Tag: hockey

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Three’s company, four’s a crowd

Philippe Cadorette has been the team’s starter this year. Photos by Alexander Cole

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team now has a quartet of goalies with the addition of Marc-Antoine Turcotte

Coming into the 2016-2017 season, Concordia Stingers men’s hockey head coach Marc-André Élement brought in a plethora of fresh talent, including leading goal-scorer Anthony Deluca, forward Philippe Sanche, forward Anthony Beauregard and defenseman Mickaël Beauregard.

In addition, Élement brought in two new goaltenders to make the team more competitive on the back end. The first was Philippe Cadorette, who was an exceptional goaltender with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Cadorette had the league’s best save percentage in 2014 and made the all-star team that same year. The second of these goalies was Marc-Antoine Turcotte, who played for the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.

“We had the opportunity to improve at the goalie level. Now I’m not saying last year our goalies didn’t do the job. We didn’t have the same team,” Élement said. “We had the chance to bring in two goalies with a lot of QMJHL experience and it’s been an opportunity to let in less goals per game and right now we’re having success.”

When the season started, Cadorette quickly became the team’s number one goalie after two solid games against the Carleton Ravens. Turcotte, on the other hand, had to wait until the winter semester to suit up for the Stingers, as he was ineligible to play due to age restrictions.

Marc-Antoine Turcotte was added this fall, but only became eligible to play in January.

Turcotte got his first start with the team on Jan. 4 in a game against the Royal Military College of Canada. He turned aside 20 out of 21 shots in the match, with the team winning 7-1. Since then, Turcotte has been established as the backup goalie.

However, with Cadorette and Turcotte currently holding the number two top spots, the Stingers are in an interesting situation, as they now have four capable goalies on the roster. Miguel Sullivan, who is in his second year with the team, and Antoine Marchand, as well as Turcotte and Cadorette, are all competing with each other for the top spot on the team.

For Élement, the competition is healthy, as none of the goalies have been guaranteed the starting job. According to Élement, if the goalies want to be the starter, they have to earn it.

“It’s going to be big competition to get in the net,” Élement said. “When you have competition, you get better and this is why I like competition within the team. It’s a healthy competition and all of the guys work really hard. They’ve definitely given us a hard time to choose who’s going to play.”

According to Cadorette, having three other goalies to compete with has helped him improve his game this season.

“It’s been good competition because we all want to be the best,” Cadorette said. “Competition makes you better, and there’s plenty of that here.”

Sullivan, who was the starting goaltender at the end of last season, said battling for the net is nothing new, and that it’s a situation every goaltender faces no matter where they play.

“I can’t speak for the other guys, but I haven’t changed the way I play,” Sullivan said. “I still come to the rink and focus on what I have to do. I’m trying to improve everyday.”

“We all know that we can’t afford to take a day off because we’re all ready to play,” added Marchand.

While all four goalies are in intense competition with each other, according to Turcotte and Sullivan, the competition has remained friendly throughout the season.

“It’s been a lot of fun this year. In practice, we play off each other, we kind of joke about it all and the four of us all have good chemistry together, so there’s never been any issues between any of us,” Marchand said.

“I would definitely say it’s a healthy relationship between all of us for now,” Turcotte said.

Miguel Sullivan has been with the team since last season and has played two playoff games.

Before the season started, Cadorette and Sullivan were the top two goalies on the team. With the addition of Turcotte, Sullivan is now the third string goalie and Marchand is the fourth.

Despite his status as a fourth string goalie, Marchand, a fourth-year veteran, has taken his role in stride and been a role model for the younger goalies, according to Élement.

“Being in my fourth year, there is obviously a responsibility on my end to be a leader and to help the team out as much as I can in any role that I’m given, and my mindset is to get better on my own and help us all get better,” Marchand said. “Cadorette and Turcotte have come to me for help in terms of guiding them through the university process, and I’m more than happy to help since I’ve done it before.”

Marchand added that, despite not playing this year, he and the other goalies on the team feel they all get a fair shot in practice. He said, no matter what, he has been put in a position where he feels ready to play if anybody goes down.

With Marchand leaving the team at the end of the season, Élement addressed whether or not he will be looking for a fourth goalie to replace him.

“We’re going to stick to three goalies for now,” Élement said. “I’m happy with how they’ve all played and they’ve definitely met our expectations.”

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The most fun you’ll have in your life

Quitting hockey was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Photos by Lorraine Du Cap.

Why organized sports are one of the most fulfilling experiences in the world

Walking into a crowded hockey dressing room for the first time at the age of 10 was probably one of the most intimidating moments of my life. For two years prior, I had been begging my mom and dad to sign me up for hockey, but every time I asked I was be told “no” because I hadn’t even learned how to skate yet.

With aspirations of being a goalie, it was essential that I knew what I was doing once I strapped on my skates. I had played goalie enough in street hockey to think I’d be the next Patrick Roy. It’s why I needed my parents to sign me up. However, I was nowhere near that talented and my parents were right.

I went on the ice for the first time with gear my parents had bought for me at Canadian Tire, and it was my first time ever skating. As soon as my shining silver blades hit the ice, I fell face first, with the metal bars of my goalie mask hitting the ice. Of course, like any 10-year-old who has just felt a sudden wave of embarrassment, I started to cry. But I picked myself up and made it through the session.

After the practice, on the drive home from the arena, almost in unison, my mom and dad asked me if I “still wanted to play.” I had begged to play for too long to tell them no and, quite frankly, my decision to keep playing hockey was one of the best decisions of my life.

Organized sports are a weird animal. On the one hand, you have the kids who aren’t that talented but who play for fun, and on the other, you have the ultra-talented kids whose parents have enrolled them in every single training camp imaginable. Those are the kids who are dedicated to making the NHL, the NBA or the NFL. I, however, just wanted to play for fun.

No matter what type of player you are, organized sports are a great way to spend your childhood. As a shy kid who didn’t have many friends when I started playing hockey, (yes, sad I know), playing sports was a great way for me to meet new people. Some of my best friends are people I met through hockey or people I already knew but bonded with because we were on the same team.

Playing organized sports also gave me the confidence to do things I never thought I could. It gave me an outlet to be passionate about something. Allowing myself to be passionate about something without feeling judged is a big reason why I’m here doing what I’m doing today.

Now it may seem tacky or cliché, but the best part about playing organized sports is the memories. Be it waking up at 5 a.m. for 6 a.m. practices in the dead of winter or driving to Kanata, Ont. every year for tournaments, some of the best days of my life have been spent in an icy arena.

Playing sports has given me an appreciation for why sports fans are so crazy.

The wins, the losses—they all meant something to me when I played. My goal was to never become a professional, but being competitive and dedicating myself to something was easily one of the coolest things I’ve had the chance to do.

A couple of years ago, I had to quit because of school and other commitments. But I still think about playing almost every day. It’s something I miss and an opportunity I’d recommend to anybody.

It’s funny, because people always ask me why people care about sports so much. It’s definitely a hard question to answer, but I think it becomes easier once you’ve actually played a sport. Whether it’s the camaraderie, the feeling you get after a big win or just the sense of belonging and purpose, sports bring people together. They’re fun. Nothing more, nothing less—and I think that’s all you really need to know.

While most of you reading this are probably past your teenage years, it isn’t too late to get involved in organized sports. Beer leagues, office leagues and adult leagues can be found for pretty much every sport out there. Even if you’ve never tried the sport you want to play, these adult leagues are filled with novices and former high-level players who just want to have a little fun. A great resource is clubmontreal.ca, which gives a list of leagues that cover a variety of sports that you can join.

You don’t have to be a kid to reap the benefits of organized sports and that’s what’s great about them. As sports fans, we all have dreams of scoring a game-winning goal or making the last save in a shootout. These are moments we think we have to be professionals to experience, but that isn’t true. All you need is some friends, a great sport and the toughness to keep pushing yourself when things don’t go the way you want them to at first.

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Stingers lose after Carabins comeback

The Concordia Stingers were up 2-0 at one point in the game. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

Concordia’s women’s hockey team gave up a two-goal lead to UdeM on Sunday

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team lost 4-2 to the Université de Montréal Carabins on Sunday. The Stingers started the game strong, but surrendered four unanswered goals in the loss.

The Stingers played their best in the first period, outshooting the Carabins 13-5 and notching the game’s first goal. Ten minutes into the the first period, Stingers forward Audrey Belzile one-timed a pass from forward Stephanie Lalancette past the blocker of Carabins goalie Marie-Pier Chabot.

Early in the second period, Stingers forward Alexandria D’Onofrio provided the game’s second goal, deking past a Carabins defender and scoring on a breakaway to give the home team a two-goal lead.

However, the Stingers struggled from that point on, as the Carabins prevented them from establishing consistent offensive zone pressure for the rest of the game.

“As a whole unit, we didn’t do a great job in the second and third period,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “We had a really strong first period, we came out with a lot of energy, and in the second and third we got outworked.”

Carabins forward Valérie Drouin scored for Montréal in the second period, tipping the puck past Concordia goalie Katherine Purchase to make the score 2-1.

Purchase, playing in her 12th game of the year, allowed four goals on 31 shots for the Stingers. Despite the loss, Purchase has been improving from her poor start to the season.

“We left Kat out to hang on a couple of breakaways,” Chu said. “We’ve got to be better as a whole unit. It doesn’t lie on just one player.”

The Carabins continued to press the Stingers in the third period, frequently preventing the Stingers from breaking out of their own zone. As Chu explained, the team’s defensive struggles mainly had to do with consistency.

“A lot of it is just effort,” Chu said. “Taking care of the puck, and making sure that we have opportunities to have smart chips in places where we can get the puck [out of our zone] or relieve some pressure to get back to our forecheck.”

Carabins forward Rika Pilon-Robert scored three and a half minutes into the third period, trickling a shot past the glove of Purchase, tying the game. Five minutes later, Carabins forward Jessica Cormier gave her team the lead, shooting and scoring on a two-on-one rush.

Carabins forward Annie Germain finished off the game with six minutes left in the period, capitalizing on a breakaway chance, giving Montréal their final 4-2 lead.

While coach Chu isn’t panicking about her team’s place in the standings, she said she and her staff must emphasize that everybody needs to play 60 minutes of solid hockey.

“If the score ends up in a loss, then at least we can hang our hats on the fact that we put the effort there,” Chu said. “Tonight, we didn’t work hard enough to deserve anything better than what we got.”

The Stingers now have a 5-7-1 record, and will play again on Jan. 21 against McGill.

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Guide to the Stingers winter 2017 season

The Stingers have won five straight games thanks to their win on Friday. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

A look at the second half of Concordia’s hockey and basketball seasons

A new year is upon us which means a full year of Concordia Stingers sports is on the horizon. During the winter season, two sports stand out at Concordia: hockey and basketball. While our hockey and basketball teams are nearly halfway through their seasons, here is a preview of what you can expect from these teams in the first half of 2017.

Women’s Hockey

After the first 11 games of the season, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team is currently sitting at a record of 4-6-1. The team’s slow start can be attributed to the fact the team has had trouble finding the back of the net.

The Stingers scored 30 goals in 11 games and allowed 30, which is unsustainable if they want to win more games. In the Réseau du sports étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) division, the Stingers are ranked fourth out of five teams in goals for and third in goals against.

The Stingers have also had trouble in net as both goaltenders, Briar Bache and Katherine Purchase, have save percentages below 90 per cent, which is typically the standard where goalies should be. Purchase, who is the team’s primary goalie, has a goals against average of 2.77, while Bache has a goals against average of 2.62.

The Stingers, who are currently holding on to the last playoff spot in their division, will need to pick up their play as two of the league’s top teams—the Université de Montréal Carabins and the McGill Martlets—are in their division.

Men’s Hockey

The Stingers men’s hockey team, on the other hand, is off to one of their best starts in years, as the team boasts an 14-5 record through 19 games this season. Thanks to great goaltending from rookie Philippe Cadorette and timely offensive production from captain Olivier Hinse and rookie forward Anthony Deluca, the Stingers have been one of the most impressive teams in the east division this year.

The Stingers men’s hockey team is off to a successful start this season. Photo by Alexander Cole.

In a division with powerhouses like the Queen’s Golden Gaels, the McGill Redmen and the Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes, the Stingers have proved themselves to be a formidable foe and currently sit in third place out of ten teams in the division.

Cadorette, who played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last year, has posted a 2.60 goals against average and a save percentage of 91.6 per cent. He has been in goal for 11 of the team’s 14 wins this season and, since goaltending was an issue last season, his play has made a big difference.

Meanwhile, Hinse has 17 goals and nine assists while Deluca has 16 goals and 12 assists.

If the Stingers keep up their play in the second half of the season, the team will be poised to make a long playoff run.

Women’s Basketball

The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team was off to a slow start this season, with a record of 2-4 after five games. However, the Stingers are nowhere close to being out of the playoff race, as they are tied for third in the division with McGill who also has a record of 2-4.

The women’s basketball team is poised for a strong second half of the season. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

The team is currently ranked 37th out of 50 teams in U Sports in points per game with 58.7. The Stingers have also struggled in terms of shooting percentage. Their field goal percentage is at 33 per cent, which puts them in 43rd place in the league.

While the team has struggled, the array of veterans and talented players could prove to make a difference in the second half of the season.

Guard Richelle Grégoire is a player to watch as she leads the team in points per game with 16.5. Grégoire has been a force with the Stingers over the last five years and her presence could be a huge factor in the team’s turnaround.

Also, look for fifth-year guards Tamara Pinard-Devos and Marilyse Roy-Viau to make an impact as well in the final stretch of the season, as their veteran presence could provide the team with some leadership down the stretch.

Men’s Basketball

Led by head coach Rastko Popovic, the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team is currently tied for fourth in the RSEQ division. They have a record of 3-3 and are tied with the UQAM Citadins  who also hase a 3-3 record. Laval and McGill are atop the stadings as each have a record of  4-2.

The men’s basketball team is one of the best in the RSEQ division. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

The team is ranked 44th out of 49 in the league in terms of points per game with 68.2. Where the team has really thrived is on defence. The team is ranked second in the league in steals with 11 per game. They have also allowed an average of 72.3 points per game which puts them 10th in the league in that category.

Fourth-year guard Ken Beaulieu has led the team this season with 11.6 points per game and has received support from players like rookie forward Olivier Simon, guard Nicholas Noble, guard Henderson Charles and point guard Ricardo Monge.

If the team’s best players continue to up their offensive production while remaining tight on defence, the Stingers will remain a force to be reckoned with in the later half of the season.

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An icy part of our culture

Outdoor rinks can be enjoyed by anyone and are a great way to learn how to play hockey. Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni

Exploring the joys of outdoor rinks in the winter time

Nothing says Canada like skating on a well-made outdoor hockey rink in bone-chilling temperatures for countless hours. Outdoor rinks are a symbol of Canadian culture and are deeply embedded within Canadian heritage. They have been a staple from generation to generation, and only a Canadian winter without freezing temperatures could cease their existence.

From coast to coast, the young and the old fill up the local outdoor rinks and play never-ending shinny games. Most pick-up games start off the same way: when there are too many players shooting pucks on their own, somebody says, “Sticks in the middle!” Everybody tosses their lumber at centre ice and waits for someone to throw the sticks to each side to make the teams.

It’s a simple process that can get complicated when two friends end up on different sides but want to play with each other. Or, when one side has all the stronger players and the game becomes a one-sided affair. But that’s what makes these games fun and unique—there is no organization to them, nobody is keeping score and everybody simply plays the sport they love.

When games on outdoor rinks get crowded, players learn how to play with limited space. Having to go through 10 players to score a goal is a lot tougher than going through the standard five players. Since long-range shots are usually not allowed in outdoor hockey games, passing is a must, and nobody likes a puck hog. I don’t think Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby learned how to dance through five opponents before dishing off crisp passes just by playing indoors.

Playing organized hockey can get competitive, political and expensive for parents, but when you take it outdoors, anybody can play, no questions asked, as long as they have skates and a stick. More often than not, a player could learn a lot more on the outdoor rink with random teammates than they will ever learn indoors with a trainer.

Speaking from personal experience, I learned how to properly take a slapshot, shoot tight-angle shots and skate backwards on an outdoor rink. I even learned how to keep my head up on an outdoor rink, not because I was afraid to get rocked with a hit, but because I loved the fresh air in my face. Not to mention, most outdoor rinks produce beautiful vistas, especially when the sun is setting. That’s definitely something worth keeping your head up for.

These outdoor rinks are representative of Canadian culture too. For some, the thought of winter with its snow, frigid temperatures and short days is terrifying. But for hockey players, it means outdoor hockey. As Canadians, we have found a way to turn dreadful winters into an exciting pastime. Not many countries can say the same.

The NHL has tried to monopolize our heritage with the Winter Classic and a dozen other outdoor games. The league tries to promote them by saying they are going back to their roots, but I never knew of an outdoor game with referees, a Zamboni and a perfect sheet of ice. No, nothing beats the Canadian-style free-for-all outdoor game. Nobody will understand what it’s like to play hockey at its roots until they play a true outdoor shinny game.

Not only is a day at the outdoor rink enjoyable, it’s also a social hub. When you go to the outdoor rink, you may already know most people there, but if not, by the end of the day, you’ve become friends. You even become friends with people who support different hockey teams. Yes, even that player with the Boston Bruins jersey on.

I guess it’s the Canadian in us that makes us so nice to each other on the ice. When two players accidentally bump into each other, you know a sorry is coming from each of them. When somebody gets hurt, everybody stops to make sure they’re okay. Only once has someone got mad at me on the ice, and that was because I was a kid taking high shots with a bunch of teenagers around. I learned my lesson not to take high shots that day, and every Canadian kid learns that all-important outdoor hockey lesson one day too.

Compared to the rather warm winter last year that offered limited time for outdoor rinks, this winter has been a friendly one for ice makers. Young kids had the opportunity to go to outdoor rinks for most of the holiday break to play a bit of hockey with their family or friends. But outdoor rinks transcend more than just excited kids waiting to shoot pucks for hours on end—they offer an escape for us university students.

Getting out on an outdoor rink is a great escape for students with busy work and school schedules. It brings back childhood memories and we forget about everything for a bit. Nothing beats playing hockey while freezing your extremities before having to write a 1500-word essay.

This semester, whenever you feel stressed about school, put everything aside and go to the outdoor rink. There’s no better feeling in the world.

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Stingers come from behind against Toronto

The Concordia Stingers were down 3-0 after the first period but found a way to win. Photos by Ana Hernandez.

Concordia’s men’s hockey team mounted a comeback after being down by three goals

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team came from behind to defeat the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 4-3 on Jan. 6. The Stingers allowed three goals in the first period, but were able to rally back with four unanswered goals, improving their record to 13-5.

The Stingers started out the game with promise, dominating the play in the opening minutes. Concordia forward Anthony De Luca drew a high-sticking minor two and a half minutes into the first period.

The Stingers were unable to build any momentum with the man advantage, and only fell behind from there. The Varsity Blues scored on their own power play five minutes later, with forward Aidan Wallace tapping in the puck past Stingers goaltender Marc-Antoine Turcotte.

With eight and a half minutes to play in the first period, Varsity Blues forward Ryan Kirkup put Toronto up 2-0 with another tap-in from a behind-the-net pass from forward Matt Heffernan.

Turcotte, playing in only his second game for the Stingers, looked uncomfortable in net for the first period, allowing awkward rebounds on multiple shots.

“It was not his fault at all. We gave them too many good scoring chances,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement of Turcotte, who was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the first period.

“Sometimes you have no choice [but to change goalies],” Élement said. “It was just to spark the team. He’s going to bounce back.”

Philippe Cadorette, who served as starting goaltender for the Stingers in the first half of the season, came in relief of Turcotte, and stopped all eleven shots he faced over the next two periods.

“We just needed a little change, and Cadorette was ready,” said Stingers captain Olivier Hinse. “That’s what you need when you change goalies.”

Concordia started to make up lost ground in the second period. Midway through the period, the Stingers converted on one of their four power plays, with forward Philippe Sanche one-timing a pass from De Luca.

The game featured nine power plays, as the Stingers took five minor penalties. The Varsity Blues brought a physical edge to the matchup, sparking undisciplined play by both teams.

The Stingers will play the Ryerson Rams on Saturday night.

“We had to adjust a bit. We had to be more physical in the second and the third,” Élement said. “[Playing] physical doesn’t mean to be stupid, just to be in the play and involved.”

Stingers forward Charles-Éric Légaré scored shorthanded late in the period from a big individual effort, driving hard to the net and squeaking the puck past Toronto goaltender Andrew Hunt.

“We know we can come back. We know we have a strong offense, we believe in ourselves,” Hinse said. “From line one to four, anyone can score. We’re all going every night.”

Hinse himself scored two goals in the third period, both at even strength, to give his team the win over Toronto. In 2017, Hinse has six points in two games.

“I was anxious to start 2017 on the right foot. It’s my last year here,” Hinse said. “I’m kind of sad and excited at the same time.”

The Stingers play again at 7:30 p.m. at Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 7, hosting the Ryerson Rams, the second ranked collegiate team in Canada.

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Stingers defeat Team Denmark

Miguel Sullivan has been with the team since last season and has played two playoff games.

Despite a depleted squad, the Stingers found a way to win against a world junior team

It’s not everyday the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team gets to a play a national team that is set to compete in the World Junior Hockey Tournament—yet on Dec. 17 at the Ed Meagher arena, that’s exactly what happened.

The Stingers were approached by Team Denmark to play in an exhibition game as part of Denmark’s preparation for the world juniors. While the Stingers didn’t have much time to prepare for the game, they managed to come out on top with a 4-2 victory.

“We didn’t really have any preparation,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “We just went out and played hard. It’s always fun to play against a national hockey team.”

Despite the win, the Stingers came out sluggish in the first period, with Denmark showcasing their impressive speed. In the first few minutes of the period, the Stingers went back and forth with Denmark in terms of shots on net. By the halfway point in the period, the Stingers broke down and allowed Denmark to get better scoring chances.

Stingers goaltender Philippe Cadorette was solid in the first period, turning aside 12 of the 13 shots he faced. Cadorette made a couple of big glove saves as well, which earned some cheers from the Stingers crowd.

It wasn’t until there were 30 seconds left in the period that Cadorette allowed a goal. Denmark forward Alexander True got a breakaway and slid the puck past Cadorette’s glove to give Denmark a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.

“We all know they’re going to the world juniors and I think we started off being impressed and we weren’t skating with them,” said Stingers forward Anthony Deluca.

The second period was much better for the Stingers, as they started to play physically and increased their speed. The team was rewarded early with a goal by Stingers forward Antoine Masson, to tie the game at 1-1.

The Stingers are now off until Nov. 4 when they play RMC.

Deluca scored a few minutes later to make it 2-1 and then just a few minutes after that, Denmark forward Rasmus Andersson Thykjær tied the game at 2-2.

The Stingers then regained control of the game with goals by defenceman Chris Domsodi and Deluca, who finished the game with two goals.

“I try to bring the puck to the net as much as possible, and fortunately my teammates gave me the puck in good spots,” Deluca said. “We played a really good team game in the second and third and that benefitted my game as well.”

The third period was a quiet one, as neither team was able to add on to the score. Halfway through the second period, the Stingers switched goalies and put in Miguel Sullivan, who made key saves in order to preserve the team’s 4-2 lead.

For Élement, the last two periods were a reflection of the adjustments the team made after the first period.

“We were playing too aggressive and they were swinging by us, so we changed the way we played,” Élement said.

The Stingers are now on break until Jan. 4, where the team will take on the Royal Military College of Canada. Meanwhile, Team Denmark will play their first game of the world junior championships against Sweden on Dec. 26.

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Concordia Stingers hockey by the numbers

A mid-year look at how the men’s and women’s teams are doing from a statistical standpoint

With Concordia’s hockey teams set to take some time off for the winter break, it’s a perfect chance to take a statistical peak into how the school’s two teams have been performing this year.

The men’s team posted a 9-4-0 record through 13 games this season, while the women’s team has had a rougher time so far, playing to a 2-5-0 record in seven games. All statistics are up to date as of Nov. 24.

Men’s Team

Last year, the Stingers had no trouble putting the puck in the net. What the team lacked was consistent defense—the 2015-16 squad allowed almost four goals-against per game.

However, the Stingers have tightened up their game, improving in virtually every defensive category. In just 13 games, the Stingers have almost matched their win total from last season, thanks in part to solid team defence.

The Stingers were busy this summer, recruiting three high profile players to their roster, adding to their depth at the forward positions and addressing their defensive weaknesses.

Forward Philippe Sanche played four years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), scoring 200 points in 210 games before joining the Stingers, according to hockeydb.com. He was voted the hardest working player in the league in 2015 and has already had an offensive impact with the team.

Forward Anthony Deluca brings even more experience, having played professional hockey last year in the ECHL. Not only does Deluca lead the Stingers in scoring, but he ranks second in all of U Sports in goal scoring.

Still, it’s goaltender Philippe Cadorette who has had the greatest impact on the team’s success. Cadorette, has 209 games of experience in the QMJHL and has been able to provide the Stingers with the type of consistent goaltending the team lacked last year. He has stopped 322 of 352 shots this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At first glance, it would be safe to assume that the Stingers women’s hockey team has been struggling this season. However, a deeper look into their play reveals that there is room for optimism.

Shots-For-Percentage (SF%) is a statistic that measures how much a team controls the flow of play. The Stingers may have trouble elsewhere, but with coach Julie Chu at the helm, they have been outshooting their opponents more effectively than they have in years.

Where things have gone wrong for the women’s team is in net. The Stingers are dead last in save percentage in the entire country, and not by a small margin.

Starting goaltender Katherine Purchase and backup Briar Bache have combined for an 84.6 per cent save percentage this season, meaning the team has allowed 3.28 goals-against per game. For reference, the average save percentage in U Sports this year has been 91.2 per cent.

Despite her struggles, Purchase is poised to bounce back from her weak start. This season’s results included, she’s posted a 91.6 per cent save percentage in her three years in U Sports. She was also named Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) rookie of the year in 2014-15.

If Purchase is able to return to form and the team maintains their strong defensive play,  the Stingers could become one of the toughest teams to score against in the league.

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Stingers bounce back against Paladins

Miguel Sullivan has been with the team since last season and has played two playoff games.

The Concordia men’s hockey team defeated the Royal Military College of Canada after two straight losses

After losing to the Carleton Ravens 4-0 the night before, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team bounced back and defeated the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins 7-1 on Nov. 26 at the Ed Meagher Arena.

“The win was very important since we didn’t play well last night,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “I wanted the guys to be physical tonight and to execute the gameplan, and that showed on the scoreboard.”

The Stingers came out flying in the first period, out-shooting RMC 19-5. Despite the pressure, Paladins goaltender Austin Hannaford was a nuisance for the Stingers forwards, as he made save after save.

Five minutes into the opening period, the Stingers were able to solve Hannaford after a goal by forward Vincent Watt. The goal was Watt’s first of the season and his first with the Stingers.

“Getting my first goal of the season felt great especially since it was for my hometown team,” Watt said.

For the rest of the period, the Stingers kept up their high-tempo offence but were unable to convert. Halfway through the period, the Paladins tied the game at 1-1, after a goal squeaked by the arm of Stingers goaltender Miguel Sullivan.

Just a few minutes later, the Stingers took the lead back with a power play goal by captain Olivier Hinse, which put them up 2-1 going into the first intermission.

“Tonight we wanted guys to throw pucks on net and have a physical presence in front of the net,” Élement said when asked about his team’s offensive performance.

The Stingers kept up their dominance in the second period as they continued to generate shots on net. Just four minutes into the period, the Stingers increased their lead to 3-1 when forward Charles-Éric Légaré scored on a rebound.

The Stingers will now play against UOIT in their last game before Christmas.

Throughout the period, Hannaford continued to be the Paladins’ best player, as he stopped shot after shot. However, the Stingers proved to be too much for him to handle. With three and a half minutes left in the period, the Stingers went up 4-1, after forward Philippe Sanche sent a cross-crease pass to Hinse, who scored his second goal of the game.

Two minutes later, Hinse scored his third goal of the game for a hat-trick. The goal came on a five-on-three power play and put the Stingers up 5-1, which was the lead they took into the third period.

“Tonight the puck was just coming to my stick and all I had to do was put it in,” Hinse said. “My goal with Sanche was amazing. He did all the work and I just had to tap it in.”

In the third and final period, the Stingers weren’t as energetic as they were in the first two periods. However, they were still too quick for the Paladins. Seven minutes into the period, Stingers rookie Anthony Deluca scored to make it 6-1.

With just under three minutes left, Hinse put away his fourth goal of the game, which would be the team’s last of the night en-route to their 7-1 victory.

The Stingers will play their next game on Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. It will be their last game before the winter break.

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Empowering women through sports

hen Ouellette isn’t playing for Les Canadiennes, she is a skills coach for the Concordia Stingers. Photos by Yacine Bouhali.

Concordia Stingers skills coach, Caroline Ouellette, is inspiring young hockey players

Through hockey, Les Canadiennes de Montréal forward Caroline Ouellette hopes to empower young women by teaching them the lessons she has learned throughout her time playing the game.

Ouellette has been an integral part of the Canadian women’s national hockey team since 1999. The four-time Olympian has never lost in a final, winning gold in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. According to CBC Olympics, she is third all-time in games played for the national team.

As someone with deep ties to the hockey community, Ouellette said “it’s a responsibility for Olympians to give back.”

When Ouellette is not playing for Les Canadiennes de Montréal, she coaches the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team as a skills and development coach. She is also the owner of the Caroline Ouellette High Performance hockey camps, located in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

Her love for the game is what led her to start coaching and mentoring young women. She said she finds motivation through teaching girls to become confident and assertive—characteristics she feels will help them later in life.

“[When they] face the world, they will have the confidence to become anything they desire,” Ouellette said. “When I see young girls playing, it makes me so happy, because I’ve experienced the best moments through my sport.”

Ouellette said the lessons hockey has taught her prepared her for everything she has faced in life.

At age nine, Ouellette joined a boy’s hockey league because, at the time, it was not considered a sport for girls. “You played with the boys or you didn’t play at all,” she said.

After years of perseverance and competing against boys, she joined the women’s national team at 17.

Wanda Bedard, president of the 60 Million Girls Foundation—an organization Ouellette spoke at—said she found Ouellette’s story of gender discrimination to be an inspiring story of determination and strength.

Ouellette is currently working to close the gender gap in the sport she is so passionate about. Young boys are encouraged to play hockey, while young girls don’t get that same encouragement. According to Ouellette, one problem that arises with few all-girl teams is that teams have to travel farther in order to find opponents.

Ouellette loves to see young girls play hockey.

“If we offer more programs to try hockey, girls will know if they like it, and, if they do, then [the parents are] going to be convinced,” Ouellette said.

One of the ways Ouellette encourages young girls to try hockey is during events like the third annual Girls Hockey Celebration tournament, which is taking place between Dec. 15 and 18. The tournament is expected to host 50 to 60 all-girls teams. One of the workshops offered at the tournament allows girls to borrow full sets of of equipment for free and participate in a practice led by Ouellette and various female Olympians.

Ouellette said in collaboration with Hockey Canada and Hockey Quebec, more programs should be offered where girls can borrow equipment to test the sport out.

While Ouellette hopes to encourage more young girls to play hockey, she has another dream: a professional league where female athletes are paid to play.

A professional league “would give young girls a clear path of what they can aspire to, just like how young boys who play dream of the Stanley Cup,” Ouellette said.

While young boys can pursue their dreams of playing in the NHL, it isn’t the same case for girls. Although women’s hockey becomes prominent during the Olympic games, little attention is paid to it during the four-year gap in between, she said.

According to Ouellette, in order for women to get paid to play, there must be sponsors and media coverage to bring attention to the league and a partnership with the NHL.

Her contributions to women’s hockey have not gone unnoticed. In 2013, she was the recipient of the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award. According to Hockey Canada, this award is given to an active player “whose values, leadership and personal traits are representative of all female athletes.”

When asked about what she would do if given the opportunity to play with the national team at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, she said that she would play.

“It is the greatest honour and privilege to wear that jersey and play in front of the best hockey fans in the world,” said Ouellette.

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Stingers lose to Golden Gaels at home

The Stingers played tired all game but got great goaltending from Philippe Cadorette. Photos by Alexander Cole

Concordia’s men’s hockey team played a tight game against Queen’s

After beating the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks 4-3 the night before, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey lost to the Queen’s Golden Gaels 2-1 on Nov. 19. The team looked tired and was unable to keep up with the Golden Gaels’ pace.

With a chance to match their win total from last season, the Stingers quickly got their offence rolling in the first period. Stingers defenceman Matthieu Desautels drew a high-sticking penalty less than four minutes into the period, giving the Stingers a power play.

The Stingers power play was ranked seventh in U Sports going into the game. During their first power play, Stingers forward Raphaël Lafontaine tipped a wrist shot past Queen’s goaltender Jacob Brennan to put the Stingers up by one.

The Gaels didn’t give up after allowing the first goal. For most of the first period, Queen’s forwards kept the puck in Concordia’s defensive zone, unafraid to outmuscle their opponents in the corners.

“We need to be able to play against teams that are physical—it’s a physical league,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement after the game. The Gaels never shied away from dumping the puck into the Stingers zone, engaging in puck battle after puck battle.

The Concordia Stingers now have a record of 9-4.

With just under six minutes left in the first period, Gaels forward Peter Angelopolous rewarded his team’s efforts, slipping a rebound past Stingers goaltender Philippe Cadorette, tying the game at 1-1.

While Concordia was able to keep pace with their opponents in the first period, fatigue began to set in in the second, as the team was playing their second game in 24 hours.

“Mentally, we were not ready to compete in the second [period],” Élement said. “They were not willing to pay the price. [They’re] young. [They’re] going to learn.” The Stingers were outshot 16-5 over the course of the second frame.

Queen’s forward Slater Doggett broke the tie between the two teams halfway through the second period, firing a slap shot through the legs of Cadorette.

Momentum stayed with the Golden Gaels, as Stingers forward Antoine Masson went to the penalty box minutes later for hooking. Queen’s assaulted the Stingers with numerous shots over the two-minute penalty, but Cadorette was able to keep his team in the game.

Despite the loss, Cadorette performed well, turning aside 33 of the 35 shots he faced. “He’s played well since the beginning of the season,” Élement said. “He’s one of the guys that’s always there.”

Late in the third period, the Stingers were able to push back offensively, nearly tying the game on a scramble play in front of the net. The Stingers thought they might have scored on the play, but the referees ruled no goal.

“The guys on the bench said it went in, but the ref didn’t see it,” Élement said.

While Concordia was able to pick up more shots on goal towards the end of the game, it’s clear to Élement that his team didn’t come prepared.

“We played maybe half the game,” Élement said. “The guys have to understand that if they want to win here, you have to play for 60 minutes.”

The Stingers will have a few days off before they visit the Carleton Ravens on Nov. 25.

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Stingers fall to Martlets in a tight game

The Stingers received great goaltending from Katherine Purchase. Photos by Ana Hernandez.

Concordia lose to their cross-town rivals, McGill, on Saturday, 2-1

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team suffered a 2-1 loss at home against the McGill Martlets on Nov. 19. This is the second 2-1 loss the Martlets have handed the Stingers this season.

“It’s just another game,” said Stingers captain Tracy-Ann Lavigne. “We know that we have plenty more games against them, and we know we can get them.”

The game started off with bad discipline on behalf of the Stingers, as they were awarded three penalties in the opening period. However, the Martlets were unable to capitalize on those opportunities. Stingers goaltender Katherine Purchase was a major part of the team’s penalty kill and had to make big saves. The Martlets outshot the Stingers 10-2 in the first period.

Stingers head coach Julie Chu was happy with both her team’s penalty kill and her goalie’s play.

“We had a tough start with a few penalties early on, which gave [McGill] a bit of momentum. But we did a good job of killing those off,” Chu said. “Purchase played amazing in goal. She made some really big saves early on.”

The Stingers were able to gain momentum early in the second period with some power plays. They moved the puck well, but ultimately couldn’t beat Martlets goalie Tricia Deguire.

Concordia got into more penalty trouble early in the second period. They killed off a five-on-three and held McGill off the scoresheet after five power play attempts.

“McGill has a great power play,” Chu said. “They challenged us to really read the play and make some big stops.”

Midway through the second period, the Martlets opened the scoring after a weird play centre ice, where a Stinger player lost her stick and had it kicked away by a Martlet forward. Players are not allowed to interfere with equipment like that, however, no penalty was called. On the ensuing play, Martlets forward Nicole Howlett took a pass from forward Jade Downie and sent a wrist shot past Purchase to make the score 1-0.

The rest of the second period was a dogfight, with both teams demonstrating tons of speed. The Martlets had multiple rushes turned away by Purchase. The Stingers created chances by using speed to get to the net and created opportunities from rebounds.

For Lavigne, their play was a reflection of the team’s character.

The Stingers will now face the Gee-Gees on Sunday, Nov. 27.

“Our mentality is to never stop,” Lavigne said. “We just keep going.”

Late in the second period, the Martlets doubled their lead to 2-0. Purchase stopped a shot by McGill forward Mélodie Daoust, however, McGill forward Marie-Philip Lavoie was in front of the net to put in the rebound.

Before the period was over, the Martlets earned two penalties almost consecutively. The Stingers did not score in those final 30 seconds of the period during the power play, but were optimistic at intermission.

“It’s easy after 2-0 to get down,” Chu said. “They were excited about getting out into the third and to get a chance to continue chipping away.”

The Stingers started the third period on a five-on-three power play and made it count. Stingers defenceman Caroll-Anne Gagné one-timed a pass from forward Claudia Dubois, but her shot sailed just wide of the net. The puck then bounced to the front of the net after hitting the boards and Stingers forward Keriann Schofield was in the perfect spot to score, making it 2-1.

The Stingers continued to dominate, outshooting the Martlets 11-2 in the third, but fell just short of tying up the game.

Despite the loss, Chu liked what she saw from her team’s effort in the final period.

“I thought our girls got better as the game went on,” Chu said. “That third period, we were pounding them pretty hard and had a lot of good opportunities to score.”

The Stingers will now play the Ottawa Gee-Gees away from home on Nov. 27 at 2 p.m.

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