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A look into the Stingers’ new offence

One of the major changes that the Concordia Stingers football team made after last season was hiring former St-Jean Géants head coach, Alex Surprenant, as offensive coordinator.

Fast-forward to the present, and Surprenant now has two games under his belt as the Stingers offensive coordinator. Those games may not have gone the way the team would have liked, starting out with two losses, but Surprenant knows that this is a young team trying to rebuild their program.

Head coach Brad Collinson and Surprenant put an emphasis on recruiting fast and local players on the offensive side of the ball during the off-season to play in Surprenant’s Run-Pass option, or RPO, system.

“If you want to win [long term] it really depends on your recruiting class,” said Surprenant. “Coach Brad also put together a great coaching staff. The football world is a little community where everyone knows everyone and he surrounded me with a great staff.”

The RPO system is something relatively new to the Canadian football world. It’s a tough system to implement, as there are only three downs as opposed to the American game, where there are four downs where it’s a lot easier to use it in.

“The biggest adjustment is that it’s three downs here instead of four like in CEGEP,” Surprenant said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still football so it’s not that difficult to adapt.”

Stingers offensive coordinator Alex Surprenant was hired back in February 2019. Photo by Laurence BD

Another major change to the offence is that they also use a no-huddle system. That means that quarterback Adam Vance gets the signal from the sideline and yells it to the rest of the team from the line of scrimmage without going into a huddle. This allows the offence to move at a faster pace.

“My inspiration comes from the [Kansas City] Chiefs, [New England] Patriots, and the Oregon Ducks from back in the day,” said Surprenant. “Those offences are the best at getting to the line quickly and using their speed.”

The players aren’t the only ones excited about the new offence. Collinson says he was also very excited to see the system that Surprenant put into place during training camp.

“Any time you put in something new, you get excited and want to learn it,” said Collinson. “There’s a lot of diversity in what we’re doing too, like RPO and zone-read options. Alex ran a really good offence at the CEGEP level and we’re seeing some of it here.”

The first two games of the season proved to be tough ones for the offence for many different reasons. But that is to be expected with a young team trying to find its identity. However, these are not excuses for the coaching staff.

Against Les Carabins de l’Université de Montréal, there were multiple missed opportunities by the Stingers to advance the ball down the field due to penalties and dropped passes that would have extended the Stingers offence’s time on the field.

“If we played our best game and lost 10-3, we would have been happy,” said Surprenant. “But after watching film, we’re not happy. We had a lot of missed opportunities at the end of the game that would have given our team a way better chance at winning.”

Whatever the reason may be for the dropped passes in that game, the Stingers could revisit what worked well for them. They moved quickly in their no-huddle offence and kept the Carabins, a top three team in the country, on their heels for a lot of the game whenever they got into an offensive rhythm.

However, this past week against McGill, their game plan got away from them. It started off with a four play offensive drive that ended in an Andrew Stevens punt. McGill caught the Stingers flat footed on defense and drove 82 yards in just three plays and never looked back.

A big part of any offence is the offensive line. Vance and his running backs can only do their jobs if the offensive line gives them the time to make plays. In the first quarter, starting left tackle Damien Constantin went down with an injury and did not return.

For right-handed quarterbacks, such as Vance, the left tackle is the most important position on the line as that position protects the quarterback’s blindside.

“It’s tough to overcome,” said Vance after Friday’s loss. “We don’t have a lot of depth [at the position]. It’s a really big blow.”

The Stingers found a bit of a rhythm in the second half but not enough to mount a comeback, as it was too little too late.

“We came [to McGill] and thought they’d roll over, but last time I checked we haven’t won a game in something like 300 days so we can’t be thinking like that,” Vance said.

The Stingers still have six more games this season to right their wrongs and get the offence on track. It is hard to temper expectations after such a strong effort in their first game against the Carabins, but they are still a very young team with a lot to learn, according to Surprenant.

“Coach Brad told the guys, ‘we need to learn how to win. You’re not born a winner and nothing is given.’ It’s a hard process but we know we will get to where we want to be,” said Surprenant.

 

Feature photo by Laurence BD

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McGill 40, Stingers 14. Three Things We Learned from the 51st Shaughnessy Cup

The Concordia Stingers drop their second game in a row, losing to McGill in the 51st Shaughnessy Cup by a score of 40-14.

McGill was led to victory off the backs of receiver Pearce Dumay, who made six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and running-back Donavan Martel who gained 135 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts.

Adam Vance and the rest of the Stingers offence had a tough start to the game, throwing two interceptions and fumbling the ball in the first half.

“We came here with the wrong mindset,” said Vance, the Stingers’ quarterback. “We were really happy with the way we played last week [against Les Carabins] and thought McGill would just roll over.”

Starting left-tackle Damien Constantin went down in the first quarter with an injury that saw him sidelined for the rest of the game. Constantin is a big part of the Stingers offensive line and his injury was certainly felt by Vance, who was sacked five times in the game.

Here are three things we learned from the loss against McGill:

 

  •     If the Concordia Stingers want to have any type of offensive success, it starts with the offensive line giving Vance time to get the ball down field. The Stingers offence had a lot of trouble getting any sort of production on the run, or through the air, in the first half against a McGill side that came out ready and determined. If one were to just look at the box score of the game, you’d think the blame would lie on Vance, who turned over the ball four times; twice by interception and twice by fumble. However, a lot of that blame falls on the offensive line. Vance spent the majority of the game under pressure, forcing him to take a handful of sacks, which forced some poor decisions from the fifth-year quarterback. A reason why this happened was Constantin going down early in the first quarter. The offence started to see more production in the second half, when Vance had more time in the pocket to go through his reads and allow his receivers to get down field.
  •     On the other side of the ball, the defensive line has to be able to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. McGill’s gunslinger, Dimitrios Sinidinos, had loads of time to go through all his reads and find someone to complete passes to. McGill’s offensive line also had a very easy time creating large gaps for their running back, Donavan Martel, to tear apart the Stingers from the ground. Run stopping was a big issue of the Stingers’ last season and unless something changes, their defense will be spending a lot of time on the field again.
  •     One major bright spot for the Stingers in the game was rookie running back and kick returner, Kevin Foster. Foster hasn’t had many touches with the offence so far this season, but has made the most of his opportunities. In the third quarter, Foster had a 74-yard kick return touchdown, where he made a couple of McGill defenders miss before breaking up the sideline for the beautiful return. Foster has a lot of speed and skill, and will surely become a big part of the Stingers’ offence in the future. Right now, however, he still needs to adjust to the physicality of U Sports football.

 

Feature photo by Laurence BD

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Stingers Drop Season home opener in close contest against Carabins

Quarterback Adam Vance threw three interceptions against the Carabins. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Concordia Stingers lost to Université de Montréal Carabins in the first game of the 2019-20 Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) university football calendar.

Both teams were looking to find their rhythm, but only one touchdown was scored and missed plays cost points for both teams.

Despite the loss, the Stingers finished the match with 266 yards gained, compared to 215 for the Carabins. The team also saw a touchdown called back in the second quarter because of a penalty. Stingers head coach Brad Collinson said his team needs to learn how to win those types of games.

“It doesn’t come easy, especially against a great team like the Carabins,” Collinson said. “They have a great defence, on paper the best in the country. We had a couple of costly penalties in the second half, but it’s a process.”

Collinson said his team wanted to show people they were not to be taken lightly.

“We saw [votings] for this week and everyone picked Montreal,” Collinson said. “We wanted to send the message today that we were there. We’re going to work hard every day and won’t skip a step.”

The Stingers’s offence was led by rookie receiver Jeremy Murphy, who gained 95 field yards in five receptions, including the longest reception of the match with 43 yards.

Murphy said he felt good in his first game with the Stingers, although he would’ve preferred to start the campaign with a win.

“We all know they’re a big team, but we’re not scared,” Murphy said. “They’re physical and that’s how they impose their [game style]. They adapted well and we had to do better. We’re just trying to play football like we’re supposed to do. Whoever comes up against us, we just try the best we can.”

The Stingers will play McGill on Aug. 30 at 4 p.m. at the Percival Molson Stadium.

 

Archive photo by Mackenzie Lad

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Colour Commentary

Summer is over. As much as we’d like to deny it, we all hear the back to school ads on the radio, see the commercials on TV and our friends on social media asking about easy electives to take.

With every new academic year comes new challenges for everyone. The day I walked into Concordia, I knew I wanted to be a sports broadcaster. I did everything in my power to hone my skills and become great at that – and I still have a ways to go.

However, in that endeavor, I pitted myself into becoming a one trick pony; and that just doesn’t work in today’s media landscape. Journalists nowadays have to be able to do everything.

Every year around December, I like to reflect on the year that was and how I could grow from it. Every year I promised myself that I would take on more writing projects. Everyone who knows me, knows I do not lie; and when I do, I feel terrible about it. Well, I lied to myself for three years because I never really took that promise, or writing, seriously.

However, this year is different. This year I have a responsibility as sports editor of this amazing newspaper only to myself, but also the amazing team of writers that work hard to churn out stories every week; I have a responsibility to you, our readers.

I am honored and privileged to be able to hold the position of sports editor and I do not take it lightly. This year I promise to give this paper everything I have and will do my utmost best to make this section the best that it can be.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy the ride.

 

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Stingers to Host Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship

The men’s rugby team celebrated their second-straight championship at home on Nov. 10. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

The Concordia Stingers men’s rugby team have reached the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship for the last two years with back-to-back undefeated seasons in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) conference. This year will mark a third appearance in as many years for them at the Championship, as the Concordia University department of recreation and athletics has been selected to host the tournament this year.

The 2019 Championship will be played at Concordia Stadium, from Nov. 20-24. It will be the third edition of the tournament, with the University of Guelph and the University of Victoria hosting the first two, respectively.

With this year’s tournament played at Concordia, the Stingers are guaranteed a berth as hosts of the event. However, Stingers players like Stephen Martinez think this secured spot won’t affect their approach this season.

“The boys still want to earn their spot in the tournament, which means finishing in first place again, even if we’re guaranteed a spot as hosts,” Martinez said. “Second place isn’t in our vocabulary. We need to work to prove that we belong there, regardless if we’re hosting or not.”

Martinez adds that having the tournament at Concordia is a great opportunity to develop Quebec’s interest in the sport.

“Having this tournament here will hopefully show some higher level teams that Quebec teams can compete and that there are a lot of talented players here,” Martinez said. “With more interest, it might spark the start of a Major League Rugby team in Montreal.”

Stingers veteran Lucas Hotton says the difference of having the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship at Concordia might be more emotional than about the game itself, as players will play in front of family and friends.

“I think that’s a huge advantage because [rugby’s] not just a physical sport, but also a very mental one,” Hotton said. “Each little play makes a big difference, and that will be the difference as you’ll see more heart and more emotion on the field.”

Martinez also sees the home crowd as a factor in such a big tournament. The Stingers are undefeated at home since 2016 and he says the plan is to keep it that way this year, including at the Championship.

“Playing in front of a home crowd can encourage us a bit more to perform once we are there. A lot of us will have family and friends there. Our club teams will be there to support us, so it will be a really good environment.”

While hosting the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship won’t change their season approach, Hotton says it can be harder for a team to focus on its season first, knowing what’s coming for them in November.

“I know a lot of the players are really excited to host the Championship, but it’s important to make sure they keep their feet on the ground and focus on one game at a time,” Hotton said. “I think that will be the approach this season, just like it’s been the last one. One game at a time, and just make sure everyone works each week as we progress through the season.”

 

Feature photo by Hannah Ewen

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Stingers take home RSEQ championship

The Concordia Stingers women's hockey team won their first RSEQ title since 2005. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Women’s team dominates second half in 3-1 win over the Carabins

In their third and final match-up against the Université de Montréal Carabins on Sunday, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team dominated huge chunks of the second and third periods to claim the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship. Sophie Gagnon, Marie-Pascale Bernier and Claudia Dubois all scored for the Stingers in game three, as the team managed to once again hold off a late surge from the Carabins.

Head coach Julie Chu has won medals at Olympics, World Championships and the 4 Nations Tournament as a member of the United States national team. Now, she’ll add RSEQ champion to the list. This is her first banner as coach for the Stingers, and for her, this title is huge.

“This was about our team coming together as a family and executing in the end and doing a great job. That’s what happened today, and that’s what I’m proud of,” Chu said after the game.

The Stingers will return to nationals after finishing fourth last year. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team forced game three on Saturday after beating the Carabins 3-2 in game two.

Game three was scoreless after the first period of play. The Stingers and Carabins generated quality chances, but goalies Katherine Purchase of Concordia and Marie-Pier Chabot of the Carabins turned away every opportunity.

The Stingers shot chart. By Nicholas Di Giovanni

The Stingers’s first goal of the game came from Sophie Gagnon, who had been playing with high energy throughout the series and was rewarded when she planted herself in front of Chabot on the power play. Stingers forward Stéphanie Lalancette set up in her usual power-play position, just inside the face-off circle, and tee’d off a slap shot. Chabot made the initial save, but Gagnon managed to bang home the rebound.

In game one of the series, the Stingers were unable to generate those types of quality chances and let the Carabins dictate the pace of the game. In games two and three, the team used their speed to control the puck up high in the offensive zone. That’s where the Stingers were able to begin their attacks, and it’s part of the reason they won the title.

“What [the team] does every single day to work and be committed to the process, that’s why we’re successful right now,” Chu said.

The Carabins came into this game as the superior physical team, and had previously used their size to outmuscle the Stingers.

Late in the second period, the Carabins responded with a goal of their own. A rebound from Purchase turned into a scramble, and the Stingers goalie was unable to track the puck before Marie-Pier Dubé jammed it into the net. The game remained tied going into the third period.

Coming out of the gate hot was a big talking point for the coaches and players after the two previous games. Only 53 seconds into the third period, the Stingers delivered. Audrey Belzile forced a turnover in the neutral zone for a two-on-one break with linemate Marie-Pascale Bernier. Belzile slid the puck over to Bernier, who appeared to fan on the shot, but got enough on it to slide it past a sprawling Chabot.

Two minutes later, it was Claudia Dubois who added the third goal for the Stingers. Dubois forechecked the Carabins defenders hard, won the puck from the corner and brought it behind the net. She made a quick turn for the wraparound, and just waited for Chabot to open her pads up before firing the puck five-hole.

After that, the Carabins brought the attack. They pulled Chabot with two minutes left in the game. Belzile took a penalty at the same time to give the Carabins a six-on-four player advantage. The Stingers penalty kill went to work, throwing themselves in front on everything.

Time wound down, and the Stingers cleared the bench to celebrate their first RSEQ title since 2005. Friends and family of the team joined them on the ice as Concordia Athletics Director D’Arcy Ryan presented them with their medals.

Standouts from the game include Purchase, Chabot and Stingers forward Keriann Schofield, who turned in an impressive performance of drawing penalties and being a general disturbance for the Carabins.

The Stingers will now get set for the National Championships, to be hosted by Western University in two weeks. According to Chu, the team will get Monday off, but they will be back on the ice on Tuesday to prepare.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers drop thriller against Montréal in shootout

The Stingers took 39 shots against Carabins goalie Marie-Pier Chabot. Photo by Alex Hutchins

3-2 loss is Concordia’s first in five games, going back to Nov. 17

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team lost 3-2 in a shootout against the Université de Montréal Carabins at the Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 19. The loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Stingers, and hands them their first defeat since Nov. 17.

This was the fourth meeting of the season between the Carabins and Stingers, the first-placed and second-placed teams in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), respectively. Like this game, all three previous games went to overtime. The Stingers won the first two in overtime, and the third in a shootout.

“This was a playoff-calibre game,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “With Montréal, we’re well-matched, and that was a lot of fun to be a part of. Despite the fact that we want to win every game, it was a good atmosphere and good intensity.”

Almost right off the opening face-off, the Stingers pressured the Carabins in the neutral zone to create a turnover. Stingers forward Stéphanie Lalancette picked up the loose puck and took a well-placed shot to beat Montréal goalie Marie-Pier Chabot just 15 seconds into the game.

“It’s always nice to start off first shot, first goal off a really good forecheck on the face-off,” Chu said.

Neither team scored for the rest off the period, as both goalies, Chabot for the Carabins and Katherine Purchase for the Stingers, made key saves.

On a power play in the opening minutes of the second period, Stingers forward Keriann Schofield made a nifty deke to beat a defender and get to the front of the net. She lost the puck right in front of Chabot, but forward Sophie Gagnon was on the doorstep to give the Stingers a 2-0 lead.

Gagnon was all over the ice, scoring the goal and drawing multiple penalties against the Carabins.

Stingers forward Sophie Gagnon (#11) scored the second goal for Concordia and drew multiple penalties. Photo by Alex Hutchins

“Sophie is a worker. She’s like our warrior,” Chu said. “She’s all about grit, hard work, battling in competition, and going out there and doing what she can. She played great for us.”

The Carabins started climbing their way back into the game with a short-handed goal in the second period. While the Stingers were on the power play, some miscommunication between defenceman Caroll-Ann Gagné and forward Claudia Fortin led to a turnover to Carabins forward Jessica Cormier. She used her speed to break in against Purchase and beat her blocker-side.

“We gave up more opportunities than we created on that [power play],” Chu said. “We can’t do that.”

In the third period, both goalies were locked in and making incredible saves. Purchase made a stop with her glove while lying on her back, and just moments later, Chabot outperformed her opponent when she robbed Stingers forward Audrey Belzile with a stick save while she was lying on her side. In all, Purchase made 32 saves, and Chabot made 37.

The Carabins did get the better of Purchase with under two minutes left in the game. After sustained pressure in the Stingers zone, Carabins defenceman Valérie St-Onge threw the puck on net, and forward Audrey Lavallée tipped it in.

The Stingers outshot the Carabins 8-5 in the two five-minute overtime periods, but couldn’t beat Chabot. In the fourth round of the shootout, Laurie Mercier scored the winner for Montréal.

“You learn from your losses,” Chu said. “Games like this, you’re going to be put in tough situations […] That sets us up for a lot of learning growth for the rest of the season.”

The Carabins now have a three-point lead over the Stingers for first place, although the Stingers have two games in hand. The Stingers next play on Jan. 21 against the Carleton Ravens at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Photos by Alex Hutchins

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Making her debut a year late

Ashley Moss started playing basketball when her family moved to a new neighbourhood in Nassau, Bahamas. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Ashley Moss was injured in her first game as a Stinger, but returned this season

Ashley Moss joined the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team before the 2016-17 season with high expectations for herself and her team. As a transfer from the Holland Hurricanes of Charlottetown, P.E.I., she came to Concordia with one goal in mind—to help put a championship banner in the rafters of the Stingers’s home court.

Before she could help her team to the top, Moss had a hill of her own to climb. In her very first game with the Stingers in October 2016, Moss went down with what was later discovered to be a serious injury. Tests revealed she had torn her left Achilles tendon as well as her meniscus. These injuries kept her sidelined for the rest of her first season, and marked the beginning of a tedious, year-long rehabilitation process.

While this devastating injury presented Moss with a tough road to recovery, she is not a stranger to long and winding roads. Moss was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. When she was in 12th grade, her family moved to a different part of the city, which is where basketball first caught her eye. According to Moss, basketball started not so much as a passion, but as a necessity.

“There was a court on the side of my house. I was in a new neighbourhood, and the only thing to do was to go watch the boys play basketball,” she said. Eventually, Moss got tired of watching. She began participating in the street games and competing against full-grown men at the age of 18. From here, both her love and skill for the game developed.

Standing at 5-10, Moss is a lengthy, athletic forward. Her size gives her a particular type of defensive prowess which is cherished by coaches, and is what ended up earning her a spot on the Bahamas national women’s basketball team. She played on the national team for three years. In 2015, her last season with the team, she helped lead the Bahamas to a gold medal at the International Basketball Federation Caribbean Basketball Confederation (FIBA CBC) championship.

Moss injured her Achilles tendon in her first game last season, and missed the entire year. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

She wanted to see how much further basketball could take her, and decided to leave the tropical heat of the Caribbean for the bitter cold of Canada to keep playing. Moss began her collegiate career at Holland College in 2013-14. In her three seasons at Holland College, she won back-to-back Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) championships in 2015 and 2016, and helped the team compete in their first two national championship tournaments.

From the Bahamas to P.E.I., Moss made a tough transition but maintained a winning pedigree. Moss said her move was tough because she had never been away from her family, nor had she seen the school. This is exactly what she was preparing to do again, when she moved from Charlottetown to Montreal, where she felt she had the best chance to keep winning. Moss said Stingers head coach Tenicha Gittens influenced her to make the switch to Concordia.

Gittens helped ease the transition for Moss by bringing in fellow Holland College recruits, Marvia Dean and Jazlin Barker, for the 2016-17 season.

“[Gittens] was on the same page as us,” Moss said. “She wanted to win a championship, and I feel like we can do it with her.”

Unfortunately for Moss, she was not able to join her former Hurricanes teammates on the court in her first season as a Stinger.

When asked to describe her journey back from last year’s season-ending injury, Moss did not lie about how hard it was. “My rehab was really rough, but what was even harder than the rehab was watching my teammates play,” she said. “The wins were good, but when they lost and struggled, I really felt the struggle.” According to Moss, she had to learn to walk again, and at times, was limited to shooting shots while sitting down in a chair with her leg up in a boot, as her teammates practiced.

As of today, Moss is healthy and off to a strong start this year. She won Most Valuable Player of the Concordia Classic Tournament in October, which her team won, and was named athlete of the week twice in the preseason. On Nov. 9, she played her first regular season game at home in front of a noisy crowd, which she had been itching to do.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited to play in this gym? I’ve been waiting forever to play in front of this crowd,” Moss said enthusiastically.

Her pent up energy was on full display in the home opener, where she had game-highs in both rebounds, with 12, and blocks, with five.

The word resilient describes Moss’s journey, her character and her style of play. She never lets a bad break, a tough challenge or a daunting task keep her down. She consistently bulldozes her way through the obstacles in front of her, and in doing so, wins, both in life and in basketball.

Main photo by Kirubel Mehari.

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Philippe Hudon isn’t changing who he is

By Alex Hutchins

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.”

Throughout Hudon’s hockey career, others have put high expectations on him. This began even before he started attending Choate Rosemary Hall in 2008, a boarding school in Connecticut known for its academics and hockey program. Choate plays in the Founder’s League, and is widely considered to be one of the top high school hockey leagues in the United States.

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.

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Stingers baseball team drops season opener against Carabins

Pitcher Jackson Morgan prepares for a pitch in the Concordia Stingers season opener against UdeM on Sept. 6. Photo by Ben Fraser.

Despite solid pitching performance by Jackson Morgan, Concordia lost 5-3 to UdeM

The Concordia Stingers baseball team opened up the 2017-18 season with a 5-3 loss to the Université de Montréal Carabins on Sept. 6. Pitcher Jackson Morgan did what all starting pitchers should do—he gave the team a chance to win, going 5 2/3 innings and only giving up two runs.

Morgan ran into some trouble in the top of the sixth as he allowed a run, and had two men on base before he was pulled from the game with two outs.

“I was starting to tire a bit, and when that happens, the curve[ball] doesn’t curve as much, and the change[up] doesn’t change as much,” Morgan said. “So it became about finding outs, the best way I could.”

Morgan praised his defence behind him, calling them incredible all night long. It was a very defence-oriented game for both teams, as the Stingers scored three runs in total. Two runs batted in by Bruce Tejada and another by Miles Arecchi-Schuh drove in the Stingers’ runs of the night.

Concordia Stingers baseball players look on from the dugout in the team’s season opener against the UdeM Carabins on Sept. 6. Photo by Ben Fraser.

It was a rough night for Concordia pitcher Frederic Lalande, who entered the game in the top of the seventh with a 3-2 lead. He had a chance to pick up a save but took the loss instead.

He struck out the first two hitters he faced, but ran into issues locating his pitches, eventually loading the bases. The Carabins capitalized, getting a bases-clearing triple to deep centre field. This gave the Carabins a 5-3 lead, and handed Lalande a blown save.

“They got some cheap hits,” he said. “I felt really in control, confident, but that’s baseball.”

The Stingers had a chance to win with a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth, but failed to score, handing the win to the Carabins.

The Stingers inability to hit with runners in scoring position was a reason for their loss. The team went two-for-nine with runners in scoring position, an occurrence that manager Howie Schwartz said won’t be a common occurrence.

“It’s early in the season. These guys all played in the States, they’re major ballplayers, [but] their timing is off,” Schwartz said.

Aside from the lack of clutch hits, the Stingers struck out 12 times, all against UdeM starter Simon Brisebois, who threw a complete game. Schwartz said his team’s ability to hit will come with time.

“Brisebois is an excellent pitcher. We managed to take care of him last year, [but today] he kept us off balance,” he said. Schwartz added that the first five hitters in the lineup are fantastic, and he expects improvement from them.

Morgan also commented on his team’s offence: “We’ll get the bats going. [We] know how to swing … and I’m expecting them to put up 10 to 12 runs a game”.

The Stingers travel to Ottawa to face the Carleton Ravens for a doubleheader on Sept. 10.

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Two Stingers proudly represented Concordia at Hockey Canada development camp

Claudia Dubois lines up for a face-off in regular-season action during the 2016-17 season. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins

Claudia Dubois and Caroll-Ann Gagné aim to reach new heights with women’s hockey team

Two Stingers on the women’s hockey team recently got to hone their talents with Canada’s national women’s development team. Defenceman Caroll-Ann Gagné and forward Claudia Dubois represented Concordia at Hockey Canada’s national team summer showcase in Calgary, Alta. from Aug. 5 to 13.

Nearly 70 players from U Sports, the NCAA and the under-18 level took part in the development camp. Dubois and Gagné participated in on-ice training sessions, intrasquad games and various off-ice classroom sessions.

“I think we learned a lot of things off the ice because we had meetings about nutrition, and we had some meetings with sports psychologists,” Gagné said.

The camp started off with physical tests, including the bench press and the beep test. Dubois said they then learned about properly warming up before games and cooling down after games.

After the first few days of demanding fitness training, the development camp moved to the ice. Although the players came from different schools and won’t be playing together this season, they practiced as a team and focused on developing teamwork.

“It wasn’t a lot about the skills and the [individual] player,” Dubois said.

Caroll-Ann Gagné, centre, makes a pass between two opponents in a game versus the McGill Martlets during the 2016-17 season. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins

Last season, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team finished second in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), which allowed them to play at the National Championships in Napanee, Ont. Having played at Nationals allowed Dubois and Gagné to attend the development camp with some of the players they battled against at the tournament.

“It was nice to meet some girls from across Canada from different universities,” Dubois said.

When Gagné met players from the various schools, she said she made sure they knew where she was from. “I was proud to say I was from Concordia,” she said.

During the development camp, the two Stingers tried to meet as many players as possible and even befriended some of them. When asked if their friendships would last should Dubois and Gagné compete against their new friends this season, Dubois gave a swift response.

“We are friends,” she said. “But not on the ice.”

One friendship that will remain strong during the 2017-18 season is that of Dubois and Gagné. Dubois, the younger of the two, said having Gagné with her relieved a lot of stress on the way to the camp.

“It was nice to have Caroll-Ann with me and just be with her on the plane,” Dubois said. “We were both in the same situation.”

When asked about sharing the experience with her teammate, Gagné said, “She’s a third-year and I’m a fifth-year so I got to know her a bit better, but I already knew her well enough. But it was great to be part of this with her.”

For the Concordia women’s hockey program, having two Stingers invited to the development camp was a reward for the team’s continuous improvement over the past few seasons.

“For me, it rewarded all the hard work from my years at Concordia,” Gagné said.

In Gagné’s first season in 2013-14, the Stingers finished 5-15-0. Despite a bump in the road in 2015-16, they continued improving and achieved a 10-9-1 record last season. They lost to the McGill Martlets in the RSEQ Final, and went to Nationals only to lose to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the bronze-medal game.

“Since my first year, we went through a lot, and I think we worked hard to get to Nationals,” Gagné said. “This invitation was a gift for us to go there and to prove what we learned last year, and to prove that Concordia is a good team.”

Gagné finished last season as the Stingers top-scoring defenceman with one goal and 12 assists. She said the knowledge they’re bringing back from the development camp will help her and Dubois make the Stingers better.

“I think that this was a great experience, and everything we learned will help us learn to play together as a team and work towards Nationals,” Gagné said.

Dubois finished second in team scoring behind forward Audrey Belzile with 11 goals and six assists last season. She has big goals for the Stingers ahead of the 2017-18 season.

“We want to make Nationals again but also to get a medal,” she said. “I know we could win the championship of our league. We’re going to have to work hard for sure, but we can do it.”

Gagné, who will be playing her last season at Concordia this year before pursuing a career in human resources, has a bit of a different goal.

“[I want to] just to play to have fun,” she said with a laugh.

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Stingers soccer teams lose, pick up tie in home-opening doubleheader

Yacine Ait Slimane looks to make a pass to Stijn Kruidenier in a game versus the UQAM Citadins. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

UQAM Citadins spoil home opener versus men’s team; Stingers score late to tie women’s game

The Concordia Stingers soccer teams lost and earned a tie in a doubleheader versus the Université de Québec à Montréal Citadins on Aug. 31 at Concordia Stadium. In the Stingers home opener, the men’s team lost 1-0, and the women tied 2-2.

Women’s Soccer

A goal in injury time by first-year right back Kate Evoy tied the game up, giving the Stingers a point. On the tying goal, there was some controversy as the UQAM goalkeeper was injured after a collision during a scramble in front of the net. That resulted in Evoy putting the ball into the empty net.

The Stingers first goal came early in the second half when forward Sarah Humes blasted the ball past the UQAM keeper to give the Stingers a 1-0 lead. Midfielder Chama Sedki earned an assist on the play.

The Citadins, who finished fourth in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) last season, came back to score two quick goals before Evoy’s game-tying point.

“It was a deserved point, and it could have easily been a win,” said Stingers head coach Jorge Sanchez after the game. “When we were up 1-0, we could have put it away, but we missed a few chances, and that’s the way it goes.”

“I would like us to put the game away, but it was a great game by the team. To make the playoffs, you need to steal points in games like this,” he said. “This is a morale victory for us.”

Alice Grandpierre, who wore the captain’s armband for the game, said she has a good feeling about her new teammates.

“Honestly, it’s a change,” she said. “In recent years that I played here, we would often give up when being down 2-1, but tonight we pushed and got the tying goal. We are a group of hard-workers, and I think it’s awesome.”

Men’s Soccer

The Stingers fought right to the end but just couldn’t buy a goal to tie the game.

In the first half, the Citadins controlled the pace of the game. The Stingers defence, led by Olivier Georges and Lorenzo Gerber, kept the game scoreless at half. Stingers goalkeeper Cameron Rae also made some key saves to keep his team in the game.

Peter Campbell looks for a teammate in regular season action against the UQAM Citadins. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

After a first half of struggles by the Stingers offence, they opened the second half with some chances against the UQAM defence. However, the Citadins kept control of the game and managed to score a goal thanks to Felipe Costa de Souza off a pass from Mitchell Syla.

“That goal we allowed was tough because coach told us to watch out for the back post as that’s where they were putting pressure on us,’’ said Georges, the team’s captain. ‘‘We were doing very good defensively, and then to be scored on something we were told to watch out for is kind of a mood-killer. But you need to stay in your game and not let that overcome you.”

Despite the loss, head coach Greg Sutton said he saw a lot of potential from his new players.

“We have a lot of newcomers on this year’s team, and I was impressed with a bunch of guys,’’ he said. ‘‘One guy who impressed me a lot is Otto [Cardell]. The intensity he brought helped us a lot during this game. I’m also very impressed with what Lorenzo [Gerber] did in the back. It’s going to take some time to get organized, but I like what I see so far.”

The next regular-season home game for the men’s team is Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. versus the Université de Laval Rouge et Or. The women’s next game is an away game Sept. 7 at 8:15 p.m. against Bishop’s Gaiters.

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