence Beauregard, Dufour needs to make a smooth transition from the junior division to senior. Doing so would require her to refine the technical elements of her game. In the 48-kilogram division she usually competes in, Dufour is almost always one of the smaller competitors.

“I’m wrestling people who are bigger and stronger, but if I put all the effort in, correct my mistakes and basically give it my all, [I could] become a successful senior athlete and not just a kid who was good at the junior [level],” she said, adding: “I want that Olympic dream.”

Dufour talked about what she needs to practice this season, including attention to detail and total focus during her training. “I’m going to try my [hardest] to make the team,” she said. “However, I still have work to do. I’m not just aiming for a national title; I’m aiming for a world title.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

Categories
Sports

A chance to become role models for young players

The Stingers women’s hockey team invited young players to join them on the ice after their game on Jan. 21. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers signed autographs and took photos with fans on Minor Hockey Day

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team held their annual Minor Hockey Day at the Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 21. The team invited parents and kids, especially minor girls’ hockey players, to attend their game against the Carleton Ravens. The Stingers also invited all the kids in attendance to skate with the team after the game and get the players’ autographs.

A young skater waits to join the Stingers on the ice during Minor Hockey Day. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The energy in the building was incredible, and the stands were packed full of young fans ready to watch the Stingers take on the Ravens. While the Stingers won the game 4-1 off a two-goal effort from forward Marie-Pascale Bernier, the most popular moment of the night happened after the final buzzer. Many kids rushed down to the bench to strap on their skates and jumped on the ice with the players.

As young skaters of all levels got onto the ice, the Stingers were quick to skate over to a young player to sign autographs and take photos. For head coach Julie Chu, it meant a lot to be part of the community in this active manner.

“We’re all here because we had great role models and people who got us into hockey,” Chu said. “When we can give our young players someone to look up to, someone to want to emulate, that’s huge. Having these players come out here and be engaged with these young skaters, whether they’re hockey fans or just young kids, that’s critical.”

Chu also helps coach several girls teams who practice at the Ed Meagher Arena, and she had several of her players at the game. For many parents, this kind of community outreach is a way for their daughters to build a relationship with positive role models. Julie Tytler, one of those parents, said her daughter was excited to see her coach in action.

“It’s fantastic,” Tytler said. “It’s really great for [the players]. This shows kids that you can play until you’re an adult and have fun. [The Stingers] are out there smiling all the time. They’re having a blast, and it’s great for kids to see that.”

For Bernier, getting involved in the community is important to the team. “When you’re younger, if you have more role models, that’s the way girls are going to have that desire to keep playing high-level hockey,” she said.

The men’s hockey team hosts Minor Hockey Night on Feb. 2, and the basketball teams host Minor Basketball Day on Feb. 3.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Categories
Sports

The final chapter in a hockey story

Alexandria D’Onofrio grew up in Rivières-des-Prairies, where girls’ hockey was not common. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Alexandria D’Onofrio has not missed a game during her five years with the Stingers

Alexandria D’Onofrio has not missed a single game in her five years with the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team. For D’Onofrio, who plays forward, the dream of playing in university after growing up in Rivières-des-Prairies (RDP)—an area not known for women’s hockey—has been her biggest accomplishment.

“A lot of the girls on the team call me the ‘mother figure’ of the team,” D’Onofrio said. The psychology student has taken what she has learned through hockey and applied it to her own life. “Hockey has taught me discipline and maturity. There’s always an obstacle that is in the way to make you better.”

For D’Onofrio, obstacles have been very much at the forefront of her hockey life since youth. Growing up in RDP, D’Onofrio had the challenge of playing with the boys early on, until she reached the bantam level. Having been inspired by her brother who played hockey, she took to the game in stride.

“I played AA in atom and peewee,” she said. Atom hockey is for ages nine and 10, while peewee is for 11 and 12-year-olds. “Then, they made a rule that you had to switch over to girls’ hockey once there was contact [in bantam]. So, I had to switch over.”

D’Onofrio (second from right) has five goals and five assists during her career with the Stingers. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

It wasn’t long after making the switch to girls’ hockey that D’Onofrio left her bantam team in RDP to play on a co-ed team for her high school, Lester B. Pearson in Montreal-North. She returned to play with the girls’ team in her second year of bantam, while also playing with her high school team. From there, she played midget girls’ hockey until she was recruited to play for the Dawson Blues in CEGEP.

“Dawson was a great experience, and I loved my two years there,” D’Onofrio said. “The only problem was that we only had three practices a week, so coaches don’t see you that often.”

In the 2011-12 season with the Blues, D’Onofrio scored four goals and four assists in 28 games. The team also finished second in the regular season standings and managed to win the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) bronze medal that season.

The 2012-13 season was not as good for the Blues, as they finished with a 3-16 record in a newly-created top division. During that season, D’Onofrio scored three goals and committed to the Stingers for the 2013-14 season.

“Being chosen to play in university, being able to stay [close to] home and getting picked up by Concordia is my biggest achievement,” she said.

D’Onofrio said she could see herself coaching hockey once her playing career is done. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

D’Onofrio’s five years at Concordia have been marked by a constant presence on the ice. Having played every regular-season game since her first season, she has established herself as a crucial force for the Stingers. So far, she has played over 90 regular-season games with the Stingers. If she plays every game for the rest of this season, she will have played exactly 100 games in the maroon and gold colours.

To date, D’Onofrio’s best season was in 2016-17 when she scored two goals and two assists in the regular season and added another goal in the playoffs. The Stingers lost to the McGill Martlets in the RSEQ final and finished in fourth place at the national championship last March.

D’Onofrio’s future in hockey as a player is uncertain. However, she said she believes she has a future in coaching. “We run a hockey camp at Concordia, and I enjoy it to the fullest,” she said. “I don’t see myself as a head coach right now, but I would enjoy taking on a consistent role like that.”

With half a season still remaining as a player, the focus for D’Onofrio and the Stingers remains clear—to win a championship.

“I know this is my last year. It’s the most important thing to me that our team finishes as best as we can,” she said. “Hopefully we win a medal. I’d like to top last year’s nationals experience.”

D’Onofrio takes pride in knowing that not many women from her neighbourhood have played university hockey. She credits her parents and the staff at Concordia for pushing her to be better in the face of adversity. Whether it was playing in a boys’ league or dealing with unfavourable seasons, her focus and determination have always been at the forefront in her hockey career.

“I love the sport, but I’m not sure if it’s for me to continue onwards,” D’Onofrio said. “I had five great years here, so me leaving the sport will be tough, but I’ll know that I achieved the max that I could have achieved.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins

Categories
Sports

Coaching team to play with purpose

Marc-André Élement (centre) has a 44-23-11 record since taking over as head coach of the Stingers men’s hockey team. Photo by Brianna Thicke.

How Marc-André Élement has made the Stingers a destination for elite talent

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team added another rookie to their lineup to start the second half of their season.

William Gignac, a five-foot-seven forward from Repentigny, joined the team after the new year. He is one of nine other first-years, including defenceman Carl Neill and forwards Massimo Carozza and Alexis Pépin. Gignac spent four years jumping around the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), as well as playing for the Terrebonne Cobras last season in the Quebec Junior Hockey League (QJAAAHL). Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement saw him play last season and described him as “probably the best player in the [QJAAAHL].”

Forward William Gignac joined the Stingers men’s hockey team in January 2018. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

“In the end, [Concordia] was close to home. That was my first criteria,” Gignac said on Jan. 12 following a 4-2 loss at home to the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes. “It was a good opportunity for me to come here for school.”

Gignac currently has two goals and an assist in six games with the Stingers.

 

Head coach the reason for talented rookies joining Stingers

Since becoming head coach of the men’s team just before the 2015-16 season, Élement has established a new mentality for the team. Head scout Justin Shemie described how Élement has a “relentless work ethic,” and that’s partly why the Stingers have had so much success recruiting players. According to Shemie, the team is always looking for new talent. “We’re never good enough,” he added.

Stingers communications officer Catherine Grace described how Élement has taken this team and molded it in his image.

“[The team] really reflects Marc-André and who he is, in the way of how classy the kids are, how hardworking they are, how much heart they put in,” Grace said. That new image is part of the reason why players like Gignac, Neill, Carozza and Pépin are choosing Concordia.

According to Stingers captain Philippe Hudon, Élement came in with a mentality of believing in the team’s abilities and pushing for a greater goal.

“A lot of the guys believe that when you go play Canadian university hockey, it’s your last four, five years of competitive hockey,” Hudon said. “It’s hard to push every day because now you’re going to university, you’re taking classes, you’re focusing on that, but you also want to be competitive at hockey.”

Hudon credited Élement with changing that mindset. “He’s done a good job at coming in here and giving us a sense of purpose,” the captain said.

Rookie forward Massimo Carozza is second on the Stingers with 25 points in 21 games. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Élement really began rebuilding the program prior to his second season in 2016-17, when he brought in 13 new players. The Stingers currently have 16 players who Élement recruited in the past two seasons, meaning half the team still has up to three more years of eligibility. Grace talked about how Élement has taken a professional approach to the way he runs his team.

“He wants everything at the highest level,” Grace said. “He wants his players to perform at the highest level, but he also wants to treat them the absolute best. I think when you’re treated well and you get a lot of respect, as a player, you think ‘this is a program I want to be a part of.’”

In Élement’s first season, in 2015-16, the Stingers went 10-12-6, finishing seventh in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division. In 2016-17, the team finished second in the division with a 19-7-2 record. This year, they currently sit in second in the division with a 15-4-3 record.

“It’s a big step from the past few years and where it was headed,” Hudon said. “With Marc-André coming in, he’s done a tremendous job at selling this program, selling the school and selling the direction towards which it’s going. You’ve got these players who dominated in the QMJHL, or any other league, who are now coming here because they see the potential of this program to be great.”

Main photo by Brianna Thicke.

Categories
Sports

Stingers win fifth-straight game over Gee-Gees

Stingers defenceman Caroll-Ann Gagné, who scored a goal in the game, carries the puck away from her own net. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stéphanie Lalancette scored twice in 5-1 victory

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team came to life in the second period and dominated the Ottawa Gee-Gees in their 5-1 win at the Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 14.

The Stingers improved to a 9-3-0 record, putting themselves closer to first place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) standings. This win marks their fifth in a row, and they haven’t lost since Nov. 17.

Stingers forward Stéphanie Lalancette scored twice to give Concordia a lead they would never lose against the Gee-Gees. Forwards Keriann Schofield and Lidia Fillion, and defenceman Caroll-Ann Gagné scored one each in the win.

The Gee-Gees dominated the first period with an explosive offence, threatening Stingers goalie Katherine Purchase multiple times. A first period struggle is nothing new for the Stingers, as they have failed to score in the first period in five of their nine wins this season. By the end of the first period, Ottawa had outshot Concordia 10-6.
Head coach Julie Chu addressed the lack of production in the early part of the game.

The Stingers move within two points of the RSEQ lead after winning their fifth-straight game. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

“There was no explosiveness in the first period,” Chu said. “Ottawa is a great team that starts fast, and they started on time while we didn’t. We were really lucky to come out of the period with a tie at that point. Luckily, it’s a 60-minute game.”

The Stingers scoring opened up midway through the second period after Gagné punched the puck through the legs of Ottawa’s goalie, Maude Levesque-Ryan, on a scramble in front of the net. That goal marked Gagné’s first of the season.

Late in the second period on a power play, Lalancette sniped the puck past the Ottawa goalie, knocking the water bottle off the top of the net. Her second goal of the night was another well-placed pass by forward Devon Thompson in the third period. This was Lalancette’s second two-goal game of the season.

“She has been one of our most consistent and top players over the season,” coach Chu said about Lalancette, who sits in fourth in the league for most points. “She’s healthy, she works hard and she really utilized her speed which is a huge asset to the team. And obviously she has a great shot.”

Gee-Gees defenceman Cassidy Herman scored Ottawa’s lone goal on the power play in the third period. That would be the end of the Ottawa production, despite starting off so dominant.

With the third period coming to a close, the intensity and physicality ramped up. Schofield scored her fourth goal of the season to give the Stingers a 4-1 lead and more cushion against the physical Gee-Gees. Shortly thereafter, Ottawa pulled their goalie but could not find success. Fillion scored an empty-net goal to bring her team-leading goal count to six on the season.

“We focus one game at a time, and we still expect the most every day,” Chu said. “The girls are embracing it, and they’re able to improve and get better each day. We can’t take anything for granted because this league is so strong that we’ve got to be ready to play and focused.”

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team will take on the Université de Montréal Carabins at the Ed Meagher Arena in a crucial battle for first place in the RSEQ standings on Jan. 19.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Categories
Sports

Philippe Hudon leads charge to end stigma

Stingers captain Philippe Hudon is Concordia University’s spokesperson for the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Concordia Stingers men’s team hosted the Bell Let’s Talk game ahead of campaign

For a second year in a row, Philippe Hudon, captain of the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team, is leading a cause close to his heart.

Hudon is Concordia’s representative for the Bell Let’s Talk campaign to raise awareness about mental health and to end the stigma surrounding it. Hudon himself was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in 2010.

The Stingers hosted their Bell Let’s Talk game on Jan. 12 at the Ed Meagher Arena in a 4-2 loss against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes.

“Unfortunately we didn’t come out on top today,” Hudon said following the game. “I think a lot of guys worked hard, not just for myself but for the cause itself. I think they realized it’s something that’s important for me.”

At the game, representatives from Bell were handing out noisemakers, hats and temporary tattoos for fans. There was also a ceremonial puck drop before the game between Hudon and the Patriotes’ captain, Pierre-Maxime Poudrier.

After the Stingers first hosted the Bell Let’s Talk game last year, Hudon spoke about his mental illness with CTV News and The Concordian. Since then, head coach Marc-André Élement said Hudon has been involved around the Stingers athletic complex to help out any other athlete who wants to talk.

“Last year, we had a lot of response from student-athletes who contacted him,” Élement said. “The fact that he’s really involved, it shows his leadership for that cause.”

Hudon said it’s great that almost the entire month of January is dedicated to opening up about mental health and trying to end the stigma around it. But the fourth-year finance student said he’s open to talk year-round.

“For me, being a survivor of OCD, I’m still trying to work out the finer details of it, but I’ve struggled, and I’m happy to say I’ve come out on top,” Hudon said. “Now, I’m someone who could lend an ear. I could just listen to people who are living it. I like to be there for those people. I’ve gone through the struggle; it’s really not easy, let alone talking about it.”

Head coach Marc-André Élement said he will make sure the Stingers support Hudon (pictured) for the cause. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

However, Hudon said everyone needs to keep the conversation going even after January. “It’s something that’s with you the entire year. It’s not something that you can notice for one month then just let it go.”

Last year, Bell said they had 53 universities and over 20,000 student-athletes involved in the campaign. According to CTV, the 2017 Bell Let’s Talk campaign, which donated money based on texts, phone calls and social media interactions on Jan. 25, raised over $6.5 million for mental health programs. This year, the campaign will take place on Jan. 31.

Since the Bell Let’s Talk campaign started in 2010, Hudon said he has seen the cause grow tremendously.

“The workplace, now, is being more proactive and creating these seminars and being there at all times for people who need the support,” he said.

While Hudon aims to end the stigma surrounding mental health, his head coach and the rest of the team will be by his side.

“It’s fun to be part of such a great cause, and we’re happy to support him,” Élement said.

Concordia students looking for someone to talk to can visit the mental health services at the downtown campus in room GM-200, or at the Loyola campus in room AD-131.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins

Categories
Sports

Stingers moving on without their head coach

The Concordia Stingers are a team full of veterans, and they will try to continue winning with a new head coach in 2018. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Players reflect on Mickey Donovan as he moves onto Alouettes as special teams coordinator

After serving as the Concordia Stingers head coach for four seasons, Mickey Donovan is leaving the team to join the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a special teams coordinator.

The 37-year-old coach joined the Stingers coaching staff in 2014 alongside his brother, Patrick, who is the team’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. In four seasons, Donovan coached the team to a 16-15 record.

Second-year linebacker and captain Samuel Brodrique, said Donovan was a large part of the team’s success over the past few years. He isn’t surprised Donovan’s making the jump to professional football.

“I talked a lot with coach Mickey and it felt like, when it came to his career, he really wanted to push it to the next level,” Brodrique said. “When I heard about where he was going, I was happy for him and I think, for him, it’s the right decision.”

Jean-Guy Rimpel, a third-year running back with the team, said Donovan’s presence in the locker room will be missed, as he was not just a leader but a motivator as well.

“We fed off his energy every game,” Rimpel said. “He’s really appreciated by the team, but we’re also happy that he has been promoted and in the CFL now.”

Brodrique, who was recruited by Donovan in 2016, echoed Rimpel’s sentiments, saying that Donovan is a coach who knows how to get the most out of his team.

Wide receivers Jarryd Taylor (left) and Vince Alessandrini (right) were both recruited by Mickey Donovan. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

“He talks well, so every time he gave a speech it was a good one,” Brodrique said. “He’s intense so the team was able to channel his intensity when it came time to play.”

Brodrique added that, while Donovan helped the team on the field, he was also the type of coach to take an interest in his players off the field.

“He wanted all of his players to do well in life, and he was the type of guy who would tell us that not everything was about football,” Brodrique said. “He cared about how you did in school and just all aspects of life.”

Patrick Donovan will be taking over as interim head coach of the Stingers while the team looks for a permanent replacement. While both Brodrique and Rimpel realize that a head coaching change will be a big adjustment for the team, they both noted that the team is filled with veterans.

“We’re a pretty mature team filled with third and fourth-year players,” Rimpel said. “If we were a bunch of rookies, it would be different, but everyone is focused on doing their work so we should be good.”

“Everything that is new is exciting,” Brodrique added. “We really like coach Pat because he’s like his brother, so it won’t be too much of a change. Everybody is excited for coach Mickey […] There are no hard feelings, we’re just happy for him.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins

Categories
Sports

Stingers drop doubleheader at home against McGill

Concordia Stingers guard Ken Beaulieu dunks against the McGill Redmen on Jan. 11. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Women lose halftime lead, while men fall short in tight game

The new year has yet to be good to Concordia’s basketball teams, as the Stingers lost both games in their doubleheader at home against McGill on Jan. 11.

Women’s game

The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team lost to the McGill Martlets by a score of 70-55. The game was tight in the first half, going back and forth with not much ground given on either side. Concordia went into halftime leading 34-31.

In the second half, the Martlets erased the deficit and slowly built up their lead. When asked about the most prominent factor in losing this game, head coach Tenicha Gittens was critical of her team’s rebounding effort. “We have to be better on the boards,” she said, adding that they have to “find a body and box out.”

The Martlets won the game by out-hustling the Stingers on rebounds, especially at the offensive end, where they secured 19 offensive rebounds, many of which led to second-chance points. Gittens explained that, when her players don’t secure rebounds, it makes it tough for them to get in transition and use their speed, limiting most of their offensive talent.

Guard Aurelie d’Anjou Drouin led the team in scoring with 10 points coming off the bench, while guards Caroline Task and Sabrina Stambouli each scored nine points.

Forward Marvia Dean shoots a free-throw against the McGill Martlets on Jan. 11. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Men’s game

The men’s team played the second game of the doubleheader, and again weren’t able to stop McGill, as they lost to the Redmen by a score of 88-81.

The game was back and forth to say the least, with eight lead changes and four ties throughout. The Stingers looked best in the first half when, at one point, they were leading by 13 points. Eventually, McGill began to pressure the Stingers in Concordia’s half of the court, hoping to create turnovers and close the gap. The plan worked. Soon enough, Concordia’s lead was gone, and they were instead playing catch-up.

Guard Ken Beaulieu made a valiant effort to help the Stingers complete a comeback, leading the team with 24 points—14 coming in the fourth quarter alone—and adding seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block.

The Redmen were proficient in the paint, scoring 52 points within close range, compared to 38 from the Stingers. The abundance of high percentage shots and a couple of timely threes by guard Dele Ogundokun of the Redmen in the fourth were enough to put the nail in Concordia’s proverbial coffin.

Both Concordia Stingers basketball teams will get their shot at redemption against McGill. They play a doubleheader at McGill on Jan. 13, with the women playing at 4 p.m. and the men at 6 p.m.

Categories
Sports

Stingers open floodgates in 9-4 win against Laurentian

Stingers forward Scott Oke impressed head coach Marc-André Élement, scoring two goals. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Men’s hockey team heads into winter break with 12-2-2 record

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team beat the Laurentian Voyageurs 9-4 on Dec. 2 at the Ed Meagher Arena. The Stingers head into the winter break with a 12-2-2 record.

“I’m really proud of my guys the way they played the first half of the season,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “It’s going to be a good break.”

The Voyageurs came out strong with a quick 2-1 lead, and the Stingers seemed caught off guard by their aggressive forecheck. Halfway through the first period, Laurentian’s pressure resulted in Voyageurs forward Danny Lepage creating a turnover at the Stingers’ blue line before ripping a shot past goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte to extend the Voyageurs’ lead to 3-1. The Stingers looked tired at this point; they weren’t making clean passes, and had difficulty controlling play along the boards in the offensive zone to set up.

“I told the guys to stay positive and to keep pushing the pace,” Élement said.

The Stingers responded by scoring five answered goals to close out the first period with a 6-3 lead.

Stingers defenceman Carl Neill skates the puck into the zone against the Laurentian Voyageurs on Dec. 2. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Stingers forward Scott Oke forced his way onto the stats sheet in the game with two goals and two assists. After being a healthy scratch against the Waterloo Warriors on Nov. 25, Oke’s four points were the most he had in a game this season.

“The past couple games, we weren’t producing. It clicked today,” Oke said. “That’s why we were able to jump back into it.”

Élement was pleased with Oke’s performance in this game and in the 6-4 win against the Nipissing Lakers on Dec. 1. The forward had struggled offensively, with only three points in the eight games before the weekend. Élement made the decision to sit Oke against Waterloo.

“It’s tough to scratch a fourth-year guy, but I had to do it because he needed a little spark. I think it did the job, and he had a really good weekend,” Élement said.

Oke said it felt good to be able to return to the lineup and contribute offensively.

“[After being scratched], I looked back on what I needed to work on,” Oke said. “I needed to protect the puck, be confident with the puck. It felt like I was probably throwing the puck away a little fast.”

Élėment said the team didn’t get the start they were looking for, but he was happy with how they rebounded and with the Stingers’ special teams play. A day after Concordia took 10 minor penalties and allowed four power-play goals against the Nipissing Lakers, they only took three minor penalties against Laurentian. The Stingers also made the Voyageurs pay for taking 10 infractions, converting on six of those opportunities.

“Tonight, discipline was really good. We let them take penalties, and that’s something we need to do next semester because we’re going to play against good teams,” Élement said.

Another player who struggled to get on the scoresheet over the last stretch of games was Alexis Pépin. Before this game, he had no points in his last five games. Yet, he exploded for four points against the Voyageurs, including two goals. His first of the night came off a slapshot from the blue line that beat the Voyageurs goalie. His second goal came from a series of dekes that put him alone in front of the net, and he flipped the puck over the blocker of the goalie.

“It’s been a long time without an offensive [scoring] touch,” Pépin said. “The first goal felt really great. I’ve been missing a lot of chances lately, and the points were there tonight. [On the second goal], honestly, I wasn’t aiming for the shot. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if it was all planned like that, but it went well.”

Stingers forward Anthony Beauregard continued his five-game points streak, with a goal and four assists. He pushed his season’s point total to 39 in just 16 games, leading U Sports in points.

The Stingers men’s hockey team’s will return from the break on the road on Jan. 5 against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes.

Exit mobile version