Tag: women’s hockey

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Devon Thompson is leading on and off the ice

devon thompson
Devon Thompson was voted as captain in her fifth season with the Concordia Stingers. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Fifth-year forward named captain in final season with Stingers

During Devon Thompson’s first season on the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team in 2014-15, they beat the McGill Martlets for the first time in 44 regular-season games.

“That night, our team got together and [celebrated] because we won a regular-season game,” Thompson said. “Now it’s kind of changed, and we’re pissed off any time we lose a game like that.”

The Stingers finished the 2014-15 season with a 8-7-5 record, and a 6-12-2 record in the 2015-16 season. Fast forward a few years, Thompson is now in her fifth year with the Stingers, who won the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship in March.

“When I take a step back and look at it, it’s crazy how much we’ve grown,” Thompson said. “Being expected to win is great, and it is pressure, but [head coach Julie Chu] tells us, ‘Pressure is privilege.’”

Thompson had a career-high 15 points last season, helping the Stingers win the RSEQ championship. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

This season, the players voted Thompson as co-captain alongside goalie Katherine Purchase, but since goalies can’t wear the “C” on their jerseys, Thompson has it.

“It was honourable to be [named captain],” Thompson said. “There are a lot of good leaders on and off the ice, so to get that recognition from my teammates was pretty special.”

Chu describes Thompson as the “mamma bear” of the team. “Devon is a truly kind person that cares about the people around her,” she said. “That’s what she does in her leadership, she builds those relationships, checks in on people and obviously does a great job on the ice.”

Purchase is also a fifth-year player on the team, so her and Thompson started their Stingers journey together.

“People think that, because she’s a goalie, she sticks to herself, but she’s always had a really big voice in the locker room,” Thompson said. “For me, she’s the one player I’ve played five years with, so we definitely have a special relationship.”

Last season, Thompson finished with a career-high of six goals and nine assists, good enough for sixth-most points on the team. She played on a line with Claudia Dubois and Sophie Gagnon, who had 20 and 17 points respectively. Along with forward Audrey Belzile, Gagnon and Dubois are the assistant captains this season.

“That group of girls, they’ve been stand-out players every year they’ve been here,” Thompson said. “But also it’s a testament to them-they don’t take anything for granted, they work hard, and they’re the first people on the ice, and last ones off.”

The last two captains of the women’s hockey team, Tracy-Ann Lavigne and Marie-Joëlle Allard, were both drafted by Les Canadiennes de Montréal in the professional Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Thompson said she learned about hard work from each of them, and that they never took a day off.

Thompson added that Lavigne and Allard proved you don’t just have to be a good player to be a good captain, but you need to be a good person outside the rink. “If I could be half the captain they were, I would be pretty happy,” Thompson said.

Part of being a captain on a varsity team is having so many new student-athletes on the roster. The Stingers have 12 rookies from Québec, Ontario, the United States, and the Netherlands, so the leadership group will have to make sure the new players integrate well into the team.

Head coach Julie Chu described Thompson as the “mamma bear” of the team. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

With players from all over the world, there isn’t just one language spoken in the dressing room. Thompson said some of the French-speaking players tend to be a bit more shy speaking English, but she tries to be a vocal leader so they feel more comfortable. “If you speak the language, you’re going to pick it up eventually,” the psychology student said.

Thompson grew up in Châteauguay, in the South Shore, and hockey wasn’t the first sport she played. She started playing football because her brothers played, and wanted to compete with them. “My parents never really gave that gender excuse. Whatever my brother did, I could do,” Thompson said. “My brother played football, so I played too.”

The captain started playing hockey at eight years old, but still wanted to beat her brother Theo at it. When asked whether or not she’s better than him now, Thompson was sure of herself: “Oh yeah, definitely,” she said with a laugh.

Thompson also had hockey stars to look up to growing up, such as Marie-Philip Poulin, Catherine Ward and Caroline Ouellette, one of the Stingers’s assistant coaches.

“She’s intense, but brings poise. You know what to expect and she wants you to work hard,” Thompson said, who was in awe when she was first coached by Ouellette. “She doesn’t let you take a rest or have excuses. If you want to have [anyone’s] mentality, you would want her mentality.”    

The fifth-year forward isn’t too sure what she wants to do after her career with the Stingers is over, but said she enjoys coaching younger kids. “I’m just focused on this year and taking it all in, then worry about all that in April,” Thompson said.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Women’s hockey team shows dominance in 5-1 win over Carleton

The Stingers improve to a 3-2-0 record with two wins this weekend. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers offence breaks out big for first time this season

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey dominated the struggling Carleton Ravens en route to a 5-1 victory Sunday afternoon at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Coming off a big win against the Université de Montréal Carabins Friday night, the Stingers kept the momentum going against the winless Ravens.

“It was really important for our girls to come out after a big win on Friday, to make sure they had a full effort,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “We’re really happy with how they did and how they competed the entire time.”

It didn’t take long for the Stingers’s power play to be a factor in this game: Claudia Fortin scored on the first power play of the game, just over two minutes in. The first period was played primarily in the Ravens’s zone, until Carleton forward Jamie Wainman found the net for their only goal of the game.

Audrey Belzile scored both game-winning goals this weekend. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers forward Audrey Belzile made sure the game didn’t stay tied for long, as she scored her third goal of the season before the first intermission.

“Great team effort,” Fortin said following her one-goal, two-assist effort. “We came back strong from a tough weekend last weekend. It was important for us to bounce back and be amazing out there.”

The second period played much like the first, as the Stingers were on the constant attack in the Ravens’s zone. Two quick Carleton penalties set up a five-on-three situation and Marie-Pascale Bernier took advantage, scoring her first of the season. Shortly after, Stéphanie Lemelin added another goal to end the period with a 4-1 lead.

The third period was mainly stagnate, and it wasn’t until five seconds left in the game that Melinda Prévost scored to put the game away. By the end, Stingers goalie Alice Philbert made 12 saves.

“We’re constantly learning and the more games we play, the more experience we’re getting,” Chu said. “Consistently playing simple and strong. They played really good hockey and had a consistent effort overall. That’s what we’re working towards as we build.”

The Stingers improve to a 3-2-0 record this season and sit in second place, tied in points with the Carabins. They head to Ottawa next Sunday to play the Gee-Gees, and return home Nov. 18 against the same team.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers break goalless drought in 2-1 win over Carabins

Audrey Belzile broke the Stingers's goalless drought after nearly three hours of hockey. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Audrey Belzile scores team-leading second goal and adds assist

One week after losing 1-0 to the Université de Montréal Carabins, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team avenged the loss with a 2-1 win Friday night. Forward Audrey Belzile scored a goal and an assist in the win at the Ed Meagher Arena, and was named the first star of the game.

Audrey Belzile scored a goal and earned an assist in the win. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

“[Belzile] has been great for us all year,” said head coach Julie Chu. “She wants to win, she’s a great competitor, and loves the fact that she can take on the role [of a leader].”

Heading into the game, the Carabins were ranked as the top team in the country by U Sports, while the Stingers were third. Both teams played cautious hockey in the first period, knowing their opponent was able to pounce off any mistake. The Stingers had a relentless forecheck, pinning the Carabins in their zone for most of the period, but couldn’t force their opponents to make any errors.

“I thought our girls did a great job of having a great forecheck to energize our team,” Chu said. “Ultimately our forecheck is our defensive play because we didn’t have the puck […] We did a great job creating opportunities from that.”

Despite the Stingers’s strong play in the first period, the Carabins scored less than 30 seconds into the second period. Stingers defence Brigitte Laganière turned the puck over in front of Stingers’s goalie Alice Philbert, and the Carabins’s Jessica Cormier made her pay with the opening goal.

“You have to put it in the back of your mind,” said captain Devon Thompson. “We played a first good 20 minutes of the game, so the first 20 seconds of a [period] won’t change it.”

Before this game, the Stingers didn’t score a goal in nearly 140 minutes of play, since their opening game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. They were also facing Carabins goalie Maude Trevisan, who hadn’t allowed a single goal in two games this season. The scoring drought ended after nearly three total hours of play when Belzile put the first goal past Trevisan.

All five regular-season games last season between the two teams were decided by a goal. This game was no different. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

“Honestly it felt good,” Thompson said about ending the goalless streak. “It had been a little while we hadn’t put one in the back of the net.”

Teams traded scoring chances throughout, with Trevisan keeping the Stingers from scoring most of the game. On the other end, Philbert made key saves when we needed her to, including a few diving stops, finishing the game with 28 saves.

“We’ve had to lean on her and she made some big saves in that third period,” Chu said. “There were times we just left people a little more wide open than we would like to.”

Midway through the third period, Belzile took advantage of a Carabins’s mistake in the neutral zone to break in on a two-on-one. She passed the puck over to rookie Maria Manarolis who just got the shot by Trevisan for the game-winning goal, and her first goal with the Stingers.

“What we’re happy about is that everyone contributed,” Chu said. “We build this [winning] culture and believe in everyone on this team, so when our opportunities come, we are ready.”

The Stingers now have a 2-2-0 record and host the Carleton Ravens on Nov. 4 at 3 p.m.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Stingers shutout 3-0 in second consecutive game

The McGill Martlets scored three times in the third period to beat the Stingers on Sunday. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

McGill Martlets win in Concordia home-opener

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team were blanked for the second consecutive game on Sunday, Oct. 28. The McGill Martlets scored three goals in the third period and spoiled the Stingers’s home opener at the Ed Meagher Arena.

Missed opportunities and a slow start in the third period were reasons for the 3-0 loss against the Martlets. The Stingers had many scoring chances, but were unable to capitalize on any of them. The Stingers finished the game with 26 shots on goal, while the Martlets had 28.

“I think we didn’t have that much jump in the beginning [of the third period],” said head coach Julie Chu. “We did have a good penalty killing, which helps, but we need to have that intensity and the urgency to want to win right off the bat. It’s once they scored that we had a really good push.”

The Stingers and Martlets will meet four more times this season. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Chu added that the team wasn’t consistent enough throughout the game.

“I think we had some flashes. We had a really good shift, and then had a couple of fine ones, but not great necessarily,” Chu said. “So we’ll need to find a way to create momentum and then sustain it and try to continue to build off of each other.”

Forward Audrey Belzile said the Stingers didn’t take advantage of their opportunities.

“We had many two-on-one, but often shot the puck next to the goal, or our sticks were not on the ice for rebounds,” Belzile said. “We didn’t take advantage of our chances, and McGill took advantage of theirs. I think it was equal on that aspect, but we’ll need to be more opportunisticnext time.”

Starting goalie Alice Philbert said they need to do a better job at coming out at the start of the game.

“We can’t wait after the first goal [to start playing],” Philbert said. “We have to capitalize on our chances and shoot more on the net to get good scoring chances.”

For the Martlets, Sidonie Chard and Marika Labrecque scored, while Frederique Gauthier closed the game with an empty-net goal.

The Stingers will play the Université de Montréal Carabins on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. It will be the second game between both teams this season, after the Carabins won 1-0 on Oct. 26.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Stingers lose to Carabins in battle of top teams

Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

It was the first meeting since Concordia won RSEQ final in March

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team played the Université de Montréal Carabins for the first time since the two met in the final last March. They gave the Carabins a good challenge and were in the mix until the last second of the game, but still lost 1-0 at the CEPSUM arena.

It could have been different with a goal or two on several scoring chances, and the Stingers failed to convert on power plays.

“Our girls overall did a really good job. It was what we expected, which is close and hard fought,” said head coach Julie Chu.

Forward Audrey Belzile (#17) was a huge part of the Stingers’s success against the Carabins last season. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The Carabins started the game with most of the possession in the Stingers’s zone. Concordia had a hard time making good passes and was victim of many turnovers created by the Carabins in the neutral zone. Montréal won the battles along the boards, which was the story of the first period.

“They looked bigger and faster than us out there,” said forward Stéphanie Lemelin.

Stingers’s goalie Alice Philbert had to make key saves to keep the score even, especially in the first 20 minutes. “Our goalie was really good tonight,” said rookie defence Sandrine Lavictoire.

The Stingers played better near the end of the first period, and the second period was evenly played. Still, despite good scoring chances on both sides, the game remained scoreless after two periods.

The turning point of the game came in the first 30 seconds of the third period. Carabins forward Estelle Duvin scored the only goal of the game on a rebound, caused by traffic in front of Philbert.

“You never want to allow a goal in the first seconds of the period and, unfortunately, that’s what happened [to us] in the third,” Chu said.

Concordia didn’t give up as they attacked throughout the third period, creating scoring chances and forcing their opponents to take penalties. Despite that, Carabins goalie Maude Trevisan kept the door shut and had good support from her defence.

“The main point is that we did not find a way to score a goal,” Lemelin said. “We had our chances on power plays but did not capitalize. Our goalie played really well and gave [us] a chance to win.”

The Stingers are now 1-1-0, and will play their home opener Sunday against the McGill Martlets.

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier.

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Stingers women’s hockey team looks to build on championship

The Stingers women’s hockey team are set to defend their RSEQ championship this year. Archive photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Despite #1 ranking, head coach says they haven’t earned anything yet

Heading into the new season, Julie Chu, head coach of the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team, wants her players to communicate with each other.

“In general, that’s an area we’re emphasizing for our team, to get the confidence from our players to be able to communicate in an outgoing and deliberate way,” Chu said.

Forward Devon Thompson is the team’s new captain. Archive photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Coming off a Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship win last season, the Stingers have a new leadership group ready to carry Chu’s efforts. The players chose fifth-year forward Devon Thompson as captain, replacing Marie-Joëlle Allard, and forwards Sophie Gagnon, Claudia Dubois and Audrey Belzile as assistant captains. Fifth-year goalie Katherine Purchase was also voted as captain for a second year in a row; although she can’t wear the ‘C’ like Thompson will, Chu said she will be a leader in the dressing room.

“She’s a really well-respected player on our team; she has a great voice and a great presence, and upholds everything we believe in,” the head coach said about Purchase. “Even though, as a goalie, she can’t talk to the referees the same way a player [captain] could, she has a huge impact on our team.”

Dubois, Gagnon, Belzile and Thompson—who was an assistant captain last year—were part of last season’s top-six forward group that are all returning. Dubois led the team in points with seven goals and 13 assists in 20 games, while Belzile led the team in goals with 11. Lidia Fillion and Stéphanie Lalancette finished with 17 and 16 points respectively, and will be back for another season.

The Stingers led the league with 65 goals in 20 games last season. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.

“It’s huge to have all six players from our top-two lines last year returning,” Chu said. “Now, we’re adding depth from our new incoming players, and our returners, who are just playing some really good hockey.”

There are 12 first-year players on the Stingers’s roster, with four coming from powerhouse Cégep Limoilou, near Québec City. One of those players is forward Rosalie Bégin-Cyr, top scorer at Limoilou last season with 52 points, and winner of the league MVP.  

“She’s done an amazing job coming in and transitioning quickly to the university game,” Chu added. “She’s a really well-rounded player, smart and can score goals, but has an incredible vision to find and create opportunities for others as well.”

Also coming over from Limoilou is defenceman Amélie Lemay, who scored nine goals and 11 assists in 24 games last season, good enough for 11th place in the entire league. Chu said it will take some time for her to adjust to university-level hockey, but that’s normal for a defenceman.

Chu hopes Bégin-Cyr and the other new recruits will contribute on offence. The Stingers led the league with 65 goals last season, an average of over three per game, and the head coach believes it’s the team’s strongest asset.

“We’ve been able to create a lot of [scoring] opportunities,” Chu said. “We’ll continue to try to figure that out and bear down as we meet opponents who are structured defensively and have great goaltending.”

Forwards Claudia Dubois (left) and Sophie Gagnon (right) are assistant captains this season. Archive photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Heading into the season, U Sports ranked the Stingers as the number-one team in the country for the first time since 1999. The league ranked the Stingers number two in their original rankings on Oct. 9, but after the University of Manitoba lost two games, Concordia grabbed the top spot.

The Stingers won the bronze medal at the national championships last March. Chu said she wants to make sure her players know the only expectations they should worry about is their own, and not that of the rankings.

“It’s a nice compliment [to be ranked high] but it doesn’t mean a whole lot for us because we haven’t earned anything yet,” Chu said. “That’s something our team is established upon.”  

Three teams from the RSEQ were in the latest top-10 rankings from Oct. 16, with the Université de Montréal Carabins ranked third, and the McGill Martlets at the 10th spot. The Stingers will play each of those teams five times this season.

The Stingers opened the season Oct. 21 with a 4-1 win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. They play the Carabins on Oct. 26 before their home-opener on Oct. 28 against the Martlets.

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New home at Place Bell signals shift in women’s hockey

Marie-Philip Poulin (pictured) returns to the Canadiennes as captain after playing for the Olympic team last year. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

Les Canadiennes split back-to-back games against Calgary Inferno

With goals from Maude Gelinas and Sarah Lefort, Les Canadiennes de Montréal opened their season with a fast-paced 2-1 win against the Calgary Inferno on Oct. 13 at Place Bell.

Sarah Lefort gets ready for a faceoff. Les Canadiennes de Montréal opened the season in their new home at the Place Bell in Laval. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

Montreal played an offensive game with more fast-break chances than you could count. On the other end, the Inferno used their speed to work the offensive zone. Les Canadiennes just edged Calgary in shots, 20-21. Both goalies, Calgary’s Alex Rigsby, an American Olympic gold medalist, and Emerance Maschmeyer for Montreal, were tested often and were forced to bail out their teams. Rigsby’s highlight of the game was stopping Mélodie Daoust, the 2018 Olympic MVP, on three separate breakaway chances.

The Canadiennes played their first two games of the season at Place Bell. Both against the Inferno, this past weekend, they lost 3-1 on Sunday. The arena has been home to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) since its inauguration in 2017. The 1,500 fans in attendance weren’t exactly the numbers the team was hoping for. This could also be partially attributed to the Laval Rocket playing right before and the Montreal Canadiens playing at the Bell Centre downtown at the same time.

The crowd was more than enthusiastic, however, and the loud cheers filled the empty seats. For captain Marie-Philip Poulin, the move to the 10,000-seat-capacity at Place Bell is a sign that the women’s game is continuing to take strides forward.

“Women’s hockey is growing. We have the chance to grow the size of our arenas as well,” said Poulin, who was held pointless. “Hopefully fans will come to watch us. That’s what we want. That’s what we hope for. That’s what we want to grow for the next generation. For us, seeing little girls in the stands, that’s why we play.”

After playing three games at the end of last season, without earning a point, forward Hilary Knight recorded her first point with Montreal, an assist. She said she wasn’t thinking too much about getting her first point in her new colours. “It doesn’t matter. As long as we win […] The expectation is to win,” Knight said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less with this team.”

Knight joked she had only ever seen road signs to Laval, but so far the team’s stay in the city and at the arena has been positive. “I love [Laval]. Place Bell is great,” Knight added. “The energy is great. Les Canadiennes always have a great crowd. We want more fans to come and embrace us as the city’s team.”

Les Canadiennes will also play at the Complexe sportif Bell and Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard this season. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

With the (partial) move to the 10,000 seat arena, Les Canadiennes are one of the first Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) teams to make the jump to a larger rink. Place Bell is officially the second-largest CWHL arena, after the Shenzhen Dayun Arena in China, which can seat a whopping 18,000 for the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays.

 

 

The Canadiennes are scheduled to play five more games at Place Bell this season, four at the Bell Sports Complex in the South Shore, and two at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

Main photo by Matthew Coyte. 

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Concordia honours historic Stingers teams

Football assistant head coach Pete Regimbald was honoured after 50 years with the team. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Two teams and two players inducted into Concordia Sports Hall of Fame

Pete Regimbald, assistant head coach on the Concordia Stingers football team, was honoured during a weekend celebrating the school’s athletic history. He has been with the football team since 1968, when they were the Loyola College Warriors, and will retire at the end of this season.

Head coach Brad Collinson played under Regimbald from 2000 to 2002, and was a part-time coach alongside him from 2004 to 2010. Now, in his present role, Collinson gets to work with him for his final season. The head coach said Regimbald brings a lot of experience to the coaching staff.

“He’s a great man and he’s spent a lot of time here,” Collinson said. “It’s an honour to be working with him again.”

Current players, such as fourth-year offensive lineman Maurice Simba, also spoke highly of Regimbald. “That guy is everything,” Simba said. “He’s like a mentor and father for us. He knows this program more than anyone.”

Concordia honoured Regimbald on Saturday night, following their 74-3 loss to the Université de Montréal Carabins during the homecoming game. Despite the blowout loss, Simba said the players gave their best effort for Regimbald.   

“People now are going to say, ‘How did you guys give 100 per cent when you lost by 71 points?’ but we gave everything we got,” Simba added. “I’m really proud of the person he is, and he’s helped a lot of guys on the football team.”  

Receiver James Tyrrell also had nothing but positive words about the assistant head coach after the game.

“He’s an intense coach no matter his age, and his heart is really in the game,” Tyrrell said with a laugh. “It’s fun to have him around and he deserves it.”

The women’s soccer team was the only Stingers team able to win a regular season game at home during homecoming weekend. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Two players, two teams inducted into Hall of Fame

Part of the homecoming weekend was the annual Concordia Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, held in the John Molson building on the downtown campus. The 1998 Stingers football team was one of the inductees, and they were honoured at halftime against the Carabins.

The 1998 team finished first in the old Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference (OQIFC) with a 6-2 record, before beating the Bishop’s Gaiters in the semi-final. They played the Dunsmore Cup at home against the Université de Laval Rouge et Or. After two overtimes, the game had to be postponed until the next day to due darkness—there were no flood lights at the Concordia Stadium at the time. The Stingers won in the third overtime the next day, and you can actually watch the full game, or at least the first day of it, on YouTube.

The team eventually beat the Acadia Axemen in the Atlantic Bowl before losing to the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Vanier Cup, the national title game. It’s the only time in school history that the football team made it to the Vanier Cup. Sylvain Girard, Evan Davis and Jeffrey Anderson were all members of the 1998 team that were picked in the 1999 Canadian Football League (CFL) draft.

Head coach Collinson said some former players spoke to the current players last week. Tyrrell said it was good to be able to spend time with some of the past players.

“We understand what we have right now is because of them, they built it,” the receiver said. “It’s great to connect what was given to us, through them.”

Dwayne Bromfield, a player of the 1999 football team, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Historic women’s hockey team also honoured

Can you imagine an undefeated hockey season? Well, the 1997-98 Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team did just that. They had a perfect 13-0 season before winning six-straight games to claim the Quebec Student Sports Federation (QSSF) title and the first-ever national championship. They won two tournaments that year and had only four losses, all in exhibition games, with two of them against the American national team.

To understand just how good they were, in four games against the McGill Martlets that season, they outscored them 34-1.

Delaney Collins, Anne Rodrigue and Corinne Swirsky were named All-Canadians that season. Swirsky also received national MVP honours, playoffs MVP and Stingers female athlete of the year.

Lisa-Marie Breton played as a rookie on that 1997-98 team and was also inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame during its ceremony Sunday morning. She played for the Stingers until 2002, winning another national title in 1999, and helped the team qualify for five-straight nationals.

Breton’s impact on women’s hockey extends past Concordia – she helped co-found the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) in 2007. She played for one of its original teams, the Montreal Stars, for eight years, winning three Clarkson Cups. Breton is still with Concordia, serving as the women’s hockey strength and conditioning coach.

The women’s hockey team played three preseason games this weekend. They beat the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 3-1, and the Waterloo Warriors 3-2, before losing to the professional Les Canadiennes 7-1 on Sunday.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Stingers win bronze at nationals

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.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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Stingers head into nationals full of experience

After winning the RSEQ championship, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team are heading to nationals as favourites. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Coach says team learned “everything” after last season’s fourth-place finish

After defeating the Université de Montréal Carabins in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) final on March 4, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team is returning to the U Sports national championship. This will be the second-straight trip to nationals for the Stingers. They hope to improve on their fourth-place finish from last season.

This time, the Stingers are in an unfamiliar position—they’re among the favourites to win.

“The team’s looking strong right now,” said head coach Julie Chu. “This is a good week off where we get to reset and refocus, get our energy and emotions back and get geared up for nationals.”

One of the more difficult aspects of the national championship for the Stingers will be preparing to face teams they haven’t seen at all this season.

“We’re breaking down videos of them,” Chu said. “We’re doing that for the seven other teams so that whoever we end up playing, we have at least a sense of what their power play is, what their penalty kill is, what their structure and tendencies might be. We know how to make our adjustments. Our girls are going to be prepared.”

The Stingers will be up against the top teams in the country, and could eventually face the top-ranked University of Manitoba Bisons in the semi-final. The Bisons finished the regular season 22-2-0, and won the Canada West title.

The Stingers could face off against the Montréal Carabins at nationals. The teams have played each other eight times this season. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Bisons knocked off the University of Alberta Pandas, the defending national champions, in the playoffs this season. The Bisons are led by the scoring duo of Jordyn Zacharias and Alanna Sharman, who both recorded 21 points in 33 games. Zacharias had six game-winning goals this season.

Watching scout videos will be less important if the Stingers face off against the Carabins. The memory of those eight games against Montréal this year, including the RSEQ final earlier this month, is probably still fresh in the mind of the players and coaching staff. With the Stingers beating the Carabins to claim the title, the Carabins would be eager to repay the favour at nationals.

The Stingers surprised many at nationals last season. After going into the championship tournament as the seventh seed, the Stingers made their way to the bronze-medal game. They lost that game 2-0 to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Chu said the team learned “everything” after that championship run last season.

“We hadn’t been to nationals in 12 years, but we believed that we could win. But we still needed to develop a lot of the experience of going through [nationals]. Everyone, coaches included, are in such a better place in knowing what to expect,” said Chu about the 2017 nationals. “It’s never fun to lose, but sometimes you need to go through certain things so you know that you can handle it.”

After claiming their first RSEQ title in 13 years, the Stingers now face higher expectations at nationals. Concordia will face off against the fifth-ranked St-Francis Xavier X-Women on March 16, having been placed as the fourth seed in the tournament. This year, nationals will be hosted in London, Ont., from March 15 to 18.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Taking home gold

The women’s hockey team won their first championship since 2005 last season. Archive photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers women’s hockey team win championship for the first time since 2005

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team wouldn’t have won the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship without the help of people outside the team.

“It’s not about the small group of us; it’s a big group,” said head coach Julie Chu. “It wasn’t only the players on the ice who contributed to this success.” She was talking about former head coach Les Lawton, who had to step down before the 2015-16 season for health reasons, which is when Chu took over as head coach.

Some of the Stingers’s stars who helped with this championship, including forwards Claudia Dubois, Sophie Gagnon, Claudia Fortin, defencemen Marie-Joëlle Allard, Caroll-Ann Gagné and goalie Katherine Purchase, were all recruited by Lawton.

“He has a huge hand in this, and he continues to give us good guidance,” Chu added. Lawton joined the Stingers on the ice for their celebration, and many former players and parents offered him congratulations, saying this title was “a long time coming.”

Fifth-year forward Kierann Schofield receivers her medal. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The last time the Stingers won the championship was in 2005. Between then and 2017, the Stingers didn’t even play in the RSEQ final. They returned last year for the first time in over a decade, losing in two games against the McGill Martlets.

“Last year, we missed that opportunity [to win a championship]. We were so high after the first round, we weren’t prepared for the finals,” Chu said. “We learned from that experience.”

The Stingers looked like a different team from the final a year ago, when the Martlets dominated them. Concordia had trouble generating any chances, and was even shutout in game two at home. This year, against the Université de Montréal Carabins, they lost on the road in game one in overtime, 3-2, and didn’t want to repeat last year’s fate.

“We had our backs against the wall [after game one],” said forward Audrey Belzile after their 3-2 win in game two. “We didn’t have a choice. We had to put everything on the ice. Every player’s mentality switched, and we wanted to show them that game one was not our best hockey.”

The Stingers showed the Carabins their best hockey for the rest of the series, dominating game two. In game three, despite being tied 1-1 after two periods, the Stingers came out buzzing to start the final frame, scoring two goals in the first five minutes, eventually winning 3-1.

They played shutdown defence for the rest of the game, and fifth-year forward Alexandria D’Onofrio showed how badly the Stingers wanted to win by blocking multiple shots. The Stingers have come a long way since D’Onofrio’s rookie year in 2013-14, when they went 5-15-0.

“Our bench celebrated like she scored a goal,” Chu said, referring to when D’Onofrio blocked a shot. “Those are huge moments to build momentum and keep opponents at bay, just as big as a goal.”

Fifth-year forward Alexandria D’Onofrio made a huge block at the end of the game. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

In the final moments of game three, D’Onofrio blocked another shot. The players, as well as friends and family of the Stingers who had made the trip to Université de Montréal’s CEPSUM Arena, knew the Stingers would win, and everyone was on their feet. When the clock hit zero, the team spilled onto the ice to swarm Purchase and celebrate the trophy they worked all season for. Their friends and family joined them on the ice for the celebration, making one big Stingers family party.

“This was about Concordia hockey today, and about our team coming together as a family and executing in the end,” Chu said. “That’s what I’m proud of.”

Stingers athletics director D’Arcy Ryan presented the team with the trophy, making them the second Stingers team to win a championship this season.

“It’s fantastic to see all the hard work the team puts in,” Ryan said. “It’s rewarding for them, and rewarding for the faculty and staff who are out supporting them.”

The Stingers will now play at nationals in London, Ont., from March 15 to 18. They finished fourth at nationals last year.

Photos by Mackenzie Lad.

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High-energy Stingers force game three in final

Captain Marie-Joëlle Allard scored the game-winning goal in the second period. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

Katherine Purchase returned in nets to make 19 saves in win

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team kept their championship hopes alive with a 3-2 win over the Université de Montréal Carabins on Saturday at the Ed Meagher Arena.

After a slow start that saw the Stingers only get three shots in the first period, the Stingers came out in the next two periods flying, controlling much of the play and fending off a late push from the Carabins.

After losing the first game, it was do or die for the Stingers in the best-of-three series.

“We had our backs against the wall. We didn’t have a choice,” said Stingers forward Audrey Belzile after the game. “We had to put everything on the ice. Every player’s mentality switched, and we wanted to show them that game one was not our best hockey. Today, we played our game instead of adapting to theirs.”

Forward Audrey Belzile assisted on Stéphanie Lalancette’s goal in the first period. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

The Stingers grabbed the lead when Belzile flipped the puck over the stick of a Carabins defender, before firing a shot from one knee on Carabins goalie Marie-Pier Chabot. Stéphanie Lalancette was just in front of Chabot and managed to tip the shot over the goalie’s blocker for the first goal of the game, and her second of the final.

That was about as good as it got for the Stingers in the first, as they were swarmed by the Carabins for the rest of the period.

Out of the gate in the second though, the difference in energy level was night and day. Starting the period on the power play, the Stingers got into a rhythm, controlling much of the play and using their speed to match the physicality of the Carabins. Four minutes into the second period, defender Brigitte Laganière got a pass at the top of the circle and ripped a wrister over Chabot’s glove, giving the Stingers a two-goal lead.

“We don’t have to say a lot to fire up the team, especially against UdeM,” said head coach Julie Chu. “We get a lot of our energy from our forecheck, so we have to be relentless in those areas.”

It took the Carabins four minutes to respond to Laganière’s goal. Laganière fumbled the puck at the Carabins’s blueline leading to a two-on-one opportunity for the visiting team. Carabins forward Annie Germain carried the puck up the ice, and as the Concordia defender laid out to block the pass, she fired a shot just over the right pad of goalie Katherine Purchase to cut the lead in half.

Purchase returned to the crease after Alice Philbert got the start in game one of the series. Purchase stopped 19 of 21 shots.

Chu and Belzile both emphasized how Purchase motivates the team.

“There’s a reason that Kat is one of our captains this year,” Chu said. “That can be kind of tough for a goaltender to have that voice and have that presence, but that’s what Kat brings to that locker room.”

Stingers captain Marie-Joëlle Allard gave her team a 3-1 lead late in the second period with a power-play goal.

The Stingers’s shot chart. O represents the goals. By Matthew Coyte and Nicholas Di Giovanni.

The Stingers’s offensive zone pressure was highlighted by good puck movement and control down low, especially from Belzile who caused havoc for opposing defenders as she played her usual fast, physical, smart game. Belzile leads the team in points this playoffs with five.

Jessica Cormier scored the second goal for the Carabins five minutes into the third period, pulling her team to within one.

The Carabins pulled Chabot with 50 seconds left for the extra attacker, but were unable to tie the game as the Stingers threw their bodies in front of every shot. The late push was unsuccessful for the Carabins, and the Stingers forced the third and final game of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) final.

This was the first game between the two teams this season that didn’t need extra time.

“It’s a relief to finally win one in regulation,” Belzile said. “We’ve proven now that we can beat them in 60 minutes, and we’re hoping to do the same tomorrow.”

The final game of the series will be played on Sunday, March 4 at 2 p.m. at Montréal’s CEPSUM Arena.

Main photo by Kirubel Mehari.

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