Tag: Ottawa Gee-Gees

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The Concordia Stingers’ strong third period leads to an 8-2 win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees

Concordia Stingers' men's hockey vs. Ottawa Gee-Gees, Dec. 4, 2022. MARIA BOUABDO/ The Concordian

The Stingers’ men’s hockey team scores six unanswered goals in the third period leading to a big victory to end the semester

The Concordia Stingers’ men’s hockey team ended the semester on a high note as they defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees 8-2 with six unanswered goals in the third period at the Ed Meagher Arena on Dec. 4.

The Stingers find themselves in the U Sports top 10 for a fifth consecutive week following their win on Sunday and a 5-1 win against the Carleton Ravens on Dec. 3.

The game started off with a few quick goals by the Stingers. Forward Nicholas Girouard opened the scoring around the halfway mark of the first period, from a pass by right-winger Charles Tremblay in the corner. It only took two minutes for Stingers’ right-winger Charles-Antoine Paiement to double his team’s lead.

However, four minutes later, Gee-Gees’ forward Bradley Chenier brought them closer to tying the game. They eventually tied it early in the middle frame, with a shorthanded goal from forward Charles-Antoine Roy.

After being held scoreless in the second period, the Stingers attacked early in the third, scoring three goals in three minutes.

Stingers’ head coach Marc-André Elément said he regrouped his players in the middle of the room during the second intermission.

“I told them we had to learn from the first two periods and then we had success, we started scoring goals,” he said, adding that the team responded well.

Stingers’ defenceman Kyle Havlena broke the tie five minutes into the final frame with a snipe. About a minute later, it was Stingers’ forward Mathieu Bizier’s turn to score after a Gee-Gees turnover behind their net.

“Trépanier was able to make the pass to the front [of the net] and I had all the time I wanted to put it in the net, so that was really easy,” Bizier said.

After another minute had passed, Stingers’ left-winger Isiah Campbell scored on the rebound after an initial shot by defenceman Samuel Desgroseilliers.

After a 5-2 lead for Concordia, things seemed to calm down as Ottawa switched goaltenders. But the Stingers weren’t close to being done. They kept pressuring the Gee-Gees and scored three more goals in the last six minutes.

Left-winger Maxim Trépanier scored from the front of the net, after a pass from defenceman Nathan Lavoie from behind the net. Bizier got his second goal of the game from a pass by Girouard. The eighth and final goal was scored by left-winger Émile Hegarty-Aubin, after an effort by defenceman Simon Dubois to lead the Ottawa goaltender to the right side, leaving Hegarty-Aubin in front of an open net.

The team was happy to end the year with a significant 8-2 victory.

“It’s a lot of fun, we were really happy to get a big win, I think we really deserved it,” Bizier said.

Elément added that it feels good to end the year with such a win, especially considering how close the standings are this season.

“We’ll get the injured guys back [during the break] and we’re going to regroup and get ready for the other half of the season,” the coach said.

The Stingers will be back on Jan. 7, 2023, hosting the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.

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The Concordia Stingers defeat the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-2 in a thrilling game

Stingers' goaltender Jordyn Verbeek and forwards Megan Bureau-Gagnon and Émilie Lavoie (left to right) in a group hug after Lavoie's game-winning goal in overtime vs. the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Nov. 4, 2022. ALICE MARTIN/ The Concordian

The women’s hockey team’s resilience and capitalization in overtime play get them the win

Last Friday, the Stingers’ women’s hockey team delivered a great performance against the Ottawa Gee-Gees in a rousing game that left fans on the edge of their seats at the Ed Meagher Arena.

The first period was full of back and forth between the Stingers and the Gee-Gees to get the first goal of the game. After around 16 minutes of play, Stingers’ forward Jessymaude Drapeau breached the barrier of Gee-Gees’ goaltender Aurélie Dubuc to bring the score to 1-0.

“It was a big team effort, but a huge goal in the first period to start the game,” said Drapeau.

The game slowed down for both teams in the second period. Eventually, the Stingers were able to take seven successful shots. The Gee-Gees, however, couldn’t get hold of the puck enough to tie the game.

But within the first half of the third period, the Gee-Gees hit their stride. Ottawa forward Katherine Birkby finally tied the game and Abygail Moloughney, another forward, gave the Gee-Gees the lead when she intercepted a pass from Stingers’ goaltender Alice Philbert who was away from her net.

“I know it was a big mistake, but at the same time we have to learn from our mistakes and the team really stepped up for me so I’m happy with that,” said Philbert, doubling down on how she always feels the support from her team.

Indeed, the Stingers quickly repressed the Gee-Gees and a few seconds after Moloughney’s goal, Stingers’ forward Megan Bureau-Gagnon slid the puck past Dubuc to bring the game to another tie, leading to overtime.

No goals were scored during the first period of overtime, but the second kept fans on their feet. The winning goal was thought to be scored by Drapeau but the referees called it back due to goaltender interference by Stingers’ forward Emmy Fecteau.

“For sure, it’s rough,” said Stingers’ forward Émilie Lavoie, who had two assists in the game until that point. “You think the game is over, and all of a sudden everyone has to go back. But we have a team that’s competitive all the way around, it’s just reset and go back.”

During the second period of overtime, in a last-ditch effort while caught between two Gee-Gees players, Lavoie scored the game-winning goal for the Stingers. She was named the game’s first star for her stunning performance.

“It feels good, but, at the end of the day, it’s a team effort,” said Lavoie. “Everyone put the effort in, I took the puck at the end, but we kept the puck the whole time during 3-on-3.”

“I think that game was everything beyond our expectations,” said Stingers’ head coach Julie Chu. “I think we had some tremendous moments and we also had some moments where Ottawa put us on our heels and we had to play a more defensive game.”

Chu also spoke about Philbert’s performance and noted her ability to bounce back from her errors. She emphasized how crucial Philbert was for the win and how she loved to see her players’ response to moments of adversity.

The Stingers women’s hockey team will be back at the Ed Meagher Arena to play against the McGill Martlets on Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

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Concordia’s men’s hockey team hold Ottawa scoreless in a 2-0 victory

The Stingers improved their regular season record to 8-6-0 on Saturday, Mar. 5. Kyran Thicke / Concordia Stingers

Stingers’ goaltender Jacob Delorme comes up big in a 42-save performance to get his first shutout with the Stingers

The Ottawa Gee-Gees tested the Concordia Stingers in their third consecutive matchup, however, Jacob Delorme was up to the task and helped his team get the 2-0 victory over Ottawa last Saturday, March 5.

“It was a good game,” Delorme said. “We lost Wednesday in Ottawa so we wanted to beat them, and right now the standings are really close for the playoffs, so it was a big win for us.”

Despite the Gee-Gees starting to pressure the Stingers right out of the gate, it was Paycen Bjorklund who opened the scoring for the Stingers around 14 minutes into the game, from a pass by Vincent Nardonne.

The second period was the busiest for the goaltenders, but it also remained scoreless. Ottawa had some good chances to tie the game, but Delorme made all 18 saves.

Concordia didn’t allow as many shots in the final frame, as they were also pressuring to double their lead. Alexander Katerinakis was able to do that after beating Ottawa’s defence with Isiah Campbell with about two minutes remaining in the period.

The last two minutes of the game were very intense, as Ottawa pressured to try and tie the game. The Gee-Gees’ late push resulted in a Concordia penalty in the last two minutes, and Ottawa pulled their goaltending for a 6-on-4 opportunity. However, the Stingers did a great job defensively, and Delorme continued his perfect performance. Concordia took another penalty with 15 seconds remaining, but it was too late for Ottawa to come back.

“It was a tight game,” said Marc-André Elément, the Stingers’ head coach. “Our guys battled and played hard tonight and we got the win so it’s huge.”

With two games in hand, Concordia currently ranks third in the division, right behind Ottawa. Having played against the Gee-Gees four times in the last five games, Delorme said they would be ready to potentially face them in the opening round of the playoffs, if that were to be the first series.

 

Photograph by Kyran Thicke 

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Concordia’s team effort stands out in 5-2 victory over Ottawa

The Stingers men’s hockey team bounced back in the second half of back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, and got the win in their first home game in 2022.

The Concordia Stingers’ team effort persisted throughout 60 minutes, as they came together to take the 5-2 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Feb. 26.

This was the Stingers’ second game in two nights, bouncing back after a 0-4 defeat against the UQTR Patriotes on Friday.

The Stringers struck early with Maxim Trépanier opening the scoring only a minute and a half into the game. The first period ended with shots 13-11 in favour of Ottawa, while Concordia’s goaltender Jordan Naylor stood on his head and kept his team in the game.

“In the first period we were a little hesitant, we had to get our legs back,” said Tyler Hylland, centre for the Stingers. “We hadn’t played back-to-back games in a couple of months, so I think the guys were feeling it out, but I think we found our legs in the second period, and we finished strong, so it went well.”

Right at the beginning of the second frame, Ottawa scored twice in a minute and took the lead in what was a pretty back and forth game up to that point.

About seven minutes into the second frame, two Ottawa players collided with Naylor. Trainers joined him on the ice to evaluate him, but he remained in net until the end of the period.

It didn’t take too long for Concordia to tie the game afterwards, with a goal by Alexandre Desgagnés around the midway mark of the period, which gave the Stingers some momentum back.

They found themselves on the powerplay a couple of minutes later, where Jeffrey Durocher capitalized and gave his team the lead again.

Naylor didn’t return for the final period, and Jacob Delorme came in instead after having played the previous night as well. Stingers head coach Marc-André Elément said that Naylor didn’t sustain an injury and that he will be okay.

Hylland doubled the Stingers’ lead around 12 minutes into the third period after creating a turnover and having a breakaway chance.

“It was kind of a broken play in the d-zone, a turnover, and I kind of saw the opportunity that I could maybe get it by them, and I took it, and then I went in on the goalie and put it five-hole,” Hylland said.

The Gee-Gees pulled their goaltender with two and a half minutes remaining, leading to Trépanier, who had opened the scoring early on, to seal the win for the Stingers with an empty-net goal.

Delorme continued Naylor’s effort and stood tall, stopping all 11 shots he faced in that period, while the defence also did their job and kept blocking shots.

Although the final shots were 39-30 in favour of the Gee-Gees, the Stingers weren’t giving them many good scoring opportunities, and if they did, the goaltenders made the saves.

“I think we were ready for tonight’s game,” Elément said. “We have a good team and we needed to compete tonight, and I think the guys showed a lot of character when we were down… And [when] you’re losing your goalie going into the third period, and your other goalie steps in, that’s a big big team effort there.”

Elément added that Delorme kept them in the game in the final frame. He also mentioned how important the defence was in the game, highlighting Kyle Havlena and Marcus Tesink’s performances in particular.

“It was a big team effort tonight and I’m really happy about the win.”

 

Photograph by Kaitlynn Rodney

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Stingers 37 Gee-Gees 21: Concordia advance to RSEQ final

Stingers rally from behind to eliminate Ottawa in the RSEQ men’s rugby semi-final

The Gee-Gees got off to a hot start with a 14-3 lead to start the game by dominating possession. In the second part of the first half, Concordia was able to switch up momentum and return to their locker room at halftime up 22-14.

Stingers head coach John Lavery was not surprised by the way his team handled adversity after being in the hole early. 

“There are some experienced guys in this group that have been in a lot of big games before and they know how to handle pressure,” Lavery said. “Our leaders led, but not by talking. They led by action. They executed some stuff and put way more physical pressure on the opposition than they had in the first fifteen minutes.”

Ottawa came out at the start of the second half and scored early, making the game 25-21. Following the Ottawa try, both teams would go back and forth, resulting in almost 25 minutes of scoreless action.

However, Concordia never took their foot off the gas and added two more tries to seal the game. The last one came with only two minutes left and capped off a very intense match between two of the RSEQ’s best teams in the regular season. The final score of 37-21 surely pleased the crowd present at Concordia Stadium.

It was the second time this year that the Stingers have beaten the Gee-Gees. The last time they met, Concordia had beaten Ottawa 30-17. 

The Stingers will now be heading to their fourth consecutive RSEQ men’s rugby final where they will be facing the McGill Redbirds. A win would also mark a fourth consecutive provincial championship.

Lavery is expecting another competitive game against the team that finished first in the regular season.

“It’s going to be more or less the same. I will back us all day, but to be fair, I do not think there are going to be easy games between now and the time we’re done,” Lavery said. 

McGill will be highly motivated for the game as they will be seeking revenge on their cross-town rivals. They were defeated by Concordia 14-6 in a tightly contested match on Oct. 2. The Stingers had also eliminated them in the last RSEQ final in 2019 by a score of 38-19. 

This time however, Concordia will not be holding the home-field advantage in what has a chance to be their fourth straight title.  

 

Photograph by Aashka Patel

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Stingers upset in home opener versus Ottawa

Concordia women’s hockey team lost in nail-biting fashion at the hands of the Ottawa Gee-Gees

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team lost their home opener 2-1 in double overtime against the Ottawa Gee-Gees Friday evening at the Ed Meagher Arena. Though the Stingers made the Gee-Gees play on their heels, the main takeaway from the game was Concordia’s inability to capitalize on their many advantages. 

“We have to make it difficult on goaltenders and have a better net front presence, and ultimately we’ve got to bear down and score more than one goal,” said Julie Chu, Stingers head coach.

Whether it was an odd-man rush or a power play, the Stingers weren’t capable of capitalizing on chances, especially against Gee-Gees goaltender Aurélie Dubuc who stood on her head stopping 35 out of the 36 shots. Though scoring was a problem, breakouts plagued the Stingers offence in some instances, in-zone turnovers created scoring chances for the Gee-Gees. 

“The first period I don’t think we were reading [the breakout] well, the third period same thing. The passes were there, we just weren’t seeing it quick enough,” Chu said.

Regardless of the breakout, both teams were evenly matched and scored in similar fashion. The Stingers broke the ice early in the second period, scoring off an intercepted pass in the neutral zone. Defencewoman Brigitte Laganière intercepted the puck and passed it to Stingers captain Audrey Belzile, resulting in a two-on-one pass to Stéphanie Lalancette who tucked it in to put the Stingers up one.

Later on, Belzile drew a penalty for the Stingers while on the penalty kill. Now 4 on 4, a similar cough up in the neutral zone resulted in a sudden turnover by the Stingers. The Gee-Gees took full advantage of the error, zooming past the defence and scoring off a beautiful shot that slowly trickled behind Stingers goaltender Alice Philbert, tying the game 1-1.

Throughout the game, both teams were evenly matched creating a combined total of nine penalties shared between both teams. Especially near the end, as emotions ran high, things got chippy near the goalies in between whistles.

In the opening overtime period, the Stingers created many chances, including an empty-net that they couldn’t capitalize on. On the defensive end, Concordia was tightly positioned and blocked necessary shots to keep the Ottawa team from scoring in the first overtime sequence.

The final minute of the second overtime period was where the Stingers made a breakout error in their own zone, resulting in a sudden turnover right in front of Philbert. Gee-Gee’s forward Ariane Aubin exuded patience as she slowly went forehand to backhand, slipping the puck behind the net gave Ottawa their first win of the season.

“This is the first game out of 25, there’s still the whole season and we still got a point today,” Belzile said. “We’ve got to build from the positive things, so we don’t go down as a team.”

Belzile and the rest of the Stingers are still hungry for their first win as they face off against McGill on Sunday.

 

Photograph by Aashka Patel

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Ottawa 24, Concordia 12: Stingers come up short in competitive regular season finale

Concordia ends the regular season with a 2-4 record, will face Carleton in the opening round of the RSEQ playoffs

The Concordia Stingers women’s rugby team played their final game of the RSEQ regular season on Sunday afternoon, losing their second matchup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees by a 24-12 scoring margin. The Stingers secured the third seed in division A with the loss, ending the season with a 2-4 record and setting the stage for a quarterfinal matchup against Carleton next week.

Stingers head coach Jocelyn Barrieau said that she expects the upcoming playoff matchup to be competitive given the two teams’ recent history. 

“We have a big, physical matchup coming up against Carleton, we’re well aware of the physical nature of their game,” Barrieau said. “It’s also a rematch from the playoffs two years ago, so we know that they’ll be very fired up to come here and perform.”

The last time Ottawa and Concordia met on Oct. 2, the Stingers got shutout in a 50-0 loss on the road. Barrieau said she wanted her team to focus on the little things ahead of their second meeting of the season.

“One of our big points of emphasis this year is continuing to work on our trust in each other, in everyone’s abilities to do their jobs. Coming into today, we also changed our warmup routine, so it was those types of little adjustments that led to the better results on the field,” said Barrieau. 

The Stingers seized control of the game early, registering a try in the opening minutes of the match. Ottawa responded quickly with a try of their own, tying the game at 5-5 after both teams failed their conversion attempts. The score would remain tied through the opening 20 minutes as both sides struggled to establish their footprint on the game. 

Ottawa was able to impose their will on Concordia to end the first half, notching a pair of tries to head into halftime leading 19-5. Stingers forward Shawna Brayton would register a try at the 59 minute mark, briefly setting the stage for a potential Concordia comeback. However, a late try by Ottawa front row Anna Dodge put the game out of reach. Gee-Gees back Alexandra Ondo and Stingers back Emma Gallagher were named MVP for their respective teams. 

Barrieau said the team’s training schedule heading into the playoffs will prioritize recovery with less contact than usual. 

“This game was very physical, and we know next week will be too, so our goal is to try and keep our girls fresh.”

The Stingers will host the Carleton Ravens in the RSEQ playoff quarterfinals this Friday at Concordia Stadium.

 

Photograph by Aashka Tarun

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Stingers women’s hockey team wins home opener in dramatic fashion

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team defeated the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 5-4 in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena.

The Stingers had a slow start, which led to the Gee-Gees’s first two goals of the game. Stingers head coach Julie Chu said the team didn’t have a good first period.

“We’ve had a good first five minutes, and then got a little bit sloppy,” Chu said. “The second and third periods were much better. Obviously, we have to work on our puck tracking. The Gee-Gees did a good job at executing and creating space for themselves on opportunities, but ultimately we need to find a way to not give up so many opportunities.”

The Stingers found their rhythm in the second period after having some serious scoring chances on the power play. Chu said despite not scoring, she liked chances produced by her team’s power play this weekend.

“We started with McGill yesterday where we had some pretty good looks,” Chu said. “I thought today, we were moving the puck and getting some opportunities. Obviously, we need to continue finding our lanes and getting great screens, as well as putting pucks away.”

When everybody thought overtime was coming after Stingers’s forward Marie-Pascale Bernier scored her second goal of the game to tied it at 4-4, forward Audrey-Ann Rodrigue scored the game-winning goal with just 40 seconds left. Rodrigue used her speed to cut the defender and drive to the net and score. She said she will remember that goal for along time.

“I followed my intuition and shot it on net, thinking I had nothing to lose,” Rodrigue said. “It was close to the end of regulation, so all shots were big. My parents were there, so I was really happy. I come from far away, so they’re not coming often.”

First-year player Léonie Philbert scored her first career U SPORTS goal in the third period. For Chu, to have contributions from the younger players is huge.

“They’re great players. They’re playing in all situations, and I think that’s really critical for us. We have the veteran presence that has a lot of experience and is able to do a great job,” Chu said. “Yet, we’re also able to put in some of our younger players to gain some experience. I think this is a good test for our team. If people push and work hard in practice, then opportunities will come.”

The Stingers play their next game against the Carleton University Ravens on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Ice House in Ottawa.

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Stingers clinch second place with 7-0 win

The Stingers have gone 8-1-1 in 2019. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Three veterans honoured in final regular season game

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team concluded their regular season with a 7-0 win against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena.

This was the last game of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) 2018-2019 season before the playoffs. This game meant a lot for the Stingers, who needed a win to secure home-ice advantage in their playoff semi-final matchup against the McGill Martlets.

The Stingers successfully secured a home-ice advantage with what was their seventh-consecutive win. Head coach Julie Chu said everyone is playing well right now, which explains the team’s current success.

“We’re not having lags,” Chu said. “We’re able to roll four lines right now, our three [defensive pairings] are doing a great job, and our goaltender is being really solid.”

Sophie Gagnon (#11) was one of the graduating players honoured after the game. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

All four lines contributed offensively to help the Stingers beat the Gee-Gees, including goals from five different players. Chu said it’s important to not just rely on one line scoring.

“Everyone knows they’re a valuable part of this team,” Chu said. “At different points, we’ll ask different people to be able to score, or to produce in different ways. Whatever it might be, our players buy into that. I think when you have people buying in all year long it allows us to score goals, but also to do smaller things that don’t end up the scoresheet, but are equally as important for us.”

Forward Audrey Belzile, who scored the Stingers’s third goal, said that even ahead 6-0 after two periods, players kept giving their best, knowing they had to enter the playoffs with good habits.

“We told ourselves we were preparing for Thursday,” Belzile said. “We [wanted to do those] little things and give our all until the end because we’re not a team that gives up, and it would give momentum to the opponent.”

In the victory, Stingers defenceman Sandrine Lavictoire scored her first career goal in the RSEQ. Her goal was the last of the game and came with six minutes left in the third period.

“I’m happy I did it before the season ended,” said Lavictoire. “I waited until the 20th game to do it, but I’m happy.”

After the game, the team honoured graduating players Devon Thompson, Sophie Gagnon, Melinda Prévost and Katherine Purchase, who registered her third shutout of the season. Chu said these players can serve as an extra motivation for the playoffs.

“Those four graduating players have done a lot for this program,” Chu said. “They monitor themselves in that locker room. We don’t have to spend as much energy on making sure that the team is running strong and that the voice in the locker room is positive. They make sure it is.”

The Stingers have won two of the five games against the Martlets this season, scoring eight goals. Chu said the Stingers will face a really good team, which makes the home-ice advantage huge for that best-of-three semifinal series.

“Getting a chance to be in your own locker room, your own rink, with your fans and an environment that [you] love, it’s always a bonus,” Chu said. “However, we also know that at this point it’s going to be a war out there.”

The Stingers open their series against the Martlets Thursday night at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Three-goal first period helps Stingers sink Gee-Gees

The Stingers’s three goals in the first were enough to force the Gee-Gees to make a goalie change. Photo by Gabriel Chevalier.

4-1 home win gives Concordia points in five-straight games

A three-goal first period by the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team helped the team defeat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 4-1 Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Stephanie Lalancette scored her first goal of the season after an injury. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The Stingers took control of the game early in the first period. Forwards Rosalie Bégin-Cyr, Marie-Pascale Bernier, and Stéphanie Lalancette scored three goals in less than nine minutes, giving them a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.

“I think one of the big things we’ve had trouble dealing with [recently] is playing a full 60 minutes,” said head coach Julie Chu about their start. “In the last couple of games, we haven’t been the best in the first period, so I think that’s what our main focus was. It’s making sure we have a great start. We did and we pushed the pace. We were really happy with our first period.”

The Stingers played a fast game and were first on the puck most of the time, which Chu said forecheck is something the team has been working on this season.

“I think when we get our forecheck going, a lot of great things happen,” Chu said. “Obviously, forecheck is your first line of defence, through our ability to force the opponent to create turnovers, from there to get opportunities is really big. I think that’s what happened, especially in the first period.”

Marie-Pascale Bernier scored a goal when a point shot deflected off her foot. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The Stingers took six of their eight penalty minutes of the game in the second period. Ottawa’s Alexane Papineau took advantage to score the Gee-Gees’s lone goal on the power play.

“They probably had the better on us in the second period,” Chu said. “However, we bounced back in the third and had a really solid game.”

Stingers’s goaltender Alice Philbert made 17 saves in the victory. However, she was mostly occupied in the second period, making nine saves.

“It’s about getting used to it,” Philbert said. “We had fewer shots [against us] last year, so it helped me to get used to it. What I do is thinking I’m the other goalie. I imagine myself making the saves, and it helps me to stay in the game.”

Chu said Philbert’s second period performance was a huge part of the win.

“The great thing about Alice is that she always works hard, and she always puts herself in a position to be ready to play,” Chu said. “In the second period, especially with six minutes of power play that we gave up, we obviously had to rely on our goaltender.”

The Stingers will play the Carleton Ravens on Sunday Nov. 25 at the Carleton Ice House at 3 p.m.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier.

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Stingers rally to win final regular-season game in double overtime

Stingers forward Sophie Gagnon (right) had a goal and an assist in the game. Photo by Sandra Hercegova.

Sophie Gagnon scores winner ahead of playoff clash versus Gee-Gees

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team beat the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-2 on Feb. 18. Forward Sophie Gagnon scored the double overtime winning goal to close out the regular season at the Ed Meagher Arena.

The first period woes for the Stingers continued on Sunday afternoon. Ottawa’s Sara Lachance scored the opening goal just six minutes into the game, and a slow pace led to another Gee-Gees goal late in the period by Julie Levesque. The Gee-Gees finished the first period up 2-0.

“Our effort at the drop of the puck has to be a lot better,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “That’s something we’ve had to work on throughout the season. It’s time for our players to step up and start faster than they have. They learned a valuable lesson today.”

As the Stingers have done multiple times this season, they picked up the pace in the second period. Forward Audrey Belzile found the net after a pass from forward Marie-Pascale Bernier to get the Stingers on the board. This was Belzile’s team-leading 11th goal of the season, and she finished the regular season with 18 points. The Stingers held the Gee-Gees to a mere four shots all period.

Concordia dominated the third period, but could only manage one goal by forward Claudia Dubois, assisted by Brigitte Laganière, halfway through the period. Once again, the Gee-Gees only managed four shots on net, while the Stingers took 18. Despite outshooting the Gee-Gees 39-18, the game headed to double overtime.

The first frame of four-on-four overtime was not enough to break the tie, so the game needed a second frame of three-on-three overtime. With plenty of room available, Gagnon used her speed to get up the ice and found an opening to seal the win for the Stingers.

Fifth-year forwards Alexandria D’Onofrio and Keriann Schofield (middle) played their final regular-season game with Concordia. Photo by Sandra Hercegova.

Following the game, six Stingers seniors were honoured as their Concordia hockey careers come to an end this season. Forwards Alexandria D’Onofrio and Keriann Schofield, defencemen Audrey-Anne Allard, Marie-Joëlle Allard and Caroll-Ann Gagné, and goalie Frédérike Berger-Lebel were among those presented with flowers and framed photos.

Concordia finished the season with a 14-4-2 record, in second place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). The Stingers will play the Ottawa Gee-Gees in a best-of-three semi-final series.

Coach Chu said she does not plan to take anything for granted in the series. “This game was down to the wire, and it’s going to be a great series. It’s going to be a battle, and we have to be able to handle the pressure.”

Game one of the series will be at the Ed Meagher Arena on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Game two will be in Ottawa on Feb. 24, and game three, if necessary, will be back at Concordia on Feb. 25.

Main photo by Sandra Hercegova.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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