If you watched the Stingers play this season, you’ve seen a team that’s managed to consistently beat two of the top teams in the country. Playing in the RSEQ is gruelling. Concordia, McGill and the Universite de Montreal are all top-5 programs in Canada.
And this game against the UDEM Carabins was yet another heavyweight bout. Unfortunately for the top-ranked Stingers, they come out of this one with some bruises as they drop a 4-3 result to the number three ranked Carabins 24 hours after beating the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 6-2.
“We start off tough, we’re trying to come out of a hole and we take two penalties,” said head coach Julie Chu post-game. “We have to have an intensity and a grit and I think we just didn’t quite have it today. Part of it is the back-to-back and Montreal got the day off, yeah sure. But we’re going to see that at nationals, so there’s no excuse for this.”
Over the past 16 meetings between these two teams since 2017-18, 13 have been decided by one goal. This is only the second time out of those 16 games that UDEM has beaten Concordia in regulation.
The game started as a whirlwind as both teams traded blows. The Stingers were the first ones on the board courtesy of captain Claudia Dubois finding the puck in front of the net and powering a shot past Carabins goalie Aube Racine. Racine finished the game with 25 saves on 27 shots. Stingers goalie Alice Philbert is certainly not to blame in this loss, the Carabins made her life extremely difficult with tight screens, cross-ice passing and heavy shots. Philbert finished the game with 25 saves on 29 shots.
Graphic by Matthew Coyte
“We went through spurts where we were good,” said Chu. “But the penalties really killed us. Our power play wasn’t strong as well.”
Montreal’s Alexandra Labelle evened it up thanks to a cross-ice tap-in. Stingers’ Rosalie Begin-Cyr responded a minute later, capitalizing from the chaos caused in the slot by Dubois who took a hard hit to make the play. Begin-Cyr wired a wrister to retake the lead for the Stingers. The Carabins would tie it at two before the end of the period.
But the biggest problem for the Stingers was the special teams. In the team’s first 10 games of the season, the Stingers had only taken a league-best 25 penalties. In their first two games of 2020, they’ve taken 11, including six in this game.
“We have to play the full 60 minutes,” said Dubois post-game. “We have to avoid the penalties, that’s what really killed us. We had the momentum, then bang, we’re down by two.”
The power play wasn’t much better, and we’re at the point of the season where the benefit of the doubt for the Stingers is over. They hold a league-worst power play that’s converted just 8.8% of their powerplay chances, and went 0/4 this game.
“We have to improve the power play,” said Dubois. “It’s tough. We’re supposed to score. We’re supposed to capitalize on those chances and we’re not able to. There’s going to be changes and we’re going to try things for sure.”
The Carabins played what could have easily been their best game of the season thanks to their physical style of play and ability to take advantage of the Stingers mistakes. It often felt like Montreal had an odd-player rush while also having like six players back defending. It made no sense, but at the end of the day, the Stingers became frustrated and were baited into some unnecessary penalties.
The Stingers third goal was a weird one. Dubois was breaking into the Carabins zone and was beating the defender wide. The defender had no choice but to haul her down. The referee’s arm shot up, and everyone stopped. But no whistle. Racine moved out of the way to avoid Dubois, but by the powers of the hockey gods, the puck actually slid into the net with Dubois, cutting the Stingers deficit to one.
“We’ll take those goals, but those are definitely not normal goals,” said Dubois.
The Stingers were unable to convert a tying goal, but sometimes it’s just nice to watch some heavyweights go at it.
Notes:
I watched the replay on Dubois’ second goal about 10 times and I still have no idea how or why every single player on the ice stopped playing before the whistle. Even the crowd thought it was dead. The hockey gods giveth (a fun goal), and the hockey gods taketh away (a loss).
Three goals in 41 seconds backed the Stingers to league-best 10-0-1.
The Stingers women’s hockey head coach Julie Chu expects a lot from her players. It’s why they had to be back at the rink in late December to compete in the Theresa Humes Tournament — a tournament they went 3-0 at.
“Coming out of December, it was about getting a good jump for the second half,” said Chu. “We ask our players to be back on [December] 27, which isn’t always easy. They got a good two weeks off and came back with focus and ready to go.”
Thanks to those expectations, the Stingers remain the top-ranked team in the country, and they didn’t worry about having to play any rust off in the first game of 2020. An explosive one minute stretch in the second period helped the Stingers defeat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 6-2 on Jan. 11.
“We were excited to have this first game back,” said captain Claudia Dubois, who finished the game with a goal and an assist. “It’s been a while since we played a regular season game. It was an exciting moment for us and we were all ready for it, so it was a good game.”
The Gee-Gees battled the entire game, but found each mistake they made ending up in the back of the net. Gee-Gees goalie Jennifer Walker made 30 saves on 36 shots. Gee-Gees rookie phenom Alice Fillion was a workhorse for them, forechecking hard at 5-v-5 and on the penalty kill, and just being a general problem for the Stingers. The Gee-Gees’ two goals came with heavy traffic in front of Stingers goalie Alice Philbert. Philbert was busy herself, making 29 saves on 31 shots.
Graphic by Matthew Coyte
The first period may have been one of the best the Stingers have played in a while, and the team jumped to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Maria Manarolis and Daniela Gendron, their first goals of the season. For Gendron, it was the first U Sports goal of her career.
“I’ve had goals in the pre-season, but this was pretty exciting,” said Gendron. “It was just to keep the momentum going and it was a pretty big goal. I’m surprised it went in honestly, I didn’t think it would. I was also on the [ice] when it went in.”
Despite the lead, the Gee-Gees came roaring back in the second period, and had it not been for Philbert, that 2-0 lead could have quickly turned into a deficit for the Stingers. Instead, the Stingers weathered the storm after allowing a goal. With two minutes left in the second period, they turned the dial up a notch.
Or three notches.
Audrey-Ann Rodrigue buried a cross-ice pass to Marie-Pascale Bernier to widen the Stingers’ lead to two with 1:46 left in the frame. Before the cheering could die down, Dubois and RSEQ leading scorer Rosalie Begin-Cyr capitalized on a Gee-Gee mistake and added another goal 10 seconds later. Just 31 seconds after that, Olivia Atkinson buried yet another goal to turn the score into a 5-1 lead. That’s right, three goals in 41 seconds. Six different Stingers picked up goals in this game.
“We were off a bit to start the second period,” said Dubois. “We got a penalty and they slowed us down a little bit. We were having trouble executing passes and those simple plays, but we have a team that never gives up and gives 100 per cent effort, so we came back with a ton of momentum.It was an exciting moment. We were just going all over [Ottawa] and forced a lot of mistakes from their defence and just got the puck in the net.”
The third period was a more even frame between the Stingers and the Gee-Gees, with both teams adding a goal to their scores, but in the end, the Stingers now improve to 10-0-1 on the season, and remain atop the RSEQ standings.
Notes:
Three goals in 41 seconds is absolutely insane and I can’t find any record of another U Sports team doing this.
If this is your first time reading me in 2020, I keep track of shots at these games, and my results may differ than what is registered by the RSEQ.
After losing on Friday night to the last-placed Carleton Ravens, you might think the Stingers women’s hockey team’s morale would be down.
Apparently not.
The Stingers rebounded from Friday’s loss to beat the fifth-ranked McGill Martlets 2-1 at McGill’s McConnell Arena thanks to goals from rookies Emmy Fecteau and Léonie Philbert.
Fecteau opened the scoring on the first shot of the game when she walked into the Martlets zone and ripped a wrister from the slot past McGill goalie Tricia Deguire. Léonie doubled the Stingers lead after burying a rebound short side on a first period power play. Deguire would finish the game with 24 saves.
“We were bummed after [Friday’s] game,” said head coach Julie Chu after the win. “No one likes to lose. In the locker room, they were taking it hard, but we said ‘it’s okay, taste the bitterness and bottle it up, and don’t let it discourage you, let it fuel [you].’It was awesome to see how our team came out in the first period.”
From there, things got a little tougher.
McGill came flying out of the gate in the second period, outshooting the Stingers 18-10. Stingers goalie Alice Philbert, after being given a rest on Friday, was forced to make some key saves, including a stretching toe save on a McGill 2-on-1. Alice would finish the game with 31 stops, and improve to 8-0 on the season. Alice currently leads the RSEQ with a 1.55 GAA and is second in save percentage with a .940 (Deguire leads the division with a .941).
The Stingers had to rely on their goaltending, shot blocking, and a quick stick check here and there to keep McGill from tying the game during their second period onslaught.
“We survived the second period,” said Chu. “We’re not delusional. The first ten minutes of the second, McGill really did a good job buzzing in our defensive job and we didn’t do a good job tracking and winning our one-on-one battles. They were on our heels.”
Lea Dumais would cut into the Stingers lead with a deflection that snuck by Philbert halfway through the second period, but that would be McGill’s only goal as the Stingers would throw everything at the Martlets in the defensive end.
The Stingers wouldn’t be as dangerous as they were in the first period, but when it mattered, they managed to frustrate the Martlets. With only a few minutes left in the third period, the Stingers were able to control the puck down low in the Martlet zone, killing precious time.
“This team is awesome,” said Chu. “They find a way. We’re still figuring out what our character is as we go into new situations. I like what I saw today.”
The Stingers will play the Carleton Ravens in Ottawa on Dec. 1
Notes:
I complained on Nov. 1 that not enough arenas have distinct features after the Stingers played the Carabins at CEPSUM. Turns out I forgot about McGill’s McConnell Arena and the visiting team’s upstairs dressing room. Teams have to climb up and down stairs to get from the ice to the room. Incredible design.
Feature photo by Cecilia Piga. Graphic by Matthew Coyte.
Stingers mascot Buzz joined the cheerleading team. Photo by Hannah Ewen.
Ah, mascots, the unspoken heroes of sporting events.
Nothing completes a sporting event quite like a giant anthropomorphic monstrosity making their way up the nosebleeds while beating a drum. It’s dangerous work! One wrong step and you can go flailing down the stairs, or you can catch the ire of coaches and players. Let us never forget Harvey the Hound having his tongue ripped out by Edmonton Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish. Gritty has been a bad (good?) hallucination for the better part of a year. In honour of these brave men and women, we took a look at all of the mascots from each Quebec university.
Gaiter – Bishop’s University
Photo courtesy of Bishop’s University
Barney the Dino – I mean, Gaiter, is the giant purple alligator of Bishop’s University. The team name isn’t even named after the animal, but *checks notes* boot coverings? I’m all for taking creative liberties with the mascot, so I guess a purple alligator beats a pair of Timbs hyping the crowd up at games.
No mascot – Université de Montreal
UDEM doesn’t have a mascot, but if they did, it would probably be the personification of the shin splints I get walking up all the stairs on their campus.
Marty the Martlet – McGill University
Photo courtesy of the McGill Athletic Departmen
McGill went the route of basing their mascot off of the bird that graces their university flag instead of the uhhhh… Other name their athletic teams used to go by. The massive red bird wears a vest with the McGill logo on it, which I assume is mandatory for all McGill students and staff. Marty also rocks a fanny pack – unclear yet whether it’s Gucci or Supreme. Instead of pants, Marty goes for a kilt, much to the dismay of anyone looking up. Despite rocking some bold fashion choices, for some reason it’s canon that the mascot’s favourite poutine topping is duck, which I’m still trying to wrap my head around in deciding if that’s badass or terrifying.
Sherlo – Sherbrooke University
I can’t be the only one that only sees Squanch from Rick and Morty right?
Victor – Université de Laval
Laval has been an absolute athletic juggernaut the past 20 years, especially in football, claiming national title after national title. So it makes sense that they’re a little cocky. Victor, the bald eagle mascot of the university, personifies that cockiness to a tee. If I listen carefully, I can hear it telling me “on es les best suce ma bite”.
Buzz – Concordia University
Concordia’s first official mascot, “The Stinger”. Archive photo by Jonas Papaurelis.
Who could forget Buzz. The bug, the myth, the legend. Buzz has been a part of Concordia culture forever. Evolving from nightmare-inducing, to only slightly terrifying, Buzz is a constant at every Stingers game and is pretty reminiscent of that one fever dream you had when you were 7. He’s also the only mascot to not wear anything covering their lower-body like the insect-version of Porky Pig.
I also found this phenomenal Concordia promo video from 2008. And let me tell you, it’s just *chef’s kiss*. Where to even start? The horror-movie-killer-esque first person? The suit and tie? The fact that he’s (still) not wearing any pants? Wherever you tune in, it’s incredible and there are some wholesome moments mixed in there that almost make Buzz not the scariest thing in the world.
Sometimes, you can just feel something in the air.
And as the extreme Montreal winds were busy blowing away delayed trick-or-treaters, the U Sports gods were setting the stage for the next chapter of what’s become one of the best rivalries in U Sports women’s hockey. The two top teams in the country clashed as the #1 ranked Concordia Stingers battled the #2 ranked Université de Montreal Carabins women’s hockey teams.
Both teams came into this game undefeated at 3-0. Both teams have fielded some of the strongest lineups in the country over the past couple of years. It was only two seasons ago that the Stingers raised the RSEQ championship on UDEM’s turf.
“We’re a really well matched team against each other and it’s been really fun,” said head coach Julie Chu. “Two years ago we had eight games against them playoffs included, and six went to shootout or overtime. It’s pretty crazy. That’s what we’re expecting for the rest of the season.”
The Carabins were the first to strike. Working the power-play, UDEM beat Stingers goalie Alice Philbert off a deflection blast from the slot courtesy of Marie-Pier Dubé with just over 11 minutes left in the first period.
What followed was a back-and-forth battle fought in the neutral zone, both teams struggling to gain momentum. The Stingers finally responded off of a dangle from captain Claudia Dubois, who fought off two Carabins defenders before quickly ripping the puck over the shoulder of Carabins goalie Aube Racine. Racine finished the game with 30 saves on 34 shots.
In the second period, the Stingers cost themselves a pair of goals. The first started off a bad turnover as the Stingers were leaving their zone. The Carabins’ Joannie Garand ripped a shot past Philbert and sent her water bottle flying in the process. The second came on the powerplay, where a miscommunication in the offensive zone left a Carabins penalty-killer all alone for a breakaway that beat Philbert high. Philbert finished the game with 29 saves on 32 shots.
For us, we always talk about never quitting,” said Chu. “The greatest that any of us can have is resilience. We’re going to go through a lot in a season, we’re going to be down goals, we’re going to be up goals, we have to be resilient enough to bend a little but not break, and that’s what this team is showing.”
However, the Stingers responded both times. Thirty seconds after Garand’s goal, Olivia Atkinson scored her first of the year on a tap-in play to tie the game up. As the Stingers went down the second time, it was Marie-Pascale Bernier who answered, firing a bullet from the slot, top shelf.
With a game this close, of course it would go to overtime. Sorry, I meant to say double overtime.
This is the second time in four games the Stingers have played 65 or more minutes.
As the second overtime period began, it was clear that both teams were taking chances. But it was the rookie Emmy Fecteau for the Stingers that managed to put the game away on a great pass cross-crease from Rosalie Begin-Cyr. This was Fecteau’s first goal of the season. Chu talked about how she is happy with how the rookie has been playing so far this season.
The top two teams in the country didn’t disappoint in this thriller. The shots leaned more towards the Stingers, who managed more high-danger shots on net, but costly turnovers and bad breaks evened things out for the Carabins.
Stingers outshot the Carabins 34-32. Graphic by Matthew Coyte.
“Our league is so tight,” said Chu. “We’re gonna have to go into overtime, shootouts or different scenarios.It’s going to be like this all season long, and what we keep telling our players is to stay in the moment and to work hard and take our opportunities where they come.”
The Stingers next game is against the McGill Martlets on Nov. 8 at the Ed Meagher Arena
Notes:
CEPSUM is a pretty sick rink with incredible acoustics and a really cool football-stadium-esque feel and white tiled roof. I wish more arenas would have the really distinct features, makes “home rink advantage” feel like it matters.
UDEM’s power-play song is the Imperial March from Star Wars, and honestly, it fits.
This was my first game using this new shot tracking tool by Robyn Scholz. It’ll get tweaked as the year goes on, but it’s working great so far.
It’s been one year since Canada legalized cannabis nationwide in a landmark decision. So why is cannabis still banned for U Sports athletes in-season?
But before we answer that question, let’s take a quick look at the major sports leagues across North America and how they approach cannabis.
The NFL has been notoriously hard-lined when it comes to cannabis use (i.e. Josh Gordon), handing out long-term and season-long suspensions for repeated offences. The NBA is more lenient, with punishments ranging from a US$25,000 fine, to a five game suspension. The MLB still prohibits cannabis, but only tests if they feel like they have reasonable cause. The NHL doesn’t punish players who test positive for cannabis.
According to an ESPN report, 101 of the 123 sports teams in the four major leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) play in places where cannabis is legalized. The CFL, while not one of the big four leagues, is the only major pro league based entirely in Canada and doesn’t test for cannabis.
In terms of university sports, the NCAA also has cannabis on its banned substance list. Violations can result in a suspension, according to the organization’s drug policies.
U Sports’ cannabis ban is a little different than those other leagues. Unlike the NHL, NBA or even the NCAA, U Sports doesn’t choose its own doping policies or sanctions.
Who makes the rules?
U Sports is a signatory on the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP), which is administered by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES). The CCES is Canada’s anti-doping agency.
“The CCES and U SPORTS work together to protect the integrity of sport and the health of Canadian student-athletes,” said Paul Melia, CCES President and CEO, in an email to The Concordian. “This partnership delivers anti-doping education and a robust testing plan for U SPORTS student-athletes across Canada through the implementation of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program, which is fully compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and all its International Standards and Guidelines.”
U Sports abides by the CADP, and all sanctions regarding doping violations are based off of that program. In its “Cannabis in Sports Education Kit” the CCES wrote that “In the face of mounting complexity, it is important to remember that in the world of anti-doping, the debate is not complicated. In sport, cannabis is prohibited.”
The CCES chooses which athletes are tested through a variety of factors including an athlete’s history of doping, the physiological demands of the sport or discipline, performance-enhancing substances and their effects on specific sports, and the potential financial incentives of success, such as a pro contract.
The reason cannabis remains on the list of banned substances for U Sports athletes is because the CCES doesn’t determine which substances are or aren’t on its anti-doping list. The organization is a signatory on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s Prohibited List. The same list is used for Olympic competition.
Despite Canada’s legalization of cannabis, the CCES abides by international anti-doping standards.
After the legalization of cannabis in Canada, U Sports stated in a press release that, “As a banned substance on the World Anti-Doping Association Prohibited List (which is the same list followed by the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP),) there will be no change to cannabis’ usability for U SPORTS student-athletes.”
For a substance to end up on the WADA’s Prohibited List, regardless of its legality, it has to fulfill two of the three criteria in the eyes of the WADA.
It has the potential to enhance sport performance
It represents a health risk to the athletes
It violates the spirit of sport.
The WADA stated in an email to The Concordian that it does not make public the reasons for which it adds substances to the list.
In the “Cannabis in Sports Education Kit” from the CCES, the organization states that “While the CCES does not view cannabis as particularly performance enhancing, we do have anecdotal accounts of athletes using it therapeutically with the intent to improve performance or recovery by managing pain, stress, or anxiety.” It adds that habitual use of cannabis presents “the potential for harm.”
Sanctions, suspensions, and substances
Before we go any further, It’s important to note that U Sports’ cannabis rules are far more relaxed than most of its athletic counterparts. First of all, cannabis is only banned for U Sports athletes during the season, meaning athletes don’t receive a sanction for a positive cannabis test result during the off-season. Also, any U Sports athlete that faces a suspension can appeal the decision to a third party arbitrator.
However, any in-season test sample that contains more than 150 nanogram per millilitre (ng/mL) of cannabis metabolite Carboxy-THC would be flagged and might land a U Sports athlete a suspension. That threshold, while not a shield for athletes, is extremely high compared to other athletic and legal thresholds. For comparison, the MLB’s cannabis testing threshold is 50ng/mL and the NFL’s is 35ng/mL.
Since raising the cannabis testing threshold to 150ng/mL in 2013, only five U Sports athletes have been suspended for cannabis violations.
Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, is not on the WADA banned substance list, however the WADA warns that “there are no guarantees that the product they are using does not contain trace amounts of THC.”
While athletes have faced suspensions for cannabis testing, the WADA requires that labs not report and that anti-doping organizations not pursue any sanctions against an athlete who was found to have low concentrations of cannabis in their sample.
According to the WADA, “athletes using the substance in-competition will be detected, while the chances of detecting (non-prohibited) out-of-competition use are substantially reduced.”
While the WADA’s cannabis ban, and U Sports testing, is relaxed compared to other athletic leagues, cannabis is still a suspendable violation. All CADP violations are publicly listed on the CCES’ website.
Under the CCES’ anti-doping sanctions, a first violation for presence, use or possession of a banned substance can result in either a two or four year sanction. A non-intentional presence of a banned substance results in a two year sanction.
The CCES releases annual reports that details all anti-doping violations. Between 2003 (the first annual report available online) and 2012, 23 athletes tested positive for cannabis. Out of those 23, the only athletes to receive suspensions were those who tested positive for multiple substances.
What the players think
We asked past, current, male and female U Sports athletes from different sports for their thoughts on the league’s cannabis ban. Athletes spoke anonymously, some saying they were worried that if they spoke about cannabis publicly, they would be singled-out for testing. Here’s what they said.
U Sports football player: “I believe [cannabis should be unbanned]. Since cannabis isn’t [an illegal] substance anymore and doesn’t enhance performance, I believe that many athletes could benefit from its calming effects. I believe they would benefit athletes stress-wise as well as pain-wise and would limit painkillers. If it’s legal in society and does not enhance performance, there is no reason why it should be banned for athletes, as long as they are not using during games.”
U Sports field hockey player: “Athletes could definitely benefit from having cannabis unbanned because there are many beneficial uses beyond recreational. Many people in my life use cannabis to relieve pain, anxiety and in order to sleep better. In general, athletes are busy people and are prone to stress, so cannabis could help be a big help. Cannabis is safe to use and is now very regulated just like alcohol which is legal in U Sports.”
Former U Sports football player: “Do I think there should be a ban? Absolutely not. But at the same time I can understand why the U Sports won’t lift the ban. They would be the first western civilization sports organization to do so, and I don’t think they’re a big enough entity to handle the down sides of lifting the ban. They won’t pull the trigger unless the NCAA is successful with it.”
U Sports soccer player: “It’s interesting, I find it very similar to alcohol and you’re allowed to drink during the season. From an athlete’s perspective, the act of smoking while you’re competing is kind of dumb. Unless you’re in an individual sport, you’re screwing over your team. If you’re taking it through other forms, edibles aren’t legal yet. I know a lot of athletes that drink and go out with their teams, but I know that smoking during the season is very stigmatized. And for good measure, if you get tested, you’re out.”
U Sports football player: “I definitely believe cannabis should be banned during the season, but if an athlete wants to consume some in [their] off season I believe that it shouldn’t be a problem and players should be allowed to do so. The only way I could see a player benefiting from cannabis being unbanned is during an injury period and the cannabis manages to eliminate some of the pain felt by the player. I think some players would love to see the ban lifted and have the opportunity to consume cannabis like other consumers in Canada without fearing the consequences of the suspensions athletes receive if they get caught.”
U Sports rugby player: “I don’t know why it’s banned for U Sports athletes. They have us do an online substance use training [before the season], even after that I’m still not sure why athletes can’t consume weed in particular. It has benefits, it helps with anxiety and sleep. I find it unfair to take away that potential benefit to athletes.”
Élément was contacted a few months ago by the Canadiens to organize the event. He said he then decided to create a U SPORTS all-star team with the Quebec teams of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) to give the Canadiens a good challenge.
“I think it’s a really good thing for the promotion of our league and the three university programs in Quebec,” Élément said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to be seen. The number one priority is to show people that university hockey in Quebec is a good level of hockey, which is something people may not really know.”
Élément announced to his Stingers players their nominations to the U SPORTS all-star team when they came back to Concordia after summer vacation. One of those players, forward Philippe Sanche, said this game will help players gain experience.
“There are players [on the team] who want to play at a professional level after, either in Europe, here, or in other leagues,” Sanche said. “We can also compare with players drafted or invited to professional camps. I think it will [help] us to compare ourselves to them, know what we need to work on or understand what they did to receive an invitation.”
Sanche said even if today’s game isn’t part of the OUA regular season, the best for the players is to play as if it were.
“If you want to go to the next level, you need to be yourself, play how you can play and show what you’re capable of,” Sanche said. “It’s a game like [any] other. You should not put yourself under too much pressure and try to do too much because that’s when you’re going to look bad.”
Defenceman Carl Neill, another of the seven Stingers on the team, said it will be interesting to be in a team with players he normally faces during the season.
“We know a bit of their tendencies and what kind of players they are, but it’s going to be really interesting given [our rivalries],” Neill said. “I’m sure we’ll put all of this aside for the game, but once the season starts, there will be no more love.”
Rivals or not, knowing a bit of each other should be a good thing for today, as the team’s only practice for the game was held yesterday. However, Élément said he and the players will be fine, as it’s not the first time they have had to deal with such situations.
“We’ll get to know each other quickly for the time of a game,” Élément said. “Yet, they’re all players we know, as we play against them [during the season]. I even tried to recruit some of them before they went into other programs. It will be fun.”
From left: Tenicha Gittens, Caroline Task, Myriam Leclerc, Areej Burgonio, and athletics director D’Arcy Ryan. The players received their RSEQ awards before their semi-final game. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.
Stingers hope to learn from first experience at nationals in 20 years
Despite their successful season this year, head coach Tenicha Gittens believes her team needs more depth. “Our bench has been thin all season long, so when we get [to nationals], it does matter,” Gittens said on CJLO Sportson March 11.
Injuries contributed to the short bench this season. Rookie Nelly Owusu was injured before the regular season began, and hasn’t played since, shortening the roster by one. “She was a big part of what we wanted to do,” Gittens said. “She was part of our starting line-up [in preseason games]. I think if she had been healthy throughout the season, she would have been fighting for the rookie of the year.”
Caroline Task (pictured) finished third in league scoring with 15.6 points per game. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.
Looking ahead to next season, Gittens hopes to increase the team’s roster through recruiting, but doesn’t have any official commitments right now.
“Not having Nelly, this is where it really hurt us, in this postseason,” Gittens added. “To have her in that rotation would have done wonders for us. It would have been a completely different basketball team.”
Leclerc was the third-straight Stinger to win the RSEQ rookie of the year award after Task won in 2017, and Coralie Dumont last year. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.
Gittens wants her team to get stronger physically for next season, to avoid any future injuries. “Physically, I thought we were weaker than most teams out there, so that’s something we have to get better at,” she said. “We have the talent, we’re just inexperienced. There’s ways we can get around that, and it’s just building our mind to sustain [the season].”
Guard Caroline Task was also named to the RSEQ first all-star team, and rookie guard Areej Burgonio made the RSEQ all-rookie team.
“[Leclerc] is just a special talent, and every once in a while, you’re lucky enough to get a talent like that in your program,” Gittens said. “She does everything. She’s a shooting point guard, she’s a passing point guard, and she gets buckets at will […]. She’s a tremendous talent and she’s raised everybody’s level of play.”
However, Gittens wants to see Leclerc get stronger over the summer, just like the rest of the team. “She’s been banged up all season long, but she’s one of those players that’s going to play through [injuries],” Gittens added. “She literally has to be broken to stop playing. We saw that in the final against Laval, when she didn’t play the second half because she physically could not go anymore […]. After that final game at nationals, she told me, ‘Coach, I’m going to be tank this summer,’ so she knows what she needs to work on.”
Burgonio (pictured) averaged 4.1 points in nearly 24 minutes per game this year. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.
At the national tournament in Toronto, the Stingers lost to McMaster 86-68 in their first game. The Marauders went onto win the national championship, beating the Rouge et Or in the final. In their consolation game against the Acadia Axewomen, the Stingers had a two-point lead after three quarters, but they ultimately lost 86-74.
“It was a disappointing end to the season,” Gittens said. “But we ended the season at nationals, so even though it seems like losing those two games made the season a wash, we have to remember we got to this point. I knew our biggest challenge going in would be the inexperience of it all, and I knew the other teams going had a taste of nationals.”
The Stingers last played in the national tournament in 1999, and started with the seventh seed as a wild card berth. About this year’s trip to nationals, Gittens said: “We enjoyed the banquet and being treated as one of the top eight teams in Canada, because they have to soak all of that in. We watched basketball and just kind of learned from the other teams that kept moving on.”
If they do get back to nationals next season, they’ll know what to do.
“The experience [at nationals] was definitely the biggest takeaway,” Gittens said. “You try to get them to buy in and believe, and kind of sell them on a dream that they can get there. Now they know the path to take.”
Head coach Popovic expects Sami Ghandour (#24) to have a bigger role in next year’s team. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
Losses to Ryerson and Saint Mary’s give Concordia vision for next season
In their first U Sports nationals appearance since 2012, the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team lost both of their games in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In their quarter-final game against the Ryerson Rams, the Stingers lost 87-47; the Saint Mary’s Huskies beat them 84-67 in a consolation game.
“It was a first experience for all of us at nationals, players and coaches included,” said head coach Rastko Popovic on CJLO Sportson March 11. “We knew it was going to be a different experience since it’s something we never lived before. You can’t just imitate walking into a big [arena] like that.”
Adrian Armstrong shoots a free throw during the RSEQ final. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
In their opening game, the Stingers played a strong Rams team that lost in the final last year, but won bronze this year. The Rams had five players 6’7 or taller, while the Stingers’s tallest players—Aleks Simeunovic, Olivier Simon, and Matthis Guerut—are all 6’7.
Popovic said he spoke to other coaches before playing Ryerson, and they all said the Rams do a good job at contesting inside shots. The Stingers’s game plan was to shoot three-pointers, but they went 3/36 from three-point range, which hurt them on the scoreboard.
“We knew we were going to have to make some three-point shots to stay in the game,” Popovic said. “Early in the game, it didn’t help that we fell behind 12-0. We had some great looks, but they just didn’t fall down.”
Adrian Armstrong, who made a team-high 56 three-point shots this season, went 2-12 in the game against Ryerson. The Stingers did a better job with their threes in their second game, going 12/32, but Saint Mary’s did better with their overall shooting.
“It was a great learning experience, but we’re disappointed with the results,” Popovic said. “Now we have a good idea of what it takes to make it to the next level.”
Near the end of their game against Saint Mary’s, Popovic subbed off fifth-year guards Garry Merrisier and Ricardo Monge for the last time in their Stingers careers. Popovic said it was an emotional moment for the whole team.
Love these two dudes for life. Have given so much to our program over the last 5 years. Words can’t explain how proud and thankful I am. I shed a tear post game I can’t even lie. #seniors#thankyou#proudhttps://t.co/wT8QVNC7ln
“We see these guys more than we see our family some days,” Popovic said. “We spend a lot of time together at practice, in the weight room, individual workouts, etc. So these guys are like my family. You never think about that moment until it comes, when you realize this was the last time they came off the floor.”
The head coach was already thinking about next season with some of the substitutions he made in the last quarter of that final game. Rookie guard Tariq Bakri-Hamad, who averaged 1.6 minutes per game this season, played 12 minutes against Saint Mary’s and scored 10 points.
“Against Saint Mary’s, we made a run [and cut their lead] in the second half,” Popovic said. “Tariq was on the floor during that run so those are very valuable minutes for him.”
The players will take a break to focus on their exams, but Popovic wants to see them in the weight room as soon as possible. Even though the 2019-20 regular season starts in November, the Stingers could be playing preseason games as early as August.
Popovic won the RSEQ’s coach of the year, but said he would change the individual awards for team trophies. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
HALIFAX — The Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team lost 87-47 in their national quarter-final match against the Ryerson Rams at the Scotiabank Centre, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“All of our guys are here for the first time at the nationals and we were a bit nervous,” said Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic.
Popovic, who won the 2018-19 Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) coach of the year, brought the Stingers to their first nationals since 2012. They scored only six points in the first quarter and were down 26-6.
“We started off slow and, against a team like that, you can’t really have a slow start because it’ll put you down like they did,” said fourth-year guard Adrian Armstrong.
Guard Adrian Armstrong went 2/12 from three-point range in the game. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
Popovic thought the start of the game could have been different if Armstrong had mande a few early shots. Armstrong shot 38 per cent from field goal range and 16 per cent from three-point range in the game.
“I thought we had two good looks to start for Adrian. If you knock those down, then the game could go the other way,” Popovic said.
The low start didn’t discourage Armstrong, who finished with a game-high 19 points. Late in the first half, he was able to knock down a few shots. With 31 seconds left in the second quarter, Armstrong hit a mid-range jumper to give the Stingers a confidence boost. They tied the Rams 15-15 in points in the second quarter, but the score was still 41-21 at halftime.
In the second half, the Rams got off to a hot start, making three of their first four shots and getting on an early 6-1 run. The Stingers didn’t quit and kept trying to find open shots. Concordia was able to penetrate open lanes, but unable to connect on multiple occasions because of Ryerson’s size. Concordia has three players at 6’7”, but Ryerson has five players either the same height or taller.
“Their size and length forced me and others to take shots late in the [shot] clock,” said Armstrong.
Despite the Rams’s size advantage, fifth-year guard Ricardo Monge believes that the Stingers can improve on being aggressive.
“We had many wide open layups and open shots, but we have to make them,” Monge said.
In his first appearance at the tournament, Monge finished with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
“It’s a great experience to be out here and get to experience this,” said Monge, who was the RSEQ MVP this season. With just over five minutes left in the fourth, he made back-to-back layups and a shot from top of the key to keep his team going.
“I’m very proud of everything [Monge] has accomplished,” said Popovic. “It’s great for him, in his fifth year, to get an opportunity to come here and play at the nationals. He has done so much for the program and it’s just disappointing to come here and to lose a game like this.”
The Stingers lost to the Saint-Mary’s University Huskies, 84-67, Saturday morning in the consolation semi-final at the Scotiabank Centre.
The Stingers’s most successful football season was in 1998 when they played in the Vanier Cup. Archive photo by Pascale Dion.
Twenty years later, players recall the journey to the Vanier Cup
The 1998 Concordia Stingers football team made history, being the only team from Concordia to play in the Vanier Cup, the national championship game for Canadian university football. They ended up losing that game 24-17 against the Saskatchewan Huskies, at the Skydome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.
Pat Sheahan, who is the current head coach of the Queen’s Gaels, became head coach of the Stingers in 1989, winning the Dunsmore Cup with them in 1993. After that title, he had a whole new recruiting class by 1998.
Players from the 1998 squad remember how they came together as a team throughout the season. Archive photo courtesy of Concordia Athletics.
Out of 66 total players on the team, 33 were from Ontario, 32 from Quebec, and one from British Columbia. But for Montrealer cornerback Sean Gordon, who was playing his second season with the team in 1998, this many cross-national players created a divide in the locker room.
“The years before, there were a lot of factions in the locker room, basically we had two locker rooms: offence and defence,” Gordon said. “But the 1998 team broke down the locker room. There weren’t any factions, no little groups and everyone was together.”
Sheahan said most of those players came together in 1995, and suffered through a 2-6 season in 1996, but developed well as a unit. “A terrific group [of players]; they really came together, bonded together and became a team,” Sheahan said. “It was so gratifying to see.”
By 1997, the Stingers improved to a 5-3 record, losing the semi-final in the dying moments against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. But Sheahan said he really started to notice how good the team became by the end of that year. “I think what the guys learned in 1997 is that they were pretty good,” said Sheahan. “In 1998, it just all came together; they were a year older and a year wiser, and they really played well.”
Rocky start
The 1998 Concordia Stingers didn’t start the season how they would have liked. Before their first game against Queen’s, and on the way from their motel to the Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ont., their bus broke down.
“As people were driving by, our guys were sitting on the side of the highway on their equipment bags waiting for another bus to pick us up,” Sheahan said.
The Stingers had a rushed warm-up and started the game nearly an hour late, eventually losing 32-11, but Gordon said it was a season-defining moment, bringing the players together.
Concordia beat the Carleton Ravens 19-7 in the home-opener a week later, but lost 9-4 to cross-town rivals the McGill Redmen after that.
“I gathered the team after the McGill game and I hauled them in and said: ‘Look guys, there are going to be some good things happening to us this year,’” Sheahan said. “The reason why is because we were getting great defence and great special teams. It was only a matter of time before the offence started clicking.”
Wide receiver Sylvain Girard, who was in his fourth and final year, doesn’t remember the exact turning point for the team. “At one point, we just decided that’s it. [If we] keep going the way we’re going, obviously something isn’t working,” Girard said. “At one point we just started playing together, and the offence started clicking.”
Setting records
The Stingers had a bye week after their game against Laval, although they did play the State University of New York Canton Kangaroos in a non-conference game, and lost 23-6. But on Oct. 3, 1998, in a home game against the Université de Laval Rouge et Or, the Stingers’s offence exploded for a 45-32 win. Girard caught six passes that day, five of them touchdowns, which remains tied as a U Sports record for most touchdown catches in a game. It also happened to be his 23rd birthday.
The Concordian’s sports section after Sylvain Girard caught five touchdown passes on his 23rd birthday.
Defensive coordinator Paul Chesser said that win gave them confidence moving forward, as they won their next four games to finish the regular season. “A little success goes a long way and people start to believe,” Chesser said. “The leadership of the team really dictated the camaraderie in the locker room.”
Girard went on to set many Concordia records that season. In 1998, he set the school record for most touchdowns in a season, with nine. His 22 career TDs in maroon-and-gold is the second-most in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) history.
The Montreal Alouettes drafted Girard fifth overall in the 1999 CFL draft, and he played with them until 2006, winning a Grey Cup in 2002.
“The defences we were playing against were so worried about our running game, they had to put extra attention to it,” said Girard, crediting his Stingers teammates for his success. The team’s running backs, Evan Davis Jr., Scott Ashworth, and Richard Gaboton, along with quarterback Sean Hoas, all had over 250 yards of rushing that season. “They had to put extra attention to [the running game] so whenever we decided to pass, it made so much more room for me and the other receivers,” he added.
Ring of Fire
After every win in 1998, Girard remembers the whole team singing along to “The Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash in the locker room. “Every time I hear that song, it brings me back to the 1998 season,” Girard said. “With experience now, I’ve come to realize every good team has something to bond over, and for us part of it was that stupid song.”
“It was a really diverse group coming from all sorts of backgrounds,” Chesser said. “[Ring of Fire] was the one song that could take this whole diverse group and unite them.”
For Girard, this tradition added to his fun experience at Concordia. “They’re the reason why I played football for so long, because they made it fun,” Girard said. “They’re the reason why I’m still coaching today.”
“I came here in 1995. I didn’t speak a word of English, didn’t know anybody, and didn’t know what I was doing,” Girard added. “But then they made me appreciate everything here, and the coaches made a football player out of me.”
Gordon said that, because of the team’s camaraderie, they wanted to play for each other.
“We had good communication, so if somebody got out of place, you backed him up,” Gordon said. “We were all on the same page.”
The Dark Bowl
The Stingers ended up finishing first in the division and beat the Bishop’s Gaiters 27-17 in the semi-final. On Nov. 14, 1998, they hosted the Dunsmore Cup against the Laval Rouge et Or. The game kicked off at 2 p.m. at the Concordia Stadium, where lights had not yet been installed.
Ashworth scored a one-yard rushing touchdown less than three minutes into the game to give the Stingers a 7-0 lead. On the other side, Rouge et Or quarterback Dominik Goulet had left Concordia to go to Laval, so Chesser knew how to play defence against him.
“We knew he wasn’t particularly mobile but he was a precision passer, so we played the whole game with six defensive backs [as opposed to five],” Chesser said. “They weren’t going to beat us running; they had to beat us throwing the ball, so we put an extra person in coverage and it made a huge difference.”
Gordon said this meant, as a defensive back, he had to play man-to-man coverage, and couldn’t let his wide receiver get away from him. “They had confidence in our defence, so we just blitzed all game,” he said.
Coverage of the two-day Dunsmore Cup in The Concordian on Nov. 18, 1998.
The Rouge et Or slowly climbed back into the game with three-straight field goals and a punt single, to hold a 10-7 advantage in the third quarter.
“They gave us all we could handle that day, there was no question about that,” Sheahan said.
Girard said his memory of the game isn’t the best, and didn’t realize how close the game actually was. He made a catch late in the fourth quarter to set Dave Miller-Johnston up for a field goal, which tied the game and sent it into a scoreless overtime. According to historical data, civil twilight ended just before 5 p.m., but the game continued in the darkness.
“At the end of the overtime period, it was dangerously dark,” Chesser said. “We had turned on the practice-field lights, so we got a little bit of light, but I was standing on the sideline and could not see the other side of the field.”
That’s when Sheahan met with Laval head coach Jacques Chapdelaine, late Stingers athletic director Harry Zarins, and officials to discuss what to do next. The officials didn’t want to play on the practice field, because it didn’t have football lines, and they had to decide quickly, because the winning team had to play in Halifax the following Saturday.
“We just came to the agreement that we would have to play [the next day],” Sheahan said. “We played two 10-minute halves and determined the winner that way.”
The players had to recover in time to play 20 minutes of football, and Concordia had the advantage of being at home and using their facilities. “The game finished and it was a numb feeling,” Gordon said. “When I got home, my mom said, ‘They didn’t beat you that day, they’re not going to beat you tomorrow.’”
That night, Chesser invited the defensive coaches over for pizza to discuss strategy for day two. They weren’t allowed to review game film, but watched the highlights on TV, as the game was nationally-televised. During the game, Chesser sent a defensive back blitzing on the quarterback’s weak side, but by the end of the game, the Rouge et Or adjusted and gave more protection.
“So a light bulb went on in my head and I thought if they were going to slide protection to the weak side the following day, we’ll blitz on the strong side,” Chesser said. On the game-winning play, defensive tackle Jeff Anderson sacked Goulet, forcing a fumble, which linebacker Jason Casey scooped up to score a touchdown. “Those adjustments that we made over pizza at my house were pivotal,” Chesser said.
Just short
The Stingers beat the Acadia Axemen 25-24 a week later in the Atlantic Bowl. They went to Toronto for the Vanier Cup, carrying the school’s colours with pride.
Defensive coordinator Paul Chesser believes if they played the Vanier Cup again, they would win it.
“To see the Concordia flag waved at the Skydome, to see all the Concordia fans there and how the city was behind us, it was a golden moment in my footballing scrapbook,” Sheahan said.
“I don’t have any regrets from that year, none, zero,” Girard said. “Except, of course, we should have won that last game.”
With the current edition of the Stingers football team not doing well, Gordon would like to see a team eventually do better than that 1998 team. “It’s nice be up there, and we’re the bar, but I would like to see a team jump over the bar and bring a championship to Concordia.”
Chesser jokingly said that, when the team got together for the Hall of Fame induction, they still weren’t over the Vanier Cup loss.
“Georges Vanier was the valedictorian for the class in 1906 at Loyola College, and the Vanier Cup is named after him,” Chesser said. “Sometime, we have to bring his trophy home.”
The Stingers beat the Saskatchewan Huskies to win the bronze medal. Photo by Alex Hutchins.
Concordia eliminated in a semi-final shootout against Bisons
The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team have won the bronze medal at the U Sports national championship. They beat the Saskatchewan Huskies 4-0 in the bronze-medal game on March 18 at the Thompson Arena in London, Ont.
Forward Claudia Dubois scored two goals in the win, while forward Sophie Gagnon and defenceman Brigitte Laganière added the other pair of goals. Goalie Katherine Purchase was the star of the game, stopping all 37 shots she faced.
Captain Marie-Joëlle Allard had a team-leading three assists during the tournament. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.
The Stingers went to nationals hoping to challenge for the championship after winning the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) title. They opened the tournament with a commanding 8-1 win in the quarter-final against the St-Francis Xavier X-Women. Six different Stingers scored in that game, with Gagnon and forward Marie-Pascale Bernier scoring two goals each, and captain Marie-Joëlle Allard picked up three assists.
They faced the top-ranked University of Manitoba Bisons in the semi-final. Gagnon opened the scoring less than a minute into the second period, but the Bisons responded five minutes later. Purchase continued making key stops for the rest of the game, finishing with 27 saves. After a scoreless four-on-four 10-minute overtime, the two teams needed a shootout to decide the game.
Jordyn Zacharias and Alanna Sharman each scored for the Bisons in the shootout, while Dubois and Kierann Schofield missed for the Stingers. The loss eliminated the Stingers in the semi-final for a second-consecutive year. Last year, the Stingers lost to the University of Alberta Pandas, who went on to win the title. The Bisons also won the title this year.
The Stingers finished the tournament with the most goals scored, with 13. Gagnon led the team in goals with four, and tied Dubois for most points with five. Purchase finished with an incredible 0.63 goals-against average and 0.977 save percentage, allowing only two goals during the tournament.
