Tag: football

Categories
Sports

Stingers drop eleventh in a row

Crossing a black cat? Walking under a ladder? Breaking a mirror? Who knows what the Stingers women’s hockey team did, but the bad luck continued for the team, which lost its eleventh straight game last Sunday.

With the 3-0 shutout to Carleton, Concordia remains last in the RSEQ and the team is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

“That was just a disappointing effort,” said Coach Les Lawton. “I thought we went through the motions a little bit, it was very disappointing considering the goaltending that we usually get. The goals they scored, I thought, were goals that could have been stopped and we didn’t capitalize on our chances. I’m not pleased with the way we played.”

The first period started with a lot of back-and-forth play with each team trading chances.

Concordia found some energy at the ten-minute mark, applying pressure on Ravens goaltender Tamber Tisdale. The Stingers created second and third chances around the net, but were unable to get a shot past her. Despite good chances from both teams, both goaltenders stopped the shots directed at them, keeping it 0-0.

Carleton opened the scoring early in the second, only four minutes in as Ravens forward Kristen MacDonald made it 1-0.

Concordia forward Emilie Bocchia had a good chance to even up the score as she was alone to face Tisdale, but Carleton’s goaltender made the save. Inspired by the save their netminder made, the Ravens scored another goal a minute later, as defence Kelsey Vander Veen made it 2-0.

Carleton’s forward Sadie Wegner was the one who made it 3-0 with five minutes to go in the second period after Concordia missed a great chance to pull within a goal.

“It was a two-nothing game and we had a beautiful three-on-one play that we moved the puck properly and we hit the goal post and a few moments later they put it in the back of our net, that was the turning point,” said Lawton.

The Ravens were on a mission in the third as they blocked shots and cleared the rebounds from the crease, protecting their goaltender’s shutout.

Carleton’s defenceman Kelsey Vander Veen was called to the box for hooking, giving a chance for Concordia to come back in the game. Even though the team had some good chances, they couldn’t capitalize on them as Tisdale made sure the back of her net remained untouched.

“I was really happy with the way our team competed today,” said Ravens head coach Shelley Coolidge. “We did a really good job on our forecheck, creating chances early on in the first and that seemed to get the ball rolling for us. Our goaltender played well, our defence did a good job eliminating second chances, I really was happy [with] the way we played in all zones.”

Concordia’s team can’t say the same about its play and will soon be watching the playoffs rather than participating in them.

 

Concordia’s final home game is at 7:30 p.m. this Friday against the Ottawa Gee Gees, before playing its final game of the season Sunday at 2 p.m. against McGill at McConnell Arena. 

Categories
Sports

Stingers left to reflect on what could have been

Captain Eric Bégin has played his last game in a Stingers uniform. Photo by Navneet Pall
Captain Eric Bégin has played his last game in a Stingers uniform. Photo by Navneet Pall

An exciting season came to its heartbreaking conclusion on Saturday afternoon for the Stingers men’s hockey team, who will be watching the CIS post-season.

Facing the Carleton Ravens, and needing a single point coupled with a Queen’s loss, the Stingers were blanked 7-0 by a Ravens team that had already locked up a playoff spot in the OUA East.

Though Queen’s lost on Saturday against Nipissing, they still held the tie-breaker over Concordia, which was goal differential in the two teams’ head-to-head match-ups. Concordia defeated Queen’s 6-1 earlier in the year, but a 9-2 loss was what inevitably gave Queen’s the final playoff berth.

Missing out in such a close fashion makes it easy to nitpick every goal or loss, but a few games stand out more than others for Stingers Coach Kevin Figsby.

“There’s probably three games this season I’d like to have back,” said Figsby, identifying a particularly frustrating December loss to Ottawa where the Stingers had their seemingly tying goal disallowed. “There were a few games this year where I thought the players didn’t compete as hard as they needed to and I told them going into those games that those are the types of games that bite you in the ass. And we got bit in the ass, and that’s the sign of a young team.”

Unlike the veteran teams it faced down the stretch, Concordia was stocked with first- and second-year players, many of whom felt the weight of the playoff
pressure.

“When you come into this league as a 20-year-old, you’re facing guys [who have been in the league for five years], that have been where you are, so there is a learning curve there,” said Figsby.

He is also trying to not get frustrated by the fact that Concordia would have qualified, quite easily, for the playoffs if they were in the OUA West. He does think, though, that it is time for the OUA to look at making some changes to the present system that was created when the landscape of OUA hockey was much different.

“The part that’s frustrating is to see how balanced the league has become, and see no changes to allow for the balance,” said Figsby. “The structure was created [to allow for weaker teams to compete], but we’re well past that.”

The end of a season for any team, especially at the collegiate level, often means saying goodbye to some familiar faces. For Figsby, missing the playoffs is as much disappointing from a personal level as a competitive level.

“The disappointing part is that we’re not going to be together everyday,” he said. “It’s the most disappointing because you come in and there’s a group of guys that are committed to each other and when the season ends you know some guys aren’t coming back and you’re not going to see them.”

If Concordia can keep the core of its team together, it will be a dangerous squad next year, especially if it can improve defensively and the three rookie goalies develop after playing a full season.

Figsby did mention, though, that a few players are in talks with professional clubs, primarily in Europe, but would not release the players’ names at this stage of negotiations.

It will undoubtedly be a long off-season for Concordia, but if Figsby can land some of the recruits he has his eyes on, and the team keeps its core together, McGill may not be the only team in this city with championship expectations.

Categories
Sports

Stingers introduce newest members to the hive

Stingers alumni in the CFL are helping with Concordia’s recruitment difficulties. Photo by Julian Mei

Stingers stars, past and present, were in attendance last Friday afternoon as football coach Gerry McGrath introduced a group of young men he hopes will lead Concordia in the future.

Stingers alumni in the CFL are helping with Concordia’s recruitment difficulties. Photo by Julian Mei

Liam Mahoney of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (pictured on the right), and Cory Watson  of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (left), among other former Stingers now in the CFL were on hand to welcome the 18 newest recruits to the Concordia Stingers football program at a luncheon at the Perform Centre.

The recruits certainly have a local flavour to them; 17 of the 18 have experience playing in the CÉGEP system.

Coach McGrath believes that players coming out of CÉGEP can be more valuable than out-of-province recruits, as often times the players are ready to step into important roles immediately.

“The best players in Quebec are in the CÉGEP system,” said McGrath. “[Players from Ontario] are usually a year or two behind. You expect a kid from Ontario to have an important role in his third year, but the CÉGEP kids can come in right away.”

While the atmosphere around the event was optimistic and upbeat, McGrath did speak about some of the difficulties Concordia faces in the recruitment process, further explaining his comments from last year about the unfair financial advantage Laval has.

“We can compete, but there are obstacles that make it difficult,” he said. “As I look at my five losses from last year, two of them are to Laval and a third in the playoffs. What I’d like to see is everyone in the country have a minimum and a maximum [budget] so that every team at the top of their cycle [of players] has a chance to win a national championship. I think every great league has that type of [balance]. I think it’s important that the CIS gets to that point.”

As it presently stands, Laval gets private funding from a corporation whereas the Stingers rely solely on funding from Concordia.

Finances isn’t the only uphill battle McGrath and his staff face when recruiting. Language and the program’s reputation are also factors in the decision of recruits. McGrath, though, thinks Concordia does have some advantages over schools such as Laval and Sherbrooke.

“Well first of all [a team] can only dress 48 players, so you have to ask yourself [as a recruit going to a premier program] are you going to be one of those 48?” he said. “Second of all, the school plays a large role in it. Finishing school and being bilingual is a great asset for any young man.”

While Concordia has had success producing great individual talents, such as the CFL players on hand, and most recently Max Caron, winner of the defensive player of the year award, the school is hoping to take the next step: competing for national championships.

“We send as many people to the pros as any school,” said McGrath. “We now need to get to the point where we develop 40 or 50 great players so we can have the depth that Laval or Montréal has.”

A full list of the recruits can be found on the Stingers’ website.

Categories
Sports

Laval eliminates Stingers

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

The Laval Rouge et Or will head to the provincial finals after dismantling the Concordia Stingers 33-7 in Sainte-Foy on Saturday. Laval will host the Montréal Carabins this coming Saturday for the Dunsmore Cup, while the Stingers will be left to reflect on their season.

“I don’t think that our players played poorly,” said Concordia coach Gerry McGrath. “I think we’re a young team and our players were just overwhelmed from playing in an atmosphere like that. They go from playing in front of 1,000 people every week to 12,000 [at Laval].”

The Rouge et Or got it going early as quarterback Bruno Prud’homme completed passes of 22 and 33 yards to receiver Seydou Junior Haidara, setting up a 34-yard field goal by Boris Bede.

After a two-and-out from Concordia, Laval quickly marched down the field with a seven-play, 74-yard drive in less than four minutes, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Prud’homme to Guillaume Rioux.

Laval added two more field goals and a team safety before the end of the first quarter, to take a 18-0 lead. After the first, Concordia only had three yards of offence. Playing Laval is hard enough and being down 18 after one quarter is mission impossible.

To make matters worse, the Rouge et Or didn’t slow down in the second. On their first possession of the quarter, Prud’homme found Adam Thibault on a 63-yard pass to get inside the Stingers’ five-yard line. Sebastien Levesque finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 25-0. Laval added a field goal in the last minute of the half to go into the break up 28-0.

Laval tacked on five points in the third quarter after a 41-yard Bede field goal and a team safety. Bede was five-for-five on field goals. Up 33-0, Laval pulled its starters, and began resting up for their showdown against the Carabins.

The high point for Concordia was breaking Laval’s shutout in the final minute of the game. Kris Robertson returned a punt 59 yards to the Laval 11-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Reid Quest found Matt Scheurwater for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left. That was hardly any consolation, though, after a difficult afternoon.

“It was a tough loss,” said Robertson. “It just came down to execution. We didn’t execute on everything we should have. Laval is a good team and you need to have a perfect game to beat them. We just didn’t have a perfect game.”

Quest finished the game 20-of-31 with 237 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Many of Concordia’s yards came when the game was out of reach. Credit has to go to Laval, though, as they have been the perennial powerhouse of Quebec for the last decade.

“That’s a great team,” said McGrath. “I think as our team matures and grows, we’ll be able to compete with them. I know we’ll be better. I know the season just ended, but I already can’t wait for next year.”

 

Categories
Sports

Offensive outburst thrusts Stingers into playoffs

On the day when the Stingers needed their A-game the most, it was there. 

Needing a win, or a Bishop’s loss to Laval, Concordia left nothing to chance last Saturday at Molson Stadium, rolling over the McGill Redmen 58-30, and securing themselves a spot in the playoffs. In clinching the game, Concordia also won its ninth-straight Shaughnessy Cup match. The annual football showdown between Concordia and McGill has been taking place since 1969.

The Stingers were given a good fight by the Redmen in the first half, as they led by only three points heading into the second half, but 28 unanswered points in the third quarter sealed it for Concordia.

Concordia is now heading into the RSEQ playoffs as the fourth seed. They’ll travel to Quebec City next week to take on the Laval Rouge et Or.

Laval has already beaten Concordia twice this season, 36-8 and 37-4 in the two meetings. Both games were tough losses where the Stingers failed to score a touchdown in either meetings.

“The first time I think we played them really tough,” said Stingers coach Gerry McGrath. “The second game was our only bad game of the year. We just played terribly up there, and we’ve got a lot of work to do this week to prepare.”

As for the win over McGill, things started quickly for Concordia thanks to strong play on special teams from Kris Robertson.

The halfback has been impressive all season, and after a two-and-out from McGill on the opening drive, Robertson returned a punt 45 yards to the Redmen’s 35.

Raul Thompson scored on the very next play on a 35-yard run for the score. The Stingers and Redmen battled in the first half, with McGill looking to avoid a winless season.

McGill’s Austin Anderson kicked a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half to cut the score to 20-17.

The Redmen had no answer for Concordia in the second half, as the Stingers moved the ball methodically with a short passing game. Concordia started the onslaught with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Sanchez Deschamps. On the next drive, they got the score quickly with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Michael Donnelly who caught the short screen pass and rumbled his way through and around the McGill defence to the end zone.

On McGill’s ensuing drive, linebacker Max Caron intercepted a pass in the red zone to stop the Redmen’s threat. Concordia turned that into more points, as Reid Quest found Kris Bastien for a 40-yard touchdown pass. On the ensuing kickoff, McGill fumbled, giving the Stingers the ball at the McGill 25-yard line. Once again, Concordia capitalized as Quest hit Edem Nyamadi for a five-yard touchdown pass. Quest finished the game with 23 completions on 31 attempts, with 356 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Caron made history in the second half, by breaking the RSEQ single season record for tackles, finishing the season with 78.5. In addition to that, he got his fifth interception of the season in the fourth quarter, and returned it 96 yards for the score.

Caron’s two interceptions brought his season total to five. He finished the season leading the CIS in tackles, solo tackles (67) and interceptions, making him the hands-on favourite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

“I just try to come out strong every week,” said Caron. “I’m blessed to have such a great unit around me. I’m fortunate enough to make the plays I did, but the guys around me have been a tremendous help.”

McGrath agrees that Caron deserves the award, but not just for his numbers. “He’s just had a phenomenal year, but what doesn’t show up on his stat sheet is how great of a leader he is.”

McGill added some points late when the game was out of hand, blocking a punt for a score and a late touchdown pass by Ryne Bondy to Michael Chitayat. Bondy broke the school’s single game record for pass attempts with 65.

Now Concordia will look for the huge upset on the road this Saturday. The odds are stacked against them. Laval may beat Concordia nine times out of 10, but all it takes is one win in football.

 

Concordia takes on Laval in Quebec City on Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. in the RSEQ semi-finals.

 

Categories
Sports

Stingers trounced 36-1 by Carabins in final home game

Kris Robertson returns a punt as he’s chased down by Mathieu Labelle. Robertson returned 11 punts for 75 yards. Photo by Navneet Pall

The situation on Saturday afternoon was simple for the Concordia Stingers: win and you’re in.
Unfortunately for the Stingers, they squandered the opportunity to clinch the final RSEQ playoff berth, losing to the Université de Montréal Carabins 36-1.

Kris Robertson returns a punt as he’s chased down by Mathieu Labelle. Robertson returned 11 punts for 75 yards. Photo by Navneet Pall

Concordia would have also been guaranteed a playoff berth if McGill upset Bishop’s in their game. McGill, though, couldn’t hold on, and allowed Bishop’s to score a winning touchdown with just 23 seconds left in the game. Concordia and Bishop’s now have identical 3-5 records.
Despite the deadlock, Concordia’s circumstances are much more desirable heading in to next week.
The Stingers not only hold the tiebreaker over Bishop’s, but also get to face the winless McGill Redmen, while Bishop’s must play on the road against the nationally ranked Laval Rouge et Or, who crushed Bishop’s in the teams previous meeting.
Still, the Stingers are hoping to control their own destiny.
“I think [Bishop’s] have got one foot on the grave and one on the banana peel,” said Stingers head coach Gerry McGrath. “We definitely have an advantage on them, but we’re not going to leave it to Laval to eliminate them. We’re going to play our butts off next week.”
The Stingers are confident they can beat an inferior opponent like McGill. It has been games like Saturday’s, though, that demonstrate how far the Stingers are from competing with the big dogs in the perennially competitive RSEQ.
Saturday was a tale of missed opportunities and youthful mistakes that made it impossible for Concordia to compete against such admirable foes as the Carabins.
Max Caron intercepted a pass early in the first quarter inside Carabins territory, providing Concordia with a golden opportunity to put points on the board and gain some momentum early in the game.
Keegan Treloar would eventually miss a 32-yard field goal, one of his three misses on the day. Concordia came away with nothing and wasted chances became the recurring theme of the afternoon.
“This was a tough one to explain,” said Stingers quarterback Reid Quest. “The defence held up, the offence moved the ball, but we just couldn’t capitalize when we needed to.”
Shortly after the missed field goal, Montreal would drive 64 yards in just over two and half minutes, capping the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run by quarterback Alexandre Nadeau-Piuze.
Concordia was back inside enemy territory again early in the second quarter, and once again threw their opportunity into the wind.
With the ball on the Carabins 30-yard line quarterback, Reid Quest fumbled the snap. Concordia recovered the ball, but not before it was knocked, kicked and juggled 20 yards backwards to mid-field. The Stingers went from looking at a first-and-10 to a second-and-30. The drive ended with no points and plenty of frustration.
“That’s the million dollar question,” said Quest, when asked why the Stingers offence seemed to stall anytime they were in scoring position.
Trailing 12-1 late in the second quarter, a breakdown in coverage allowed Montreal to pull ahead further.
Nadeau-Piuze hooked up with a wide open Alexandre Fortier-Labonté for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Nadeau-Piuze finished with 299 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Despite the missed field goal, fumble and deep touchdown pass, coach McGrath believed the real turning point of the game was early in the third quarter when Montreal put together a 68-yard drive that finished with a field goal, putting the Stingers down 22-1.
“I think the touchdown before the half hurt, but I think their long drive [in the third quarter] was the biggest turning point,” he said. “You can get over [a miscommunication on defence], but for them to come out like that when we were rejuvenated after the half took some wind out of us.”
Montreal orchestrated another long drive later in the quarter, this time finishing in the endzone, extinguishing any flicker of hope Concordia may have had.
Concordia must now head back to the drawing board as they head up the mountain to face McGill next week in the biggest game of the season.
Coach McGrath confirmed that Quest will start behind centre for the Stingers next week. In his rookie season Quest has been inconsistent, though not terrible, as he has been able to hold his own in his first CIS season. Quest completed 22 of 41 passes, for 263 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions against Montreal.
Concordia won the last meeting against McGill 39-16 on Oct. 8.

Concordia plays at McGill on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

Exit mobile version