Tag: Corey Cup

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Hockey Sports

Old-time foes meet in 2024 Corey Cup

Alexander Katerinakis and Stingers hoist the Corey Cup in the 2022-2023 season. Photo credit: Concordia Athletics

The McGill Redbirds and the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey teams will meet on Jan. 31 for the 36th annual Corey Cup game.

Since 1988, the trophy has been given to the winner of one regular season game between McGill and Concordia. The games have been played on both Mcgill and Concordia’s campuses, as well as the historic Montreal Forum and Bell Centre. With the rivalry for what’s at stake, the excitement to win this game never seems to fade.

Looking back at the history of the event, McGill won 19 of the matchups while Concordia won 12. The Stingers hoisted the trophy in the past two Corey Cup matchups.

In 2024, there will be an additional layer of drama and competitiveness. Not only will the historic cup be up for grabs, but also a ticket to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s hockey playoffs.

As of Jan. 28, a slim four points separate first place in the OUA East division from fourth. It could be the difference between hosting a playoff series or playing on the road. The Redbirds currently sit in first place with a 18-5-2 record while the Stingers sit in fourth, four points behind the Redbirds at 16-7-2.

The Redbirds and Stingers are coming in as two of the hottest teams in the OUA East division. With eight wins in their last 10 games, McGill has sprung up four seeds into the top spot of the division since returning from the Christmas break. Winners of seven of their last 10 games, Concordia has made noise as well. They have maintained a top four position in the division all season, and are safely in the race for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It will be a dogfight to see which teams come out on top in the tightly-contested division.

This game will also be the rubber match of the season series between the two teams. The Stingers won their first regular season game of the year when they beat McGill on Oct. 5, while the Redbirds got their revenge with a 1-0 shutout of the Stingers on Nov. 23. It will be the only game this season where the two teams meet at Ed Meagher Arena, unless a potential playoff rematch is in the cards come February.

The 2024 edition of the Corey Cup game appears to have all the ingredients of a barn-burner. As the regular season winds down and the two rivals meet one final time, the atmosphere at Ed Meagher Arena should be electric.

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Sports

Corey Cup lives up to its hype in tight affair

The Stingers have won three out of four games against McGill this season. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Concordia took advantage of home crowd for 4-3 win over McGill

In front of a packed house at the Ed Meagher Arena, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team won the 32nd annual Corey Cup against the McGill Redmen. This victory makes it the Stingers’s second-straight Corey Cup win, having won 4-3 both this year and last.

“The guys were excited,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement about the Concordia-McGill rivalry. “It means a lot. With the stands packed like that it’s good for university hockey and it’s good for the city.”

The officials were quick to break up Zachary Zorn’s fight with Nicolas Poulin. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

This game had all the elements expected from a rivalry. The two teams combined for 18 penalty minutes, 14 coming in the second period. Midway through the second, McGill’s Nicolas Poulin went after Stingers forward Zachary Zorn after he delivered a huge hit. The players dropped their gloves for a fight, but were only given two minutes for roughing.

“It was cool [to see] and it kind of gets the boys going on the bench,” said rookie defenceman Bradley Lalonde. “We were proud of [Zorn] because he stood up for himself.”

Indiscipline also played a factor in this game. McGill’s opening goal late in the first period was scored on a power play, and gave them a 1-0 lead at the first intermission. After forward Charles-Éric Legaré tied the game early in the second, McGill retook the lead with another power-play goal after Zorn’s penalty.

Third-year forward Philippe Sanche scored his 12th of the season to tie the game 2-2 with eight seconds left in the second period, also on the power play. “[Sanche] has been playing amazing,” Élement said. “He’s a huge leader and that was an amazing goal.”

Charles-Éric Legaré scored at the beginning of the second and third periods. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Legaré scored his second of the game, and 11th of the season, early in the third period to give the Stingers a 3-2 lead. In eight regular-season games against McGill these past two years, Legaré has five goals and an assist, including a goal in last year’s Corey Cup. Élement said Legaré plays his best hockey against McGill because he enjoys the large crowds.

Stingers Captain Philippe Hudon played in his fifth and final Corey Cup, and it’s the third time he’s won it. He said he’s proud he’s been able to win the trophy in front of the home crowd two years in a row.

“It’s something that kind of rivals the Montreal [Canadiens]-Boston [Bruins] rivalry,” Hudon said. “Throughout the years, I’ve grown to not like McGill and really stick it to them every single game […] I’m happy a lot of people are coming because there should be more exposure to this kind of hockey.”

Midway through the third period, with the game tied 3-3, Hudon skated wide into McGill’s zone and dropped a pass for Hugo Roy. Roy blasted the puck past Louis-Philippe Guindon, igniting the crowd with the eventual game-winning goal. Hudon said he didn’t see the puck go in but heard the crowd’s roar, and celebrated like he scored a goal.

“It was a relief because it was such a back-and-forth hockey game,” Hudon said. “We were able to get the one-goal lead near the end, then bare down for the rest of the game.”

With the game tied three times, Lalonde said it helped to have the crowd behind them the whole game. “It’s a rivalry, so we know we’re never going to get behind no matter what happens, especially with the crowd into it,” Lalonde said.

With the win, the Stingers improve to 15-9-2 on the season and are in fifth place in the Ontario University Association (OUA) East with 32 points and two games left. McGill sits in fourth with 36 points, so the two teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs. McGill beat them in the OUA East final last year.

“This is what I live for; take ‘em on,” Hudon said. “If we play them this year, I’m giving it all I have.”

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Sports

Stingers mount late comeback to win Corey Cup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Main photo by Kirubel Mehari.

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Sports

Concordia loses Corey Cup in overtime

The Concordia Stingers were unable to hold off the number-four-ranked Redmen. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

Solid goaltending from Philippe Cadorette wasn’t enough for the win on Friday

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team was treated to a packed house at the Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 20 as they took on the McGill Redmen in the 30th annual Corey Cup. All game long, the team received impeccable goaltending from Philippe Cadorette, however, it wasn’t enough as the Stingers lost 2-1 in overtime.

“It’s not the outcome we wanted but it’s a big point for us,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “They have a good team and we have a good team so it was a good battle tonight.”

The last time these two teams met, the Redmen took home a 6-5 win after going up 4-0 in the first period. Friday night’s game was a complete turnaround from that game, as Cadorette stopped nine out of 10 shots in the first period.

The Stingers started the game aggressive and ran into penalty problems early. The first of those penalties was from forward Scott Oke who was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty for hitting a player from behind. Two minutes later, captain Olivier Hinse got called for slashing.

The team’s undisciplined play caught up to them at the end of the period, when Redmen forward Christophe Lalonde scored the first goal of the game after a penalty from Stingers defenceman Anthony Cortese.

“We’ve got to control our emotions, and that’s what happens when you’re too high,” Élement said. “I told the guys to not get too high or too low, and when you’re too high you go a little too hard with your stick and we got a lot of slashing penalties.”

In the second period, the Stingers were able to work their way back into the game. Just five minutes in, Stingers forward Matt Boudreau took the puck behind the Redmen net and sent it out in front to Oke who scored, putting the puck over the shoulder of Redmen goalie Jacob Gervais-Chouinard.

Oke’s goal tied the game at 1-1—a score that would stand until overtime.

The Stingers came into the game ranked ninth overall in U SPORTS.

“We started off slow but I think the goal gave us some momentum,” Oke said. “I just got open in front of the net and Boudreau fed me. It was a nice little chip in and it got us going a bit.”

For the rest of the game, neither team was able to score another goal, with both goaltenders battling each other to see who could make the most impressive saves.

Gervais-Chouinard and Cadorette exchanged game-saving saves, with both teams looking frustrated on offense. Cadorette faced 38 shots and stopped 36, while Gervais-Chouinard stopped 22 of 23.

The Stingers had multiple chances to score in the third period, but some forwards were unable to get shots off, as the Redmen defence kept getting in the way.

“There were a lot of bad bounces,” Hinse said. “We’ve just got to focus on our execution and, whenever we have a chance, we have to bury it.”

With the score tied at one after 60 minutes, the game went into overtime. Both teams had their fair share of chances, however, it was the Redmen who made them count. With just 12 seconds left in overtime, Redmen defenceman Nathan Chiarlitti found his way in behind the Stingers defence and slid the puck through the legs of Cadorette to win the game.

Of the 30 Corey Cup games that have been played, this was McGill’s 20th win.

The Stingers will now face the Université of Ottawa Gee-Gees Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.

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Sports

Redmen capture 2015 Corey Cup

Photo by Evgenia Choros

McGill completed the comeback and defeated the Stingers in double overtime

Every year the Concordia Stingers men’s team finishes off their season with the Corey Cup. The Corey Cup, named after Montreal Canadiens ex-owner Ronald Corey, is always a special night that brings out the best in both teams. This year’s battle brought more than 800 fans to Ed Meagher Arena to cheer on their squad against our cross-town rivals, the McGill Redmen.

The first period was an intense battle of physicality as both teams played hard to get the advantage and score the opening goal. The Redman were looking to seal first place in their division with a win.

The visiting team didn’t get off to a good start, getting into penalty trouble when forward Benoit Lévesque was called for a dangerous hit into the boards and was assessed a two-minute penalty for boarding. Ready to explode, the packed house erupted when Stingers forward Scott Oke took the puck up ice and fired a great shot that fooled Redman goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard.

With the 1-0 lead, Concordia was off to the perfect start. McGill pushed after that to try and get the equalizer, but Stingers netminder Robin Billingham was playing inspired hockey, stopping every shot he faced.

Later on in the period McGill got into some more penalty trouble when Pietro Antonelli got called for goalie interference after running into Billingham. Once again, the Stingers power play unit capitalized when Oke knotted his second goal of the game to hand Concordia a 2-0 lead with five minutes left in the first period. The period would end on that score and the Stingers were on their way to celebrating a Corey Cup victory.

The second period didn’t get off to a good start for Concordia. Defenseman Sean Blunden was given a penalty for slashing on the last play of the first and the Stingers started the second with a disadvantage. McGill quickly cut the lead to one as Jonathan Bonneau received a great feed from Etienne Boutet and found the back of the net. All of a sudden, the crowd got a little more anxious as the Redmen were back in the game.

The Stingers tried to regain their two-goal lead but their undisciplined play continued to hurt them. Forward Domenic Beauchemin got called for holding and the power play scoring continued. McGill got the game level at two when Patrick Delisle-Houde received a pass from Jonathan Brunelle and fired a great shot that flew past Billingham into the back of the net. The game wasn’t tied for long once Beauchemin got out of the box. The Stingers forward quickly redeemed himself and put his team back in the lead and fired a wrist shot that once again surprised Chouinard to regain the lead. The second period ended on 3-2 for Concordia, but the back-and-forth pace set up an exciting third.

Going into the final period the game plan was simple for Concordia: hold McGill off for 20 more minutes and the Corey Cup would be theirs. Unfortunately for everyone’s nerves, the match came down to the last 20 seconds. McGill was pressing in the offensive zone and finally Samuel Labrecque took a shot that squeaked through Billingham to tie the game at 3. The Corey Cup would be going into overtime, and both teams knew only one more goal would decide the victor.

An intense period of extra time proceeded but to no avail. Neither team could solve the opposing goaltender and the game went into double overtime. It didn’t take long as both teams were clearly exhausted and one minute into the double overtime period Labreque once again was the savior for McGill as he took another shot that snuck in past Billingham for the 4-3 win, sealing the Corey Cup for McGill.

After the game, Stingers head coach Kevin Figsby had mixed feelings about the game.

“I thought it was going to come down to one goal, it’s just too bad we led until 21 seconds left in the game,” said Figsby. “They are a very experienced team, we are a young team. I feel we made some mistakes but all in all I was proud with the effort, especially on the power play that got us two goal”.

“We came in ready and confident, and we wanted to win this game. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and now we play them in the playoffs and this game was a stepping stone,” said Stingers Forward Oke.

The Stingers now head into the postseason seeking vengeance for Friday’s home loss. Their next matchup is against the Redman on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The two rivals will begin a best-of-three series at McConnell Arena, before playing game two at Ed Meagher Arena on Friday, Feb. 13

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