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Exploring the world of quidditch

Quidditch is growing in Canada and programs have popped up to teach children the game. Photos by Grace Kudlack.

The fictional sport from Harry Potter—re-imagined for muggles

Thomas Rayment, a student at the University of British Colombia, goes to practice five times a week, some of which last three hours. Each practice begins with a warm up, where the team does conditioning similar to that of a track team. Then, they split up into position-specific group coaching. The team ends their practice with a scrimmage.

The tryouts were described by Rayment as “intense” and “super aggressive.”

No, this isn’t the life of a varsity rugby or football player. Rayment is one of many participating in an up-and-coming sport in Canada: quidditch.

That’s right, the magical sport from the Harry Potter franchise has been brought to life and is gathering momentum all over the world with thousands of players participating, according to Quidditch Canada.

To Harry Potter fans, this may seem like a cute activity, but don’t knock the athleticism of its players. Quidditch is a sport that requires a great deal of stamina, strength and skill. Those familiar with the sport, either from the Harry Potter books, movies or the organized leagues, know how difficult it is to play. Players don’t wear any equipment, yet it’s a full-contact game.

During his time with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds quidditch team, Rayment said that scrapes and bruises were a regular part of the game.

Founded two years ago, Quidditch Canada hosts tournaments all over the country. The sport has especially taken off on university campuses. There are school teams emerging from coast to coast, including at McGill University and the University of British Columbia. The level of competition varies, but like any sport, everyone wants to win. However, according to Rayment, the athletes aren’t taking themselves too seriously.

Montreal is a particular hotspot for Canadian quidditch. The first team in Canada was started at McGill back in 2008. Université de Montréal has since followed suit, becoming the second competitive team in the city. The city’s Centre Père Sablon even offers quidditch camps for younger kids who are looking to try the sport.

The game’s transition from book to real life has been smoother than one would think. The rules, positions and scoring scheme have managed to stay consistent in their voyage from Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, us muggles have yet to discover the spell for flying brooms or for speedy golf ball snitches. However, these don’t seem to be a problem.

Players are required to keep their brooms between their legs at all times. This makes running a challenge, and it doesn’t help that players also have to pass the ball—the quaffle, which is used for scoring—and dodge the bludgers—which are used to send a player back to their hoops, dodgeball style. Players who are knocked off their brooms by a tackle have to return to their hoops before they can rejoin the game. As for the elusive snitch, the sport got creative.

Concordia does not have a team yet, but McGill does.

In muggle quidditch, the snitch is a person with a “tail” attached to the back of their pants. The snitch is either the fastest or the biggest player on the field. An important rule is that the “seekers,” the only players allowed to catch the snitch, cannot actually touch the snitch. However, the snitches can push, shove, tackle—basically do anything and everything necessary to not get caught. To catch the snitch, the seeker must pull the flag attached to the snitch’s shorts.

“The funniest thing I’ve ever seen involving a snitch was one time where they picked up a seeker by both ends of their broom like a spit roast pig, and used them as a shield from other players,” Rayment said.

In accordance with the original rules, quidditch is a sport for both men and women, and teams must have both genders on the field at all times. This makes it one of the few sports to have a co-ed rule built into the game.

Quidditch is an intriguing sport for several reasons. It began as a fictional game—not many sports can claim that. Secondly, it’s such a new phenomenon. When was the last time anyone got to watch a sport emerge and gain popularity all over the world? Many sports are hundreds of years old, so it’s fascinating to watch quidditch evolve so quickly from the big screen to fields all over Canada.

While Concordia does not have a team or any intramural options for the sport, it’s only a matter of time before the “Potterheads” of Loyola and Sir George Williams hop on their brooms to follow the lead of other Canadian universities.

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Stingers drop a pair of games to UQAM

The men’s team lost in a close game by a score of 3-2. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Both of Concordia’s soccer teams came up short on Sunday

It was a sombre Sunday for the Concordia Stingers soccer teams, dropping a pair of games to the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins at Concordia Stadium. The women were defeated 4-1 and the men lost 3-2.

Women’s Game

The women’s game was a physical contest, and it started rough for the Stingers. Just three minutes in, UQAM forward Marie-Pier Gougeon found space in the 18-yard box and blasted the ball past Stingers goalkeeper Olivia Desgroseilliers.

“It didn’t help giving up a goal so early,” said Stingers head coach Jorge Sanchez.

The women’s team got blown out 4-1 on Sunday. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Stingers bounced back from the early deficit, although they weren’t able to put any points on the scoreboard. For the rest of the first half, the Stingers defence stopped any attack created by the Citadins, and Desgroseilliers made some big saves.

The game was played under powerful winds despite the bright Sunday afternoon sun at the Loyola Campus. The winds almost carried a Stingers corner kick straight into the net, but it hit the crossbar.

The Stingers fell apart in the second half. Thirteen minutes into the second half, the Citadins were awarded a penalty, on which UQAM scored, doubling their lead. It deflated the team, including Sanchez.

“A goal [like the first one], a penalty shot, and I’m at a loss for words,” Sanchez said.

The Stingers created some more chances, including two partial breakaways, but the game was put away when UQAM added a third goal in the 71st minute. Stingers midfielder Chama Sedki scored on a penalty, and the Citadins added a goal late to win the game 4-1.

Sanchez explained after the match that he was disappointed with the results.

The women will take on Bishop’s in their next game at home on Oct. 28 at 8:30 p.m.

Men’s Game

The men’s team were lying on the ground, crushed, following their 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Citadins. Five minutes before the end of the game, the Stingers had the victory wrapped up. A win could have left them fighting for a playoff spot, but they are out of the playoffs as a result of this loss.

“We knew we had the opportunity to make the playoffs if we won the game,” said Stingers defender Amadou Lam.

Like in the women’s game, UQAM got off to a strong start. Just five minutes in, UQAM midfielder Felipe Costa de Souza slotted one past Stingers goalkeeper Karl Gouabé.

Ten minutes later, Stingers forward Abdallah Medouni pounced on a bad clearance by the UQAM goalie and tied the game.

A free kick just outside the Citadins box gave the Stingers their chance to pull ahead in the 23rd minute. Lam curled one around the wall of players and low into the right corner, bringing the score to 2-1.

“I knew it was windy today so I did not want to shoot it with my laces, and just side-footed it and placed it around the wall,”  Lam said.

The Stingers held their lead for the next 65 minutes, but failed to extend it despite the efforts. In the 88th minute, a Citadin pass into the box was mishandled by Gouabé and UQAM stepped on the rebound to tie the game 2-2.

In the final minutes, Concordia’s defence opened up. The Citadins took advantage of a Stingers missed a shot to stage a counter-attack.

A pass into the box was deflected off a Stingers defender and slowly rolled past Gouabé, winning the game for UQAM. They celebrated by sitting in line, pretending to row a boat, rubbing salt in the Stingers’ wounds.

Lam described his team’s emotions in simple terms: “The guys are just disappointed.”

The team will end off their season at home on Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. against McGill.

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Stingers fall at home to the Redmen

The Concordia Stingers lost to the McGill Redmen on Saturday by a score of 28-1. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

Concordia’s football team lost to their crosstown rivals on Saturday

During a cold rainy day at Concordia Stadium on Oct. 22, the Concordia Stingers football team came out flat and lost to their crosstown rivals, the McGill Redmen, by a score of 21-8.

“I’m not going to single anyone out, but overall the performance was not good,” Stingers head coach Mickey Donovan said. “I’m not going to take anything away from McGill, they played hard and won the game but at the end of the day, we didn’t execute.”

The game started off in McGill’s favour, as they managed to get a field goal just three and a half minutes in, on their first possession.

Down 3-0 from the Redmen’s field goal, Stingers quarterback Trenton Miller led his team down the field on their ensuing drive. Miller looked calm and was able to complete passes to receivers Derek Trinh and Justin Julien. The offence made it to McGill’s one-yard line, but weren’t able to run the ball in for a touchdown.

“You know we were down on the one-yard line and we need to be able to push our way into the endzone. There’s no excuses for that,” Donovan said. “It’s been a problem all year. The reason why we pass so much is because we’re not running the ball well at all.”

With the Stingers turning the ball over after the failed scoring attempt, the Redmen picked it up at their own one-yard line and marched all the way down the field for a touchdown. The touchdown was scored by Redmen quarterback Frédéric Paquette-Perrault at the beginning of the second quarter, making the score 10-0.

The rest of the half was dominated by the Redmen. They added two field goals and a safety to take an 18-0 lead at halftime.

The Stingers need to win their next game against Bishop’s if they want to make the playoffs.

In the third quarter, both teams struggled offensively and were unable to get any sustained pressure going, leaving each team trading possessions until the end of the game.

With under four minutes to play, the Redmen added a field goal to make the score 21-3. The Stingers, however, responded with their first touchdown of the game. The score was a 34-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Julien with just 34 seconds left in the match.

After the game, Donovan commented on his team’s inconsistent performance on defence throughout the match.

“The defence has been playing solid all year,” Donovan said. “If you saw the first half, there were a couple of mistakes and that hurts us. But in the second half, they came out and started playing.”

With the loss, the Stingers now have a record of 3-4 in the season, with one game left. The Stingers travel to Bishop’s University next week for a game on Oct. 29 against the Gaiters. If the Stingers win, they earn themselves a spot in the playoffs.

“It’s a must win game. It’s playoffs,” said Donovan.

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Canadiennes win home-opener in a tight game

Les Canadiennes de Montréal won their home-opener on Saturday against the Toronto Furies. Archived photo by Yacine Bouhali.

A low scoring affair eventually led to a Montreal win over Toronto

Les Canadiennes de Montréal of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), defeated the Toronto Furies in a tight game by a score of 2-1 in their home-opener on Oct. 22 at the Étienne Desmarteau arena.

The opening minutes were sloppy, as both teams fumbled the puck and missed their passes. Les Canadiennes were especially shaky as turnovers and mistakes led to some early penalties. However, the Furies were unable to score on their early power play opportunities.

It was in the 16th minute, after a Furies power play had expired, that the Furies were finally able to score and take a 1-0 lead going to the second period.

“I don’t think we were at our best in the first and we had to re-adjust,” said Canadiennes goalie Charline Labonté. “It’s exciting playing at our home-opener and maybe the nerves got in the way.”

After that first goal, Montreal did a much better job of putting pressure on the Furies defence, playing far more minutes in the opposing zone than their own. Yet, their constant pressure generated no results.

The second period started off much stronger than the first for Les Canadiennes. It seemed as though the home-opener jitters were finally shaken off, because Les Canadiennes wasted no time scoring. The goal came from newly appointed captain Marie-Philip Poulin who batted the puck out of midair and into the net to the tie the game at 1-1.

“I closed my eyes and I hoped that I’d touch it,” Poulin said.

With Poulin’s goal, Les Canadiennes built up momentum and started to dominate the game. Montreal continued throwing pucks at the net and cycled the puck, creating pressure in the Toronto zone. The Furies were unable to generate any sustained offense for most of the period.

The energetic crowd helped motivate the home team during the second period. Canadiennes fans cheered loudly after every single shot on net, and the team gained momentum because of it.

“I think we feed off the energy. At the beginning they were a bit quiet,” Poulin said, “They got more energetic as the game went on.”

The third period started off much like the second ended, with Montreal being in control of the game. Toronto tried to counter, but their attempts were thwarted by Labonté, who kept the score tied at 1-1.

It wasn’t until the very end, with five minutes left in the game, that none other than Poulin scored on a breakaway to give her team a 2-1 lead and the win.

The win gives Les Canadiennes an undefeated record of 3-0 on the season. They will face the Furies again on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m. in another match at Étienne Desmarteau arena.

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Stingers defeat Patriotes at home

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team defeated UQTR 6-3 on Friday. Photos by Alex Hutchins.

Concordia’s men’s hockey team beat a formidable opponent from UQTR on Friday night

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team defeated the Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes by a score of 6-3 on Oct. 21 at the Ed Meagher arena thanks to a complete team effort.

“We started off strong so it really helped us,” said Stingers forward Scott Oke. “We got a couple of quick goals in the first period and it got the boys going—we got a little momentum [early on].”

The scoring started just 42 seconds into the game when Stingers captain Olivier Hinse scored to give the Stingers a 1-0 lead. Oke and Stingers defenseman Matthieu Desautels demonstrated great passing on the play in order to get Hinse the goal.

“It feels great,” Hinse said. “It’s a great way to start a game and it’s the way we wanted to play against them. We had some ups and downs, but we stayed composed and we won the game.”

Following Hinse’s lead, the Stingers were able to score three goals on the first five shots of the game. Stingers forward Charles Guèvremont scored at the two minutes 46 seconds mark of the first period thanks to a pass from forward Antoine Masson. Exactly three minutes later, Stingers forward Julien Rainville-Avon gave the Stingers the 3-0 lead.

Despite being down by three, the Patriotes did not give up easily. Their first goal came with just under two minutes left in first period, thanks to a powerplay goal by defenseman Martin Lefebvre. Just one minute and 30 seconds into the second period, Patriotes forward Marc-Olivier Mimar scored off of a rebound to bring the score to 3-2.

“I told them that there’s no need to panic,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement. “Stick to the game plan. We had success at the beginning because we were putting pucks deep and we were putting pucks on net. I just told the guys to relax and enjoy themselves.”

The Stingers regained their composure late in the second period as forward Dominic Beauchemin scored on the powerplay.

The Stingers have improved their record to 4-1 on the season.

The Stingers held off the Patriotes for the majority of the third period. With six minutes left in the game, the Patriotes scored on the powerplay to bring the score to 4-3. Just three minutes later, the Stingers replied with a goal from Oke. Just over a minute later, with the Patriotes goalie pulled, Hinse scored an empty-net goal to bring the score to 6-3.

Despite not scoring, one notable player for the Stingers was forward Philippe Sanche. Sanche was all over the ice all game, working hard in the corners and on the forecheck. The addition of Sanche to the lineup has made a big impact both on and off the ice for the Stingers, and his coach isn’t shying away from that fact.

“He’s a warrior. That’s why I was after him for all of last year,” Élement said. “I wanted to have a guy like that on my team. He’s probably a future captain here—he’s a future leader. If you want to win a championship, you need those guys.”

The Stingers now hold a record of 4-1 and sit in second place in the east division. The team’s next game will be at home against Lakehead University on Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

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Climbing at Concordia University

Concordia rock climbers wait to climb the wall before the rain hits. Photos by Nicholas McCullagh.

Exploring the Laurentians with the Concordia Rock Climbers Association

Who would want to get up early on a Sunday, drive two hours through fog to the Laurentians and hike 15 minutes uphill all just to go rock climbing on an overcast October morning?

Concordia students would.

Matthew Packer is a business student at the John Molson Student of Business and one of the executives of the Concordia Rock Climbers Association (CRCA). Just last week, he was clinging to a cliff on Montagne d’Argent, a popular rock climbing area, leading a group of four Concordia students up the mountain in the rain. Moments earlier, the group had been staring up at him, but as the rain came down, they began rummaging through their daypacks, past peanut butter sandwiches, granola bars and harnesses, to get out their rain coats.

“Had anyone checked the weather forecast?” someone yelled.

Not a comforting thought when you’re 20 meters above the ground. Packer, along with the CRCA climbers, know that cliffs are slippery when wet. It’s usually not as enjoyable to rock climb in the rain. And yet, somehow, the group of eager young climbers are all smiles. Maybe it’s because, up until recently, this opportunity would not have been possible.

The CRCA was founded last year by two Concordia students looking to share their passion for climbing. Nicholas McCullagh, a computer science student and the CRCA’s vice president of events, got involved after he noticed the university’s outdoor club, Concordia Outdoors Club (COC), didn’t offer much for someone who was either already a passionate rock climber or looking to delve into the sport.

The four students who joined the executive team on their rainy trip to the Laurentians two weeks ago are pioneers in a sense. They are among the first people to attend a trip hosted by the CRCA, and while the group may have been small, the association’s executives are expecting a rise in membership and participation.

CRCA member Melanie Allard climbs up Montagne d’Argent.

“Rock climbing is becoming more popular,” said McCullagh. “It’s going to be in the Olympics. There are more gyms opening up. The community is expanding.”

An increase in the CRCA’s popularity may take some strain off COC, whose trips are often at full capacity. The club hosts frequent hiking trips to mountains such as St-Sauveur and Orford. They hire busses to transport as many as 45 students to and from the hikes.

Brynn Low, one of the COC’s co-presidents, said that the strain of running such a large group is being felt at the top.

“Our participation this year has gone up over 100 per cent. All of our events have sold out in literally minutes,” Low said. “It’s been insane. It’s awesome but it’s a lot.”

The COC’s hikes are meant to be entry-level, providing the opportunity for city-dwelling students to get outside and meet new people. They are open to Concordia students interested in getting some exercise away from the city.

“We try and do hiking trips almost every weekend in the fall, and then we do a chalet trip once a semester and we do things like ice-skating in the winter,” Low said.

The popularity of the COC makes it hard to believe that it has only been around for about 10 years. Furthermore, according to Low, the group had barely been active until three years ago and has since experienced a transformation.

Both the COC and CRCA can be considered modern when compared to Montreal’s oldest university outdoor association—the McGill Outdoors Club (MOC) which has been around since 1936.

While not yet on par with an established organization like the MOC, adventure opportunities at Concordia are skyrocketing. Leaders of Concordia’s outdoor clubs have plans to develop and get more people outside in the coming years.

“We want to build. We want to buy gear, ropes and [bouldering] pads,” McCullough said. “We want to expand the community. Becoming like the MOC is an eventual goal.”

Packer, fresh off the wet cliffs of Montagne d’Argent and smiling ear to ear agrees.

“We just want to let climbers connect with each other and introduce people to the sport we love,” said Packer.

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A small player with a tough personality

Tracy-Ann Lavigne is beginning her first season as captain with the Stingers. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

Women’s hockey player Tracy-Ann Lavigne talks about being a captain and her playing techniques

Despite her small stature, Concordia Stingers women’s hockey captain Tracy-Ann Lavigne has a big personality. The five-foot-three centre is completing her fifth and final year with the team, and beginning her first year as captain.

Lavigne has a never-back-down attitude. On the ice, she’s a grinder and not afraid to get physical with her opponents in the corners. Likewise, she doesn’t back away from a challenge off the ice, whether it be in the gym or the classroom.

“I’m a go-getter. I have to go get [what I want], and I won’t quit until I get it,” Lavigne said. “I know I have to work hard in the gym and on the ice.”

Lavigne was one of two co-captains last season, and this season her teammates voted for her to become full-time captain.

Some players change when handed a leadership role, as the task of commanding a group can skew their personality. Lavigne, however, has no intention of changing her style now that she’s captain.

“I’m really proud [to be captain], but it won’t change how I’ll play,” Lavigne said. “I will always stay the same person, and I will do what I have to do.”

“I lead by example but I can also talk,” Lavigne said. “I like to communicate a lot with my teammates [on the ice].”

As the captain of a team, Lavigne’s attitude and emotions rub off on her teammates, so she said she tries to stay as positive as possible.

“I’m never negative towards my teammates,” Lavigne said.  “I’ve always been positive because I don’t like when someone’s negative next to me because it will bring me down. Now that I have the ‘C,’ I have to always be positive, but it’s easy for me.”

For student-athletes, a positive attitude is not always easy to maintain. Between studying and playing hockey, Lavigne said her teammates often get overwhelmed and need a boost at times. Lavigne is the first to console a teammate and try to put a smile on their face.

On the ice, she is the one to tap a teammate on the knee or offer a fist bump and words of encouragement. When her teammates make mistakes, she reminds them to put it behind them and learn from them. Off the ice, if Lavigne sees a teammate in a funk, she will go talk to them and try to cheer them up.

This is Lavigne’s fifth and final season with the Concordia Stingers. Photo by Brianna Thicke.

“I sit with them sometimes if it’s really intense. I just talk to them, and I just try to cheer them up,” Lavigne said.

Lavigne describes herself as a “goofball” on the ice with her teammates. After learning how to skate at the age of two, Lavigne played boys hockey until she reached the Bantam level at 13-years-old.

Girls playing boys hockey before their teenage years is not uncommon, however, Lavigne faced adversity along the way.

“I had to [be tough]. I was the only girl—I had to prove myself all the time,” Lavigne said. “I would always have to be ready to work hard.”

The Montreal native was much smaller than most of the boys she played against, and she is still unafraid to go up against men now. When asked if she would like to go on the ice with the men’s hockey team, who was practicing during the interview, Lavigne seemed excited about the challenge.

“Seriously, I wouldn’t mind going there and trying to go hard against them,” Lavigne said with a smile.

Lavigne only played against other girls once she started playing at the higher levels. She played Bantam and Midget AA hockey for the Canadiennes de Montreal before playing at Dawson College for three years.

Lavigne said this adversity and the constant need to prove herself is reflected in her style of play. She admits she is tough to play against and isn’t worried about going up against bigger opponents. She is the player on the team who will do the physical work so her teammates can get the puck in an open space.

“I’m the grinder. I’m the one that’s going to go in the corners and won’t be easy to [play against]. I just want to get the puck out when I’m there,” Lavigne said.

Lavigne spoke about her rugged style of play with a sense of pride. She added she will not become physical enough to merit a penalty. For such a tough player, her penalty time—56 penalty minutes in 85 games with the Stingers before this season—is surprisingly low.

Lavigne has been with the Stingers since the 2012-2013 season. The finance student said she is happy and “feels at home going to Concordia.”

By the end of this season, Lavigne will have played over 100 games wearing the Stingers maroon and gold. Over her career, she has had many great memories, but the one that sticks with her the most is friendship.

“I’ve been here five years so I see people come and go, and I meet new people,” Lavigne said. “All the friendships that we make here are what I appreciate and what I like the most.”

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Stingers win home-opener against Carleton

The Stingers now have a record of 3-1 thanks to their 3-2 victory against the Carleton Ravens. Photo by Liam Mahoney

Timely offense and great goaltending propelled Concordia to a win against the Ravens

After losing a tough game to the McGill Redmen on Friday, Oct. 14, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team was able to bounce back with a 3-2 victory over the Carleton Ravens during the team’s home-opener on Oct. 15.

“It was a really important game. We’re a young team, but we competed hard tonight. It was like a playoff game,” Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement said. “This was what we didn’t do last night against McGill, and [we competed] today and I’m very happy about the game tonight.”

The Stingers took a 1-0 lead halfway through the first period while on a power play. Stingers forward Scott Oke found the back of the net after sliding the puck past the Ravens goaltender. The Stingers kept pressing in the first period, as they scored again, this time on a five-on-three power play. The goal was scored by Stingers forward Anthony Deluca and brought the Stingers lead to 2-0.

Stingers forward Dominic Beauchemin briefly left the game in the first period after taking a big hit from behind into the boards by Ravens defender Jeremie Fraser. The hit resulted in a five minute boarding penalty. Beauchemin returned to the game in the second period and participated in the final 40 minutes of action.

There wasn’t a single point in the game when the Stingers trailed the Ravens, which was a good learning experience for the young players and veterans alike.

“It’s important in a season to learn how to play with a lead, and I think we did good—we didn’t make any major mistakes,” Élement said. “The guys, they competed a lot, and it was important that game.”

Carleton was able to find a goal early in the second period, cutting the Stinger’s lead down to one.

Playing in the final season-opener of his Stingers career, captain Olivier Hinse played a large part in the team’s win. In the second period, the Stinger’s captain scored a goal on a breakaway to give his team a 3-1 lead. Carleton added a goal with two minutes left in the period to make the score 3-2.

The Stingers will host UQTR next Friday.

“[My last opening game felt good], and we love when we have a lot of people in the stands. That brings out a lot of emotion on the bench and on the ice,” Hinse said. “We gave them a good game, I think.”

Making his home debut with the Stingers, Philippe Sanche looked right at home on the ice. Sanche fit in alongside Hinse all night.  Chemistry is an important part of any team sport, and Sanche said he clicked with the Stingers captain immediately.

“It’s fun when you have good chemistry off the ice and also on the ice—we have a good team and it helps on the ice,” Sanche said. “I think just to play with [Hinse], it’s a big boost for me and it just helps my game to get on the same level as him.”

Concordia’s power play and penalty kill units were a big part of the win Saturday. Maybe even more important was the play from the team’s penalty kill and goaltending. Stingers goaltender Philippe Cadorette held strong in the final period to keep the score at 3-2 and give his team win.

“The guys played super well in front of me,” Cadorette said. “We blocked a lot of shots today, especially at the end, and that’s a good team effort.”

The victory gives the Stingers a record of 3-1. They will now host the Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

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Stingers sweep Carleton in the semi-finals

The Concordia Stingers baseball team has earned a spot in the Northern Division Championship game. Photos by James Kierans.

Great pitching and timely offense propelled the Stingers to a spot in the Northern Division Finals

The Concordia Stingers baseball team swept the Carleton Ravens in their playoff best-of-three series on Oct. 15 at Springate Park thanks to solid pitching performances from Sam Belisle-Springer and Dan Connerty.

The Stingers opened the scoring early in the first game. Stingers shortstop Matthew Litwin scored off a ground ball, giving the Stingers an early lead.

The score stayed at 1-0 until the fifth inning, when the Stingers were able to score off of great base-running from centre fielder Roberto Zapata. Zapata’s run gave the team a 2-0 lead.

That was all the run support the Stingers needed for game one, as Belisle-Springer stood his ground defensively, striking out nine batters through six and one-third innings.

The Ravens came close to tying the game in the top of the sixth, when they managed three hits and a run against Belisle-Springer. The pitcher’s confidence, however, didn’t waver.

“Would I have preferred if they [didn’t get those hits]? Of course,” said Belisle-Springer. “But I had confidence enough in my fast ball and my slider today that I felt like I could get out of pretty much any jam.”

Zapata pitched in relief for the last two batters of the seventh inning and closed out the game. Zapata had both the game-winning run and a save.

In the second game of the afternoon, Connerty started for the Stingers. The Ravens had a tough time with him as well, as he allowed only five batters on base over the course of the deciding game.

“That was definitely my best outing of the year,” Connerty said. He shut out the Ravens through five and two thirds innings of play.

“That was the Connerty I knew in 2013,” Stingers manager Howie Schwartz said. “He knew he was on a very short leash, we could not afford to let him get out there and throw [too many walks]. He came out firing.”

Despite Connerty’s performance, game two was not easily won, as the Stingers struggled to generate offense against Carleton’s left-handed pitcher Mike Bannon. Over the course of the first six innings, Concordia got runners into scoring position four times, but failed to convert every time.

The Stingers have picked up a spot in the Nationals.

Still, with the chance to advance to the Division Finals on the line, the Stingers were confident in their game. “It was just a matter of time until we won that game,” Belisle-Springer said. “There was no way we were going to Ottawa [for a game 3].”

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Stingers finally broke the deadlock, as second baseman Mathieu Paquette-Groulx scored from third base off of a wild pitch. The Stingers won game two 1-0 and completed their sweep of the Ravens in back-to-back close games.

Connerty said that the team was comfortable winning by such a close margin as they have been doing so all season.

The Stingers are already preparing themselves for next week’s matchup. Belisle-Springer has no doubt in his mind as to who he’d rather face between the Université de Montréal and McGill who are playing game three of their series on Oct. 17.

“I’d rather beat McGill,” he said.

The Stingers will play next weekend for the Northern Division Championship, and have clinched a spot in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association Nationals.

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Stingers win season opener in shootouts

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team start off their season with a record of 1-0. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Concordia came back from two goals down to defeat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team beat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 5-4 in a shootout, surmounting a two-goal deficit midway through the third period to secure a win in their season opener on Oct. 14 at the Ed Meagher arena.

The Stingers had a slow start to the game, with the Gee-Gees pressuring them early and often. Ottawa defenders played aggressively at their own blue line, while their forwards caused turnover after turnover in Concordia’s defensive zone.

“In our first period, we didn’t start well,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “We might have had the benefit of some power plays, but overall we were a little bit flat.”

Ottawa took four minor penalties in the first period. Concordia took advantage, with forward Marie-Pascale Bernier scoring from a sharp angle to give her team a 1-0 lead.

The Gee-Gees responded with just four seconds left before first intermission, as forward Melissa Grégoire chipped a rebound past Stingers goaltender Katherine Purchase.

In the second period, the Stingers adjusted to Ottawa’s aggressive defenders, creating several breakouts into the Ottawa zone.

“Ultimately, we just said that we have to work harder,” Chu said. “They were beating us to pucks, we were half into our [strategies], and not fully in.”

Concordia had the puck on their sticks for most of the period, but Ottawa would still strike first. Forward Roxanne Rioux of the Gee-Gees scored on a power play halfway through the second period. The Stingers would tie it again before intermission, as Stinger forward Claudia Dubois fired a screened shot past Gee-Gees goalie Maude Lévesque-Ryan.

The momentum stayed with the home team at the start of the third, but Concordia’s skaters struggled to take advantage of scoring chances, despite commanding the play.

“When you’re playing against a good team, they’re gonna force you, and we’re not always going to be able to get the same opportunities and be able to put pucks on net,” Chu said.

Midway through the third period, Ottawa took the lead, scoring two quick goals only 90 seconds apart. Stingers forward Claudia Fortin then got called for a hooking penalty with eight minutes left in the game, but the Gee-Gees were unable to convert.

As the penalty expired, Concordia forward Stephanie Lalancette rushed up the ice alone, deking through a defender, and sniping the puck past the Ottawa goalie, bringing the score to 4-3.

“We want to possess, possess and eventually we’ll start to wear them down,” Chu said of her team’s persistence.

Minutes later, the Stingers, on their seventh power play of the game, would tie the game with a point shot from defender Caroll-Ann Gagné, forcing overtime.

Despite lots of action at both ends of the rink, the teams went to a shootout after five minutes of four-on-four. Dubois scored the only goal in the shootout for the Stingers, banking one off the crossbar and back in the net off of Lévesque-Ryan. Purchase stopped every shot she faced to secure the win for Concordia.

Chu said that she encourages her team to enjoy the moment but that with their next game on Sunday, their focus will have to shift quickly.

“It’s another game, and if they don’t show up to play, it doesn’t matter if we won tonight,” Chu said.

The Stingers will host the Université de Montréal Carabins in their next game on Oct. 16 at 3 p.m.

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Stingers fall short against McGill

The Concordia Stingers now have a record of 2-1 after their loss to McGIll. Photo by Alexander Cole

The Stingers almost came back from five goals down to tie the game but lost 6-5

After going down 6-1 at the beginning of the third period on Oct. 14 against the McGill Redmen, the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team mounted a late comeback but it was too little, too late, as the team lost 6-5.

“It was a lesson for the guys,” Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement said. “We’re a young team but the guys are going to have to learn that if you want to win in the [Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS)] you have to play a full 60 minutes. We played about 25 minutes.”

The first period was a rough one for the Stingers as they gave up four goals because of bad bounces and defensive miscues. Just five minutes into the game, Redmen defenseman Étienne Boutet scored on a shot from the blue line that floated by the blocker of Stingers goaltender Philippe Cadorette.

Less than a minute later, Redmen forward Samuel Hodhod scored after a scramble in front of the net. Later in the period, Redmen forwards Frédéric Gamelin and Patrick Delisle-Houde each netted a goal to give the home team a 4-0 lead.

“Yeah we got unlucky but you create your own luck also,” Élement said. “I got to give [the Redmen] credit. They were working harder than us so for us it’s a really good wake up call.”

To start the second period Cadorette was replaced by backup goalie Miguel Sullivan after allowing four goals on 12 shots.

The period started in the Stingers’ favour after a quick goal 25 seconds in by rookie forward Anthony Deluca. The Redmen would come back quickly with goals by defensemen Dominic Talbot-Tassi and Redgie Bois. At the end of the second period, the score was 6-1 in favour of the Redmen.

“They went on hard in the first two periods,” Stingers captain Olivier Hinse said. “We were not winning our battles. The first two periods we were not there mentally or physically and they were all over us.”

The third period started off slow and seemed to be a write-off for the Stingers, until a goal by Stingers forward Raphael Lafontaine pumped new life into the team with eight minutes left in the game.

Within two and half minutes of Lafontaine’s goal, Stingers forwards Scott Oke and Dominic Beauchemin each added a goal to bring the score to 6-4 in favour of the Redmen.

With four minutes left, Lafontaine picked up his second goal and lowered the deficit to one goal. Despite taking out Sullivan late to add an extra attacker, the Stingers were unable to tie the game and suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of their McGill rivals.

“The third period was amazing and that’s who we are as the Stingers,” Hinse said.

One high point of the game for the Stingers was the brewing chemistry between the top line of Hinse, Deluca and Sanche. Deluca scored his first goal of the season, and the whole line demonstrated crisp passing and lightning speed.

“We practiced a bit together this summer in three-on-three leagues,” Deluca said. “I think it’s a really good mix. We’re really close on and off the ice, and the chemistry we’ve built has shown and hopefully it helps us all season.”

The Stingers will play their home-opener on Oct. 15 against the University of Carleton at 7:30 p.m. at the Ed Meagher arena.

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Stingers fall short in Concordia Classic

The Concordia Stingers finished as runners up in the Concordia Classic tournament. Photos by Ana Hernandez.

Concordia lost to a powerful Brock Badgers team in the finals of their home tournament

After winning their first two games, the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team lost to a talented Brock University squad in the finals of the Concordia Classic tournament. Led by fourth year forward Dani Elgadi, the Badgers defeated all three opposing teams and put on a shooting display every time they set foot on the court. Elgadi also took home the most valuable player trophy.

Despite the loss, Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic was proud of his team’s effort, although he said the team had issues when it came to starting games off slow.

Popovic added he was happy with the performance of rookie forward Olivier Simon, who was named to the tournament’s all-star team.

“I think the world of Olivier Simon. He just comes in everyday works hard and listens,” Popovic said. “I always tell our players you got to be a hundred per cent coachable. The effort and the attitude is there. He’s just showing how good he can be.”

Fourth year guard Ken Beaulieu was also named to the tournament’s all-star team. Beaulieu, who maintained an average of 15 points per game in the tournament, explained how he got his points.

“I’m just trying to find the easy buckets, find the open guy and go to the basket, stuff like that,” Beaulieu said. “Sometimes my teammates tell me to take more shots.”

The Stingers started their tournament against the Nipissing University Lakers. Both teams started out sluggish and neither could get an offensive game going. By halftime, both teams had combined for a 39.34 shooting percentage from the field. Going into halftime, the Stingers trailed by four points, 35-31.

“I don’t think the energy was there at the beginning of the game,” Popovic said.

The Stingers were a different team in the second half. They outscored their opponent 40-31 with 10 of those points coming from turnovers. They were able to pull away and won the game 81-69.

In the second game, the Stingers played Cape Breton University. Cape Breton came out of the gate hard, as the team scored the first 10 points of the quarter. However, the Stingers were able to answer back in a wildly contested half that saw several lead changes. Both teams had the lead at times and exchanged baskets. The Stingers came out of the half on top with a 38-37 lead.

The Stingers will now head off to Prince Edward Island for their next tournament.

In the second half, the Stingers managed to hold the visitors to a field goal percentage of 16 per cent to secure their second win in a row.  The final score was 75-53.

In the final game against Brock University, the Stingers were no match for the team’s powerful offence. Elgadi made 15 out of 20 shots from the field and scored 36 points en-route to a 95-78 victory over the Stingers.

“He’s one of the best players in Canada and he showed why today,” Popovic said. “We didn’t defend him how we were supposed to defend with what we had in the scouting report.”

After finishing as runners-up in the tournament, Popovic explained what his team needs to do to be better in the future.

“We got to defend better for 40 minutes. We got to play harder for 40 minutes,” Popovic said. “We have to execute the gameplan. We got to make other guys beat us instead of the top scorers.”

The Stingers next game is on Oct. 14 in the first game of the University of Prince Edward Island tournament.

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