Massimo Carozza scored a hat-trick against UOIT Ridgebacks
Anthony Beauregard’s six points propelled the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team to a 6-2 win over the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks on Nov. 3. Stingers rookie forward Massimo Carozza scored three goals in the win at the Ed Meagher Arena.
“They were moving their feet,” said head coach Marc-André Élement about Carozza and Beauregard. “Carozza is a fast skater, and Beauregard’s vision is so good. Those two, with [Dominic] Beauchemin, it’s a really good line, so I’m happy about their performance tonight.”
The Ridgebacks controlled the game in the first period. They failed to generate any real scoring chances, with only seven shots on Stingers goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte, who returned between the pipes after missing the last two games with an injury.
With the Ridgebacks on a power play late in the first period, Beauregard stole the puck from a UOIT defenceman deep in their zone, and beat Ridgebacks goalie Tyson Teichmann high-glove side to give the Stingers a 1-0 lead.
The Stingers continued their undisciplined start to the season with two minor penalties in the first period. At the end of the period, Stingers forward Raphaël Lafontaine hit Ridgebacks forward Josh Maguire from behind, and received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
“We have to be more disciplined,” Élement said. “We can’t give teams chances to get momentum on their power play.”
The Ridgebacks started the second period with a five-on-three power play after the Lafontaine and Beauchemin penalties in the first period. The Ridgebacks failed to score on the power play, including the remainder of Lafontaine’s five-minute penalty.
“Our penalty kill was good,” Élement said. “I find that’s the key of the game, when you don’t get scored on [during the penalty kill]. The guys paid the price by blocking shots.”
The Stingers pulled the game in their favour in the second period. Five minutes in, forward Brandon Kosik scored from the high slot off a pass from Beauregard, to give the Stingers a 2-0 lead. After Carozza extended the lead to three goals less than two minutes later, Ridgebacks forward Mike Robinson put his team on the board midway through the period.
With 30 seconds remaining in the second period, Beauregard scored from behind the Ridgebacks goal line by shooting the puck off Teichmann’s back and in.
“I just saw an opportunity to put [the puck] on net and go short side,” Beauregard said. “I just tried, and at the end of the day, it was a goal.” The Stingers led 4-1 after two periods.
Anthony Beauregard scored a wonderful goal from behind the goal line in the second period. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
In the third period, Carozza and Beauregard continued their dominance. Just under a minute in, Beauregard created a turnover in the Stingers zone, then flipped the puck through the neutral zone to Carozza, who went on a breakaway and scored with a backhand shot.
On a power play late in the third period, Carozza scored his third goal from a rebound. Carozza credited his hat-trick to his linemates, who “made nice plays,” and all he had to do was “put it in.”
“It’s a couple of games [Beauregard and I] are playing together now,” Carozza said. “I see him on the ice, and he sees me, so it’s working well so far.”
Beauregard said after the game that his line wouldn’t be as good without Beauchemin, whose defensive play allows Beauregard and Carozza to create scoring opportunities.
“We have a good line. Me and Massimo have good chemistry out there,” Beauregard said. “With the speed of Carozza, I try to play with that, and I try to use his speed.”
Beauregard now has seven goals and 10 assists in seven games this year. He’s the leading scorer in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and has the third-most points in U Sports.
The Stingers, who improved to a 5-1-1 record, play their next game on Nov. 4 at home against the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins.
Stingers hockey captain Philippe Hudon continues to set the bar higher
“Coming to Concordia, to be quite honest, it wasn’t planned,” said Philippe Hudon, captain of the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team. “I wanted to continue playing competitive hockey. I was the one really approaching the team. It was all last second.”
While his time with the Stingers has “turned out great,” Hudon said it was not the path he expected to take.
“If coming here as a Stinger was a bump in the road, it’s been one hell of a bump,” Hudon said. “I was able to learn a whole lot about myself and the type of hockey player that I want to be. I’m really thankful for the experience I’ve had at Concordia, and I can already be thankful for the next two years.”
Over the past three seasons, Hudon has established himself as a physical forward with a quick release who uses his size to pressure defenders on the forecheck. After former captain Olivier Hinse graduated at the end of last season, head coach Marc-André Élement told Hudon he would be team captain for the 2017-18 season.
“Phil is a professional,” Élement said. “He’s easy to coach. He’s so well respected by his teammates, so for me it was an easy choice. He’s doing a great job, he’s a great leader. I’m really happy that I chose him to be captain.”
By the time he started at Choate, Hudon was already touted as a top prospect. He had decided to play at the boarding school instead of playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), according to NHL.com. He quickly impressed Choate’s head coach, Pat Dennehy, who said in an interview with NHL.com that Hudon was one of the most “high-profile” players he has ever coached. In his three years at the school, Hudon collected 59 points in 73 games, scoring the ninth-most points in the school’s history.
“The type of person I am, if I exceed expectations, I set the bar higher,” Hudon said about the standards he sets for himself on the ice and in the classroom.
The 2010-11 school year was a life-changing year for Hudon. It was his senior year at Choate, and he had committed to play the 2011-12 season at Cornell University. He was also scouted as one of the top 75 North American skaters going into the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) draft. At one point, he was ranked as high as 31st among North American skaters. It was the same year he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Hudon said he remembers how his condition affected him in school and on the ice. He also realized things were not normal in his life.
In five games played this season, Hudon has one goal and three assists. The Stingers have a 4-1-1 record. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
“I knew something was wrong, but I just kept pushing because I thought everything would fall into place,” he said. “I was alone, my parents were five or six hours away. I had a roommate. Things were kind of normal, but the year that it happened was my draft year.”
Hudon said after he committed to Cornell during his senior year, he had to maintain a good enough GPA in order to attend the following year.
“Expectations were very high, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. It got to a point where it wasn’t manageable. My [expectations] weren’t attainable. I kept trying and trying. I always had this personality trait of always having everything in order, very organized.”
The forward said he remembers when he realized his condition was getting out of hand. He would spent a good part of his day organizing his room, telling himself it would help him focus on school and hockey.
“It ended up tormenting me, hindering [me] to play the hockey that I would normally play, and to be a good student,” Hudon said.
He said he remembers feeling as though something was wrong, but believed he could power through it.
“There was one day, I had to take an exam at night that I had missed during the day because of hockey. I had studied quite a bit. I had studied a lot. There was a lot of anxiety inside of me and pressure exerted on me,” Hudon said. “As soon as I got my test, I opened my booklet and blanked. Nothing was coming to mind. I couldn’t write. I broke down immediately. I kind of had a panic attack, I didn’t necessarily know what was going on.”
Afterwards, Hudon said he got help right away and saw a psychologist at Choate.
“That’s when everything started heading in the right direction,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for the test, I don’t know how much longer I would have lasted. I had to learn the hard way. Since then, I’ve only been able to better understand myself.”
In June 2011, the Detroit Red Wings selected Hudon at 145th in the NHL Entry Draft. “It’s a memory that I’ll cherish for my entire life,” Hudon said.
The experience of being drafted and attending training camp showed him what sets the NHL apart from any other hockey league in the world.
“You don’t notice it until you’ve lived it,” Hudon said. “I got a lot of experience by going to NHL camps. I learned a lot, even though I didn’t get to play any pre-season games, let alone play in the AHL [American Hockey League]. I got a lot of experience, got a lot out of the professionals that were there.”
This season, Hudon plays on the power play as a defenceman, as well as on the penalty kill. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Hudon opted out of his commitment to Cornell in the fall of 2011, taking a “leave of absence” after briefly attending the university. He stated his medical condition as a primary reason for leaving. Instead, he decided to play for the Victoriaville Tigres in the QMJHL. In three years with the Tigres, Hudon put up 71 points in 156 games.
In 2014, three years after getting drafted, the Red Wings did not sign Hudon to an NHL entry-level contract, meaning he became an unrestricted free agent and was able to sign where he liked. Hudon said that, at this point, his plans for playing pro hockey got “pretty chaotic.” He signed a contract with the then-named Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL, the third tier of professional hockey in North America. Only two months after signing, Hudon was released by the team.
While he doesn’t dwell on it too much anymore, Hudon said he remembers being disappointed at the time.
“Business is business, and they sent me home because [Greenville] had a lot of forwards coming down from the AHL,” he said. “You have to play the guys that are paid more. I obviously have nothing against the business of hockey, but I felt like I belonged there, if not in a league above that.”
Hudon said he wanted a better chance to play in a professional league. “I thought I deserved more. Whether it was because they saw a downside to my mental condition or not, I really didn’t think that it did anything. As soon as I stepped on the ice, that was my only safe haven. Nothing else mattered, not even my medical condition.”
After the Greenville Road Warriors signed and released him in a matter of two months, Hudon said he hoped to play at least one more year professionally before thinking about his academic future. In the end, his choice came down to McGill or Concordia. He picked Concordia in 2014 because he wanted to attend the John Molson School of Business as a finance major.
Even after the setbacks, Hudon’s goal remains unchanged. After his time at Concordia, he still hopes to play in the NHL. Hudon has seen other U Sports hockey players move up the ranks of professional hockey after graduating, and is hoping to follow that path. Recently, University of New Brunswick centre Francis Beauvillier, a Florida Panthers prospect, has been playing in the AHL.
“What distinguishes me is my relentlessness, that fact that I always want to play for the crest that’s on the front of my jersey, and not the [name] on the back. I just want to be on the ice,” Hudon said. “I’ve been passionate about hockey for a very long time. It’s not going to end tomorrow, not next year, not the year after that. I’m going to keep pushing until really [no opportunities] are open. I’m that determined.”
According to Hudon, he has big skates to fill with Hinse gone, but he’s not going to change the type of leader he is. He’s focused on leading the Stingers by example.
“Even if I was an assistant [captain], or not an assistant, I’m going to be the same person,” Hudon said. “Obviously [as captain] I’m going to be a little more vocal—it comes with the role. I’m not going to become someone that I’m not.”
Photos by Alex Hutchins
A previous version of this article wrongly called the ECHL the East Coast Hockey League. The Concordian apologizes for the error.
6-3 win included a fight, 77 total penalty minutes
The Carleton Ravens handed the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team their first regulation loss of the season with a 6-3 win on Oct. 27 at the Ed Meagher Arena.
“We were awful,” said head coach Marc-André Élement. “We didn’t execute the game plan. We all need to be better.”
The first period was a roller coaster of emotions for both teams as Dalen Hedges, the leading scorer on the Ravens, scored on just their first shot of the game one minute into the first period. The Stingers quickly answered less than a minute and a half later as forward Massimo Carozza banged a rebound past Ravens goalie Francois Brassard, for his third goal of the season.
After the fast-paced opening three minutes, the Carleton Ravens controlled the majority of the play in the first period. After Stingers goalie Antoine Dagenais gave up the first goal on the first shot he faced, he made three big pad saves during the period, keeping his team in the game.
“I was pretty nervous at the beginning,” Dagenais said. “But the more the game went on, the better I felt. I just need to work harder to help the team.”
In the first period, both teams got under each other’s skin. A total of six minor penalties were given between the two teams. Stingers forward Francis Brunelle was given a game misconduct with seven minutes left in the period, leaving the Stingers down a man on the bench for the rest of the game.
“Emotions were running high,” Élement said. “We all need to do a better job of controlling our emotions, myself included.”
The Concordia Stingers come off the ice at the end of the first period in their Oct. 27 game against the Carleton Ravens. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.
Forward Philippe Hudon hit another milestone in his Stingers career in the second period when he scored his first goal as captain of the team, on the penalty kill, early into the period. However, after the goal, the Ravens started what would be an offensive onslaught against the Stingers, firing 22 shots at the Stingers net in the second period.
The Ravens scored two unanswered power play goals by first-year player Jared Steege and fourth-year veteran Ryan Van Stralen to give themselves a 3-1 lead midway through the second period.
“We didn’t have the puck very much the entire game,” said Stingers defenceman Carl Neill. “I think we need to take care of some things in our own end before worrying about the other. Bad mistakes and mental errors cost us.”
Five minutes into the second period, six-foot-five Stingers forward Justin Doucet and five-foot-nine Ravens forward Dakota Odgers dropped the gloves. Both landed some good punches, but Doucet’s size was too much for Odgers.
The Ravens did not take their foot off the gas until a holding penalty by Derek Brown with five minutes left in the second. That finally opened the door for the Stingers to get some offence going. On the power play, forward Anthony Beauregard took control of the puck and fired it towards the net before forward Alexis Pépin tipped it in.
“Our power play is working really well,” Neill said. “We need to get going five-on-five, but the power play is definitely a positive to take out of this one.”
Two minutes into the third period, Brett Welychka gave the Ravens a two-goal lead off a shot that beat Dagenais on the glove side. The Ravens did not look back with the lead and added two more goals for the 6-3 win.
The Concordia Stingers beat the Queen’s Gaels on Oct. 28, 4-3, in overtime. Their next game is at home on Nov. 3 against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks.
Concordia defeated the Guelph Gryphons 4-2 on Saturday
Despite great goaltending from Guelph Gryphons netminder Jason Da Silva, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team cruised to a 4-2 win at Ed Meagher Arena on Oct. 21. They won their second game of the weekend after a 5-3 win against the Brock Badgers Friday night, and improved their record to 3-0-1 on the season.
“It was kind of a physical game again,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “Couple of breakdowns, but we were good and it was a big weekend for us.”
The Stingers opened the scoring just two minutes into the game, after forward Charles-Éric Légaré threw the puck to the net from a weird angle. The puck trickled through Da Silva who never saw it.
Just a few minutes later, while the Stingers were on the power play, they gave up a breakaway to Gryphons forward Todd Winder, who slid the puck through the legs of Stingers goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte to tie the game at 1-1.
To end the period, Stingers forward Anthony Beauregard scored on the power play to give the Stingers a 2-1 lead heading into the second period. All night, both the Gryphons and Stingers were given many power play chances. Overall, the Gryphons committed 10 minor penalties while the Stingers committed seven minors.
Forward Antoine Masson tries to score on a rebound against the Guelph Gryphons on Oct. 21. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
“We play with an in-their-head mentality,” Élement said. “We’re really disciplined, we really want to make them skate, and when we do that, they take penalties on us, and that’s exactly what we want.”
Nine minutes into the second period, Winder of the Gryphons scored his second goal of the game on a two-on-one rush up the ice to make the score 2-2. Turcotte was injured on the play and left the game. He was replaced by back-up goalie Antoine Dagenais, who went on to stop all 17 shots he faced in the rest of the game.
“He played really well in Lakehead [during the pre-season] so I wasn’t worried at all,” Élement said about Dagenais. “We have a lot of depth, and we’re happy about his performance tonight.”
With just over four minutes to go in the second period, Stingers forward Alexis Pépin scored on the power play thanks to a slick pass from linemate Scott Oke. The goal gave the Stingers a 3-2 lead, and it ended up being the game-winning goal.
“We caught them on a line change,” Pépin said while describing his goal. “I went around the defence and just took a shot. I thought it was the best play to do, and it went in so it was a pretty good goal.”
In the third period, Stingers defenceman Carl Neill scored his first goal as a Stinger just four minutes into the frame. The score would remain 4-2 as the Stingers went on to win their third game of the season.
The Stingers will now play the Carleton Ravens at home on Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Carl Neill forgot to protect his goalie. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
Forward Anthony Beauregard scores hat-trick against the Brock Badgers
The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team grinded out a 5-3 victory over the Brock Badgers in their home opener on Oct. 20.
“Intensity, skating and speed: that’s what it takes to win,” said head coach Marc-André Élement. “Every night is going to be a battle.”
The Stingers came out of the gate in the first period with intensity and speed, but three penalties late in the period slowed them down. Goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte kept his team in the game with 14 saves in the first period.
“He’s been nothing short of spectacular for us since the beginning,” said Stingers captain Philippe Hudon, who finished the game with three assists.
Hudon was in a gleeful mood after the match as it was his first home game at the Ed Meagher Arena as team captain. “Nothing short [of] great,” he said.
The second period opened with two quick Stingers power-play goals that came 48 seconds apart from veteran forward Scott Oke and sophomore winger Anthony Beauregard. However, three minutes later, the Badgers answered with two quick goals from Mitch Nardi and Brandon O’Quinn, coming 23 seconds apart. Nonetheless, the veteran Stingers kept the team focused after blowing the 2-0 lead.
The Concordia Stingers crowd around Marc-Antoine Turcotte during a stoppage in play in the game against the Brock Badgers. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
“We have great leaders on our team, like Dominic Beauchemin and Phil Hudon,” Beauregard said. “They are like our grandfathers, reminding us whenever things go bad that it’s just hockey.”
That relaxed mentality paid dividends for the Stingers, especially Beauregard. The second-year player netted a hat-trick, including the game-winning goal and received first star honours. “It felt good, but the most important thing was the [win],’” Beauregard said. “But we need to be better tomorrow.”
The game was a physical and chippy affair. Beauregard said he felt the team needed to be more disciplined. The Stingers took nine minor penalties in the contest, however, were a perfect nine for nine on the penalty kill. The Badgers also had their fair share of infractions, with 13 minor penalties.
“We got out of hand when it came to controlling our emotions,” Hudon said. “That’s something we have to work on […] We’ve got to remain cool and calm.”
“The refs did a good job on both sides tonight,” coach Élement said. “I wasn’t happy about the last penalty, but I wasn’t unhappy with the ref—I was unhappy that my player would take that penalty.”
The Badgers certainly had trouble controlling their emotions near the end of the game. Brock players Skylar Pacheco and Nardi were both ejected from the game in the third period. The Stingers did not engage in the extracurriculars in the third period as they knew they had a lead to protect.
The Stingers men’s hockey team’s next game is Oct. 21 at home against the Guelph Gryphons, who are coming off of a 7-4 loss to the McGill Redmen.
Charles-Eric Legare scored three regular-season goals against McGill. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
A chippy performance by Concordia led the team to a 3-2 win
The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team started their season off with a 3-2 win against their crosstown rivals, the McGill Redmen, at McConnell Arena on Oct. 13.
“We played a good game, but we made a lot of mistakes,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “There were a couple of parts of the game I didn’t like, but it’s two points so we’re happy about that.”
The game started off with both goaltenders standing tall in their respective nets. Stingers goaltender Marc-Antoine Turcotte made some big saves early and was a difference maker for the Stingers. He made key saves to keep his team in the game.
Turcotte’s brilliant play was accentuated in the third period while the Stingers were up 3-2, trying to cling to their lead. Concordia took some late penalties, giving the Redmen a five-on-three powerplay with less than five minutes left in the game. However, Turcotte turned aside a barrage of shots, allowing his team to keep the lead and ultimately win the game.
“This is what you need from a goalie,” Élement said. “He played an awesome game.”
Alexandre Gosselin skates past a sprawling McGill defender on Oct. 13. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
“The guys played well in front of me,” Turcotte added. “They let me see the puck all night. I’m pretty proud of the guys today.”
In the first period, the Stingers were down 1-0 off a goal by Redmen defencemen Dominic Talbot-Tassi. Nine minutes after the opening goal, Stingers forward Scott Oke popped in a goal off a wrist shot to tie the game before the end of the first period.
The second period had both teams going back and forth with the Redmen taking an early lead. However, rookie forward Alexis Pépin scored the tying goal in his first game as a Stinger.
“Getting that first goal in the first game is always good for confidence,” Pépin said. “I had trouble getting points in the pre-season, and I got two tonight so it was pretty good.”
A few minutes after Pépin scored, Stingers forward Charles-Eric Légaré buried a cross-crease pass to give the Stingers a 3-2 lead. First-year forward Massimo Carozza and Pépin picked up the assists. The team never looked back and left McConnell Arena with the victory.
For Pépin and his teammates, beating a rival like McGill was important. “It’s a big two points for us to start the season with,” he said
The Stingers will play the Redmen three more times this season, but are now off to Ottawa to play the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
Marc-André Élement said he has the right players to win a championship. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.
After finishing second in OUA conference last season, the head coach wants a championship this year
Returning head coach of the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team, Marc-André Élement, plans on taking his team all the way to a championship this year.
“We want to win the championship, and we have the players in place to do it,” he said.
After his team’s successful run to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-final last year, Élement said he believes his team is ready to put up a fight against the conference’s top teams. “We’re bigger and we’re ready to play a physical game,” Élement said.
Last season, the Stingers finished second in the East Division of the OUA conference with a record of 19-7-2. They defeated the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks in the first round of the playoffs, making it the first time the Stingers advanced to the second round in 16 years. They lost in the second round to the Queen’s University Gaels.
This off-season, Élement set out to recruit the best players he could get his hands on to improve his team. Defenceman Carl Neill joined the Stingers this season. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Vancouver Canucks in 2015. His presence will have an immediate impact on their blue line.
Julien Rainville-Avon (right) celebrates a goal with the Concordia Stingers during the 2016-17 season. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.
Despite finishing second in their division last year, Élement insisted there is room for improvement with the team’s defensive game—an area where the Stingers struggled collectively. Out of the top four teams in the East Division of the OUA, the Stingers allowed the most goals against, with 75.
“We want to limit our opponents’ time and space with the puck,” Élement said. “We want to always be in their face.”
The Stingers signed forwards Massimo Carozza and Alexis Pépin, who both played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) last year. Pépin last played for the Val d’Or Foreurs, and was a fourth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2014. Carozza last played in junior for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Both players are expected to add firepower up front, as they both averaged over 0.6 points per game in the QMJHL.
The team has also added a new goaltender to the mix. Julio Billia, who is presently injured, will be battling to be the starting goalie against second-year goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte throughout the season. Billia spent his last five seasons playing for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the QMJHL. Élement said Billia is a big asset to the Stingers.
The coach also has high expectations for returning forwards Philippe Sanche and Anthony Beauregard to lead the Stingers in their offensive game. Sanche finished with 30 points in 26 games last season, and Beauregard finished with 19 points in 12 games. The team finished with the second-most goals in the league with 118, and Élement hopes they can carry their scoring over to this season.
“We want to [beat] other teams with our speed,” Élement said. “We want to promote university hockey, and we want to be at the top of our league.”
But the Stingers will have to find ways to score without former captain Olivier Hinse, who is now playing pro hockey in Denmark. He scored 17 goals and had 11 assists in 23 games last season. Concerning the team’s leadership void, Philippe Hudon will be the captain for the Stingers. Sanche, Raphaël Lafontaine, Alexandre Gosselin and Dominic Beauchemin will be the assistant captains.
The second-year head coach has prepared his team for the season since August. In seven pre-season games, the Stingers had a record of 4-2-1. But now it’s time for the regular season.
“We’ve had a hard training camp and we are going to be ready for the beginning of the season,” Élement said.
The Stingers kick off their season on the road against the McGill Redmen on Oct. 13.
Men’s hockey team pushes cross-town rivals to the brink but can’t complete the upset
Photo by Andrej Ivanov
Game 1
Playoff hockey began last Wednesday, Feb. 11, for the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team as they faced their local rivals the McGill Redmen in the first of a three-game series.
Hosted by McGill at McConnell Arena, the eighth-seeded Stingers exemplified that they were a resilient club, beating their first-placed counterparts 6-4 in what was a spirited opening tilt.
“We certainly followed the game plan to a tee and that got us a win,” said Stingers Head Coach Kevin Figsby on the team’s execution.
Highlighting the game was the combined effort from Stingers Captain Olivier Hinse and Forward Jessyko Bernard, who each recorded three points in the victory. Hinse, who notched two power play goals, led the Stingers in scoring with 18 goals and 31 points in 26 regular season games.
Concordia took a 4-1 lead through the midway mark of the third before the Redmen responded, scoring two goals within six minutes of play and cutting Concordia’s lead to just one.
McGill marked their fourth goal of the evening with just 14 seconds left on the clock, but it was too little too late for any light of a comeback.
Game 2
Game two of the series took place at the Ed Meagher Arena where an electrified Concordia crowd presented a true playoff atmosphere.
The game itself did not meet the crowd’s expectations as McGill validated their first place standings and stung the Stingers with a 5-0 victory.
“It was symptomatic tonight, we‘ve had series in the season where we play great for a few games straight, then we have a mental letdown. Tonight I just don’t think our give-a-damn metre was high enough,” said Figsby.
The Redmen presented a style of play that was full of urgency, commanding a 4-0 lead after two.
Concordia’s lack of discipline plagued the team as they posted 31 penalty minutes on 10 infractions, costing the Stingers valuable even-strength hockey.
The Redmen recorded their fifth goal midway through the third, keeping the game out of reach and sending the series to a winner-takes-all finale.
Game 3
The stage was set at the McConnell Arena for the third and final showdown between the two squads.
Both clubs presented will and grit once the rubber was dropped, but McGill prevailed on home ice, taking the deciding game 6-3.
“I think we scared the shit out of them with that first win in the first game and what it did was give our guys a lot of confidence to know that as we grow and develop as a team and as a program then we can compete with the top teams,” said Figsby.
Concordia struck first, scoring off a rebound that forward Ben Dubois found for the 1-0 early lead. It only took two minutes before McGill’s regular season point leader Cedric McNicoll found a bouncing puck in front of Concordia’s goal and scored the equalizer.
On a Redmen possession at the 11:00 minute mark, an initial shot caused Stingers netminder Robin Billingham to be out of position, allowing forward Mathieu Pompei to tuck the puck in from the left side, putting McGill ahead 2-1 to end the first.
Concordia started the second with strong possession time, but a McGill clear took an awkward bounce in the corner that sent the puck right in front of the Stingers goal where Redmen David Rose capitalized, extending McGill’s lead by two.
With six minutes into the second period, a streaking Pietro Antonelli came out of the box, outskated Concordia’s defense, cut towards the crease and made a one-handed backhand move to notch McGill’s fourth unanswered goal.
With just less than 30 seconds left in the second period, Ben Dubois dropped a pass to Philippe Hudon who sent a clapper into the mesh, cutting McGill’s lead to 4-2.
The third began with the highest emotional level of the series, but McGill’s defensive unit hardly gave Concordia any room to operate.
Just past the midway mark of the frame, a shot from the right corner deflected through backup Goalie Alexandre St-Arnaud and put the Redmen up 5-2.
Stingers forward Danny Potvin made a great effort to find the back of the net off a quick rush, putting Concordia back within two, but an empty net goal erased any hopes of a comeback.
“These guys persevered through. In 20 years from now when those guys all gather together no one is going to worry about tonight, they’re going to worry about the four or five years that they’ve spent together as friends and what it meant to have that opportunity given to them by Concordia University to play at one of the highest levels of amateur hockey in the world,” said Figsby.
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
Illness has taken its toll on Concordia for the past couple weeks
The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team dropped to 8-17 on the season after a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks (UOIT) in Sunday’s pre-Super Bowl matchup, handing the Stingers their second loss in a row.
“Number one we have got to get healthy … We had to shut down the dressing room [this week] we had a sinus and throat infection going around so we had a tough week of practice,” said Stingers head coach Ken Figsby regarding his depleted roster after the game.
Illness was the story going into the game Sunday afternoon. The Stingers, who were looking to get back into the win column after last week’s 4-2 home loss against Laurentian, were hit by the by the bug all throughout the week, with the blue liners being hit the hardest.
“Alex MacDonald has been our most steady defenseman all season, and we had to pull him in warm up,” said Figsby. “Sean Blunden hasn’t played in the last 6 games, and Jeremy Barriault hasn’t played since November and we had to put both those guys in the game today.”
The Stingers shaky blue line play was the story in the early going as they conceded the game’s opening goal off a neutral zone give away that resulted in a UOIT 2-on-1 breakaway. Ridgebacks forward Jesse Stoughton scored, assisted by Ridgeback winger Connor Jarvis, 10:20 into the game.
Despite allowing a goal in the first period, Stingers’ goalie Alexandre St. Arnaud was solid between the pipes turning away 11 of 12 UOIT shots during the first 20 minutes.
Concordia jumped out of the intermission playing inspired hockey, despite the questionable play of their backend, which allowed 17 shots on net in the period. Antoine Houde-Caron knotted the game at 1-1 just over 90 seconds into the period on a deflected point shot by Francis Turbine, also assisted by Dominic Beauchemin. The Ridgebacks, not to be outdone, regained the lead off a terrible Stingers giveaway deep in their zone which resulted in a goal by UOIT’s Mike Robinson midway through the second. The Stingers quickly responded with a goal of their own on a Dany Potvin snipe from the slot assisted by Gabriel Bourret and forward Domenic Beauchemin—his second helper of the game.
St. Arnaud’s play continued to be difference keeping this game tied at 2-2 heading into the third. The Stingers goalie was peppered with 17 shots in the second period and turned away 15 in the process.
Unfortunately the onslaught continued in the third period, and the UOIT forwards exposed the rust and inexperience along the Concordia blue line, popping in 2 goals to a lone Stingers goal by Matt Boudreau with 3:25 left in the game.
“I told the guys at the end of the second period, if we can win the shot count today heading into the third period, we can win the third period,” said Figsby.
The Stinger’s were outshot 8 to 16 in the third, and 45-32 overall in favour of the visiting UOIT Ridgebacks.
Next up for the Stingers, they host the third ranked 19-5 McGill Redmen at home in the 28th Corey Cup. On Friday, Feb. 26, the puck will drop and the Stingers will try and remember the cup which they lost to McGill last year.
Concordia’s men’s hockey team earns a hard-fought victory over the University of Toronto
The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team was looking to kick off 2015 on a positive note as they hosted the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday, Jan. 9. The Stingers did just that with an impressive 5-3 win over the strong Toronto squad.
The Stingers started the game fast and just 19 seconds into the game, they jumped on the board with a 1-0 lead. Forward Jessyko Bernard got a great pass from Gabriel Bourret and wired a quick shot past the Blues goaltender for the first goal of the game.
Twenty-two seconds later, the Stingers took to the power play when Blues player Michael Markovic got sent to the box for tripping. Toronto managed to kill the penalty and then started to turn the game around as they started to dominate the tempo.
Toronto tied the game with 12 minutes left in the first period when Dean Klomp fooled Stingers goalie Robin Billingham with a quick release.
Concordia pushed to regain the lead but fell into some penalty trouble when Stefano Momesso got called for roughing. Surprisingly enough, Concordia regained the lead while shorthanded: Bourret sprung Olivier Hinse with a breakaway pass, who tucked the puck past the goal line and restored Concordia’s lead.
Toronto pushed and continued to outshoot Concordia but could not beat Billingham. The Stingers got into more penalty trouble when forward Roberto Mormina got called for roughing. Concordia managed to kill the penalty with more extraordinary play from Billingham and, with 46 seconds left in the period, increased their lead. Phillipe Hudon got his first goal as a Stinger and led the Stingers into the first intermission with a 3-1 lead.
To start the second period, Toronto decided that a change in net was needed, and Garrett Sheehan replaced Michael Nishi. The change didn’t work. Four minutes later Concordia scored a goal on the power play to increase their lead to 4-1. Stingers forward Marc-Olivier Brouillard got a pass from Hinse and beat Sheehan on his first shot of the night.
Toronto finally got another goal on the board and beat Billingham when Christian Finch fired a superb wrist shot past Concordia’s netminder. The period ended 4-2 and, as the Stingers headed into the locker room for the final intermission, the win was within reach.
Photo by Briana Thicke.
The Blues refused to back down and forced the Stingers to earn the victory. Toronto managed to cut the lead to one when Jeff Brown found the back of the net on a quick snap shot. Despite the tense moments late in the game, Concordia would seal the victory with 30 seconds left on an empty net goal by Antoine Houde-Caron.
After the game, Stingers Head Coach Kevin Figsby was proud of his troops.
“I was impressed with our team, with our new guys Phillipe Hudon, Stefano Momesso and Jordan Bernier. They have been great acquisitions [during] Christmas time.”
The best player on the ice throughout the game was undoubtedly Concordia’s goaltender, who took a moment to admire his performance after the game.
“I felt pretty good, I felt refreshed,” said Billingham. “I got some new gear and it’s good because I felt taller out there. I was in Ottawa with my goalie coach training which helped a lot.”
After Friday’s win, the team travelled to Ryerson University on Saturday, Jan. 10. and lost to the Rams 3-2. The Stingers now sit at 7-14 and will try and turn things around on Friday, Jan. 16. when they visit the University of Windsor to play the Lancers.
Backed by Concordia’s great goaltending, the Stingers snapped their losing streak
The Concordia Stingers were looking to bounce back from their loss on Friday with a strong performance on Saturday when they faced the Guelph Gryphons in front of a packed house at Ed Meagher arena.
The first period was a tight contest between both clubs as they tried to open the scoring. Four minutes into the period, Concordia got into some penalty trouble when Marc-Olivier Brouillard got into a scrum with Guelph forward Michael Stevens. Both were sent off for roughing, but Brouillard got a double-minor for instigating the fight.
Photo by Briana Thicke.
Guelph pressed during the man advantage but Concordia’s goalie Robin Billingham was up to the task, stopping every shot he faced. Three minutes later, Concordia got a break and capitalized when Olivier Hinse went in on a breakaway and snuck one past Guelph’s goaltender Andrew D’agostini for a 1-0 lead. After that goal, Guelph pushed hard for the equalizer but once again Billingham was unbeatable.
Several minutes later Stingers forward Domenic Beauchemin was sprung for another breakaway and made it 2-0 for Concordia to end the first period.
The second period was the complete opposite of the first with the Gryphons coming out firing on all cylinders. Guelph cut the lead to 2-1 at the eight-minute mark of the second period when Robert De Fulviis fired a shot past Billingham.
After that, Guelph continued to push for the equalizer and Concordia couldn’t match their energy. Concordia got into more penalty trouble late in the second period. The Stingers had back-to-back minor penalties and with a minute left in the period, as Guelph got the equalizer when Andres Kopstals got a pass from Daniel Broussard and snuck one past Billingham.
The third period was an all-out battle as both teams looked for the go-ahead goal. Both teams had multiple chances to score, but both goaltenders refused to break. Six minutes into the period, Scott Oke received a pass from Youssef Kabbaj and sent a shot past D’agostini for the 3-2 lead. The game plan for Concordia was simple for the rest of the game: hold the Gryphons off and maintain the lead. The Stingers managed to do just that and take the win thanks to the stellar play of Billingham. The game finished 3-2 as Concordia avoided another disappointment.
After the game, head coach Kevin Figsby was proud of his troops and the way his team kept their focus.
“I really like the response of our group, a win is a win and we will take it. We simply followed the game plan,” said Figsby.
Stingers captain Hinse reiterated what his coach said and admitted that it was a relief to finally stop the losing skid.
“It’s nice to win. We really needed that, we had a good start, we stayed focused and we used our speed.”
