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Three unique VR activities to try out over the weekend in Montreal

Courtesy PHI Centre

Bring a few friends and venture into a realistic sci-fi adventure or get a “bird’s eye view” of a new and innovative flight simulator experience.

When you think of Montreal and its surrounding regions, a booming virtual reality (VR) scene is likely not what comes to mind. Despite this, it may be surprising to discover that Montreal has some of the most established VR experiences in all of Canada, and a slew of unique activities for those who seek them out. 

Join The Concordian in trying out three VR activities spread out around the downtown area.

  1. Réalité Virtuelle Zero Latency Montréal

Zero Latency Montreal is definitely a top contender for being one of the most innovative, advanced and unique VR experiences in Montreal. 

With experienced game masters guiding you through every portion of the game and a multitude of different free-roam experiences to choose from (a facet of VR in which you are given an entire room, with friends, to fully immerse yourself in the VR world with the aid of a VR headset and, at times, VR weaponry), it is no surprise that Forbes’ review of the place included the following quote: “This surreal multiplayer experience is the world’s most advanced free-roam virtual reality game.”

The Concordian was able to try their Singularity free-roam game and the complete immersiveness of the experience was mind-blowing; it’s definitely one of the most advanced VR experiences out there.

To try it yourself, head to their website and book a slot for one of the free-roam games ($44.99/ player for a half an hour session).

  1. MontVR 

MontVR offers a lot of versatility with their VR experiences. While each location includes a different array of experiences, combined there are over six unique activities to choose from. 

With everything from free-roam, to VR escape rooms, VR gaming stations, minigolf, axe throwing and even a mock flight simulator at their DIX30 location.

The VR gaming stations and the flight simulator (Birdly) in particular are both high-quality experiences. 

The staff are also extremely kind and accommodating, and with so much to choose from, there was not a single boring moment. 

Book your own experience here. 

  1. PHI Centre 

With a variety of ever-rotating interdisciplinary experiences to choose from year-round, PHI Centre acts almost as a futuristic version of what we would currently call an art museum. 

With both free and paid installations to choose from, ranging from tableaus to live music performances and conferences, the PHI Centre seems to have it all. One of their most captivating installations is Horizons. 

A VR experience that transcends the genre, Horizons is a collection of four award-winning works put together to form an intense and immersive journey. 
If you’d like to experience Horizons firsthand before it closes on Oct. 24, book here.

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The Buzz: Stingers weekend recap

Stingers men's hockey team took the win with a score of 4-2 against McGill last weekend. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian

Concordia’s basketball teams struggle with their offence, men’s hockey improve to 2-0 against McGill for the season

Concordia vs. Laval Women’s Basketball game on November 20th, 2021. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian

Women’s Basketball: Concordia 67-70 Laval

The women’s basketball team went into the weekend sitting comfortably at 2-0 for the regular season, and looked to add to their impressive start with a win over the defending RSEQ champion Laval Rouge et Or. The Stingers couldn’t get the job done however, despite a strong fourth quarter showing that nearly stole them the game where they outscored Laval 17-9. 

The Stingers offence shot poorly all afternoon, going 23-75 from the field and 4-20 from three-point range. Considering they barely made 30 per cent of their shots, the fact Concordia nearly won is a testament to the team’s defensive effort. In particular, the pressure they were able to generate resulted in 12 Rouge et Or turnovers, compared to the Stingers’ six. 

For Laval, Léa Dominique led the team in total points (17), total rebounds (9), and blocks (3). In her 27 minutes played, she was an efficient 7-10 on field goal attempts and carried the team both offensively and defensively. Every Stingers starter played over 33 minutes, but Coralie Dumont’s play was exceptional. She finished the game with 23 total points, nine rebounds, and three steals. 

Concordia vs. Laval Men’s Basketball game on November 20 2021. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian

Men’s Basketball: Concordia 71-78 Laval

Concordia were coming off a dominant 72-46 win over Bishop’s on Thursday before they faced the Rouge et Or at home on Saturday. But the Stingers defence never found its footing against Laval, who made 50 per cent of their shots for the game. 

The Stingers went 24-67 from the floor, and struggled with shot quality as opposed to Laval who generated open looks at the basket on most of their possessions. Much like the women’s team did before them, Concordia defensive pressure created 16 Laval turnovers, but the Stingers never made the visiting team pay for their mistakes.

Olivier Simon played 36 minutes for the Stingers and ended the game with 22 total points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Sami Jahan contributed 21 points off the bench. On the other hand, Laval had three efficient double-figure scorers: Steeve Joseph (24), Sidney Tremblay-Lacombe (20), and Marc-André Fortin (14) all contributed to Laval’s balanced and lethal attack. 

Concordia vs. McGill Men’s Hockey game on November 21 2021. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian

Men’s Hockey: Concordia 4-2 McGill

The Stingers faced the Redbirds on Sunday for the second time in three nights and took care of business at home once again. McGill scored the game’s opening goal at the midway point of the first period, but Concordia would score four unanswered goals and went into the second intermission up by three. Alexander Katerinakis led the Stingers with a goal and an assist on consecutive Concordia power play opportunities to start the second period. 

The Stingers generated 36 shots on goal, compared to the Redbirds’ 28. Both teams struggled with discipline, as 33 total penalties were issued by the time the final whistle blew. A Redbirds breakaway goal on the penalty kill late in the third period by Phil Gilmour made no difference in the final outcome. 

The Stingers’ next matchup will be against the UQTR Patriotes on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at Concordia Stadium.

 

Photographs by Catherine Reynolds

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Sports

Colour Commentary: 2020 Ryder Cup ends with historic U.S. win over Team Europe

The 43rd edition of the Ryder Cup was held at the Whistling Straits golf course in Haven, Wisconsin

The 43rd edition of the Ryder Cup held in Haven, Wisconsin could be summarized in a number of ways  — exhilarating, refreshing, and entertaining.

Competitive, however, doesn’t make the cut. 

The fan-favourite tournament is a biennial golf competition between 12-man rosters from the United States and Europe. This year, the action took place on American soil at Whistling Straits golf course, where the home team was victorious 19-9. 

For those that don’t know how the tournament is scored and played, I’m with you — it’s complicated and it probably warrants another page to explain. Instead, you can read up a dedicated guide here. But for the purposes of this piece, all you need to know is the U.S. margin of victory (10) was the largest in the modern format of the Ryder Cup, which was adopted in 1979. 

Though some of golf’s most marketable and talented superstars have donned the American uniform, it’s been the European teams that have found the most success at this event in recent memory. Coming into the weekend, the U.S. had lost eight of the previous 11 iterations of the Ryder Cup.

Over time, the consensus among media and fans was that while the Americans often boast extreme skill and talent, they lack the camaraderie and teamwork to put it all together. Meanwhile, the European teams were always the staple of strength in numbers, selflessness, and longevity. 

Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, and Lee Westwood headlined the European roster as Ryder Cup veterans who proved their worth in years past. They also had the number one ranked player in the world in Jon Rahm. 

This year, the Europeans played well. However, they were just drastically outplayed by the Americans who were able to put aside their individual egos and work in unison for the weekend. The result was the most one-sided Ryder Cup in recent memory. 

It’s odd to think this U.S. roster has already been labelled as the greatest American team ever assembled, considering two of its generational stars in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson weren’t competing (though Mickelson was involved with the team as a vice-captain).

And although no individual on the team boasts a personal brand that comes close to their predecessors, the makings of an American dynasty have already begun. 

The U.S. was young and stacked across the board — collectively, their world golf rankings were well ahead of the Europeans and even previous versions of the American team. Only four players on their roster — Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Harris English, and Tony Finau were above 30 years of age. 

Perhaps most notably, the roster came together and built a genuine chemistry and caring for one another, despite their individual talent and brands, that didn’t feel forced or fake. 

The European team will host the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, Italy. On home soil, they haven’t lost since 1993, but they will almost surely go into the event as underdogs.

But don’t count on Team Europe to go out without a fight. 

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Sports

Weekend Recap: Men’s hockey team dominates Lakers, women’s bounce back against Carabins

Women’s hockey:

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team went into this weekend having to face two of the top five teams in the country. I don’t care what the U Sports rankings say,  Concordia, UDEM and McGill are all giants in Canadian university sports.

“It’s a long season and we’re in a tremendous league,” said head coach Julie Chu. “We know that we’re going to be in tight, hard-fought games and we gotta make sure that we continue doing the little things right and staying positive is the number one thing. We have an opportunity tomorrow to go and have a great game too.”

The Stingers first game came against McGill. The Martlets came out flying and worked well to pressure the Stingers into making costly mistakes. After two periods of play, the Martlets were up 3-1. The Stingers then managed to come back to tie the game thanks to the efforts of captain Claudia Dubois, Audrey Belzile and Rosalie Bégin-Cyr who combined to force Concordia’s next two goals. Despite the comeback, the Stingers couldn’t get any momentum through the first overtime, and in the second overtime period, the Martlets capitalized and took the dub. This was the first time all season that the Stingers dropped back-to-back games.

The next day against the UDEM Carabins, the Stingers made sure to not make that mistake again. In what would be a tight, hard-fought and physical battle against Montreal, Concordia managed to outlast their opponent to take the shootout win. Back-up goalie Madison Oakes got the start against the Carabins to play in her third ever U Sports match, and she did not disappoint. Oakes was calm in the crease, only allowing one goal, including blanking all three Carabins shootout attempts.

“It’s kind of like your first shift back after not playing for a while,” said Chu. “But I think she settled in really well as the game went on. She’s a gamer. I think anytime our goaltenders are able to make big saves, that gives us a boost of energy.”

Bégin-Cyr continued her torrid scoring pace with a three-goal weekend, moving into a tie for sixth place in U Sports scoring.

– Matthew Coyte, Managing Editor

 

Men’s hockey:

The Stingers men’s hockey team put on a show for their fans on Saturday night. Going into their game with Nipissing, Stingers were on a four-game losing streak with their most recent loss coming on Jan. 15 against UQTR, losing by a score of 3-1. The Stingers had their chances in that game but again, it was their lack of ability to put the puck in the back of the net that got the best of them. Special teams were also an issue against the Patriotes as they were 0/5 with the man advantage.

Then came Saturday.

Only two points separated the Stingers and the Nipissing Lakers heading into the game. Having lost four in a row and facing a team trailing them in the standings, this game was critical for the Stingers. Head coach Marc-André Élement said the message going into the game was “leaders lead the way,” and boy, did they ever.

Fourth year player and team captain Philippe Sanche netted a hat-trick while assistant captain Carl Neill added three assists to his point total on the season. The team has shown flashes of brilliance in the past this season but haven’t been able to string together consecutive wins since Nov. 1. Things only get harder for the Stingers as they only have one more home game left on their schedule between now and the end of the regular season.

On top of all that, the special teams units really stepped up in a big way. The Stingers went 2/8 on the powerplay—which included goals from Jeff de Wit and Alexander Katerinakis. Meanwhile their penalty killing unit did a great job for the most part of neutralizing the Lakers’ powerplay, only holding them to a singular goal on eight attempts. On top of that, one of Philippe Sanche’s goals was a short handed marker.

A game like the one against Nipissing can turn into a critical one for the Stingers down the final stretch of the season. Beating a team that is jockeying for playoff position with the Stingers is no small feat. It can boost the confidence of the team which at this point is much needed. It is one thing to say that they can compete with any team in the country, as many of the players have said before. It’s another thing to do it.

That theory will be put to the test this weekend when the team heads to Ottawa to face off against the Ravens and the Gee Gees.

– Matthew Ohayon, Sports Editor

 

Photos by Britanny Clarke and Cecilia Piga

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