Tag: women’s hockey

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Stingers stumble in game one of RSEQ final

Stingers stumble
Stéphanie Lalancette said the Carabins play a physical game. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

Stéphanie Lalancette scored two points in overtime loss to Carabins

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team fell to the Université de Montréal Carabins 3-2 in overtime in game one of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) final. Forwards Claudia Dubois and Stéphanie Lalancette each scored a goal for the Stingers. This loss comes after the Stingers defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees in three games in the first round.

The Carabins and Stingers were the top two teams in the RSEQ division all season, finishing first and second respectively.

The Stingers are slow starters, and this game was no different. They started the game on their heels, almost overwhelmed by the energy of the Carabins, who were playing in front of a packed CEPSUM Arena.

“The first 10 minutes, we didn’t play well,” said head coach Julie Chu. “Montréal outplayed us. We didn’t have the intensity. It looked like we were nervous, which was not something that we expected.”

Later in the first, the Stingers had a power play, and the team had the opportunity to apply some pressure of their own after a rough start. On the first face-off in the Carabins’s zone, the Stingers won the face-off back to their defence, who mishandled the puck before sending an attempted shot off the shinpads of Laurie Mercier from the Carabins. With the puck, Mercier took off past the defence, and went on a breakaway against rookie goaltender Alice Philbert. Mercier faked the forehand shot, went to her backhand and roofed the puck over a sprawling Philbert for the short-handed tally.

The Carabins spent most of the game in the Stingers’s zone. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

The Carabins maintained pressure for the majority of the first period. It wasn’t until near the end of the first that Concordia managed to get any sort of momentum rolling.

The Stingers started the third period on the power play, and 30 seconds into the period, Dubois, who led the team in scoring during the regular season, scored to tie the game 1-1 off a rebound from a Lalancette one-timer.

The move of the night came in the third period from the Carabins’s Marie-Pier Dubé, who took a cross-ice pass, crossed the Stingers’s blueline, toe dragged around both defenders and somehow managed to poke the puck past Philbert to give Montréal a 2-1 lead.

Once again forced to play from behind, the Stingers responded five minutes later. Lalancette took a stretch pass along the right side of the ice and found herself in a one-on-one against the Carabins defender. She moved to the middle of the ice, gripped it and ripped her wrist shot over the glove of the Carabins goalie.

Even with the tying goal, Lalancette said her team didn’t do enough to generate chances.

“We didn’t keep control of the puck,” she said. “We were missing those offensive chances to attack the net.”

After three periods of play, the game was tied at two-a-piece and headed to overtime.

Every meeting between the Stingers and Carabins this season has gone to extra time. The Stingers won the first three meetings, and the Carabins won the last two regular-season games.

“In overtime against them, we know that it’s not going to be easy,” Lalancette said.

The overtime period didn’t quite go the way the Stingers had probably planned. They were barely able to leave their own zone, commiting a number of turnovers that led to quality chances, and forced them to play on the defensive. During that pressure, Carabins forward Alexandra Labelle fired the puck just over the blocker of Philbert for the win.

The result was disappointing for the Stingers, but not unsurprising according to Chu, who simply said the team didn’t play their best hockey.

“We’re [two teams] that are really well matched.” Chu said. “There’s a lot of great hockey ahead, and it’s going to come down to that little bit of extra effort that the teams are going to give.”

Lalancette said the Stingers need to use their speed for game two in the best-of-three series.

“Next game, we’re going to have to come out of the gate and attack them better,” Lalancette said. “They’re a big team; they like to play physical.”

Game two of the final will take place at the Ed Meagher Arena at Concordia’s Loyola campus on Saturday, March 3 at 3 p.m.

Main photo by Matthew Coyte.

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Stingers hold on to win dramatic game three

The Stingers will face the Montréal Carabins in the RSEQ final, the team they beat in the playoffs last year. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Women’s hockey team books spot in finals and nationals for second-straight year

After losing game two on the road on Feb. 24 and with their season on the line, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team was forced to play a third game at home on Feb. 25 in their playoff series against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Stingers came out on top with a 2-1 win at the Ed Meagher Arena, clinching a spot in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) final, and in the national championship in London, Ont., in March.

The first period was a tense affair with teams trading power plays and solid chances with no result. The deadlock was broken halfway through the second period when Stingers captain and defenceman Marie-Joëlle Allard put home a rebound following a hectic scramble in front of the Gee-Gees net. When Allard scored, four Gee-Gees, the goalie and even the referee were all lying on the ice.

“All the games we’ve played against this team have been really physical, so we knew that there were going to be penalties throughout this series,” Allard said. “We really worked on our special teams play building up to this series, and that definitely paid off.”

Forward Sophie Gagnon (#11) scored one goal in the series. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

As the second period was winding down and the Stingers upped the offensive pressure, a stray rebound found its way onto forward Lidia Fillion’s stick, and she made no mistake, giving the Stingers a 2-0 lead. The home crowd was buzzing with the thought of potentially going to the finals for a second-straight year.

One of hockey’s favourite clichés is that a two-goal lead is the worst lead to have, and that seemed to be accurate as the Gee-Gees came out flying in the third period. They scored just two minutes into the third period.

The Ottawa side kept up the pressure, launching attack after attack, but were ultimately frustrated by Stingers goalie Alice Philbert. The rookie made several game-saving stops, including a desperate, sprawling save with three seconds left on the clock to secure the win.

Another standout player was Stingers forward Claudia Dubois, who has been one the team’s best players this season. After leading the team in the regular season with 20 points, she had two assists in this series.

“We’re very happy with the way we bounced back after a tough loss yesterday,” Dubois said. “We really came together as a team, and we have the result to show for it. Playing against [Université de] Montréal in the final is going to be a challenge, but we’re all confident that we can get the job done.”

The pressure and intensity from this game was a far cry from the display on Saturday, as head coach Julie Chu pointed out following the win.

“The series overall was a great, and we’re thrilled to move on. A massive part of that was due to the fact that we just played with more desperation,” Chu said. “After the second game, we had to come back home and play as if it were our last game on Earth or else we would lose, because [Ottawa] definitely played with that mindset.”

The Stingers will now play against the Université de Montréal Carabins in the finals, a team they have played five times this season, with every game going into overtime or a shootout. The Stingers had a 3-0-2 record against them this season. The series will begin on March 1.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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Stingers dominate to take game one in convincing fashion

The Stingers found a weakness on goalie Maude Lévesque-Ryan, beating her four times with high shots. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Audrey Belzile scores three goals as Gee-Gees only get 14 shots

With another hat-trick from forward Audrey Belzile, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team won game one of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) semi-final, 5-0, against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Feb. 22.
If there was such thing as a perfect game one, this was it for the Stingers. Right from the opening face-off, they asserted dominance and consistency, setting aside what had been a trend of struggling first periods all season. The Stingers allowed a mere 14 shots from the Gee-Gees all game.
“We came ready to play and capitalized early on, and that’s really important,” said head coach Julie Chu. “It’s always huge to get game one.”
The Stingers wasted no time from the face-off as forward Sophie Gagnon found herself on a breakaway just 11 seconds in. She was tripped and earned a penalty shot, beating Gee-Gees goalie Maude Lévesque-Ryan to her blocker side.
“We had the penalty shot right off the bat. It’s a huge momentum boost for us when you get to capitalize on your first chance,” Chu said.
Forward Vyckie Gélinas scored another goal a few minutes later. Belzile added a goal in the final minute of the third period, again beating Lévesque-Ryan on her blocker side. The Stingers led 3-0 after the first period.

Audrey Belzile scored her second hat-trick of the season. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

“When we come closer, she goes down which opens the [blocker] side, so we shoot there,” Belzile said about Lévesque-Ryan’s weakness.
In the second period on a five-on-three powerplay, Belzile picked up a loose puck in front of the net and scored her second goal of the night. A tame and focused Stingers team continued the pressure and took their only penalty of the game in the second period on a delay-of-game call. The Gee-Gees, however, were becoming more frustrated and took many roughing penalties throughout the game.
In the third period, Belzile completed her hat-trick on another powerplay. The Stingers’s fifth goal midway through the third period forced the Gee-Gees to do a goalie change.

“We’re confident, because the first game is very important. It sets the tone,” said Belzile, looking ahead to the rest of the series. “They are afraid, so now we have the control of the playoffs. We want to finish this in two games at their home.”
The best-of-three series goes back to Ottawa on Feb. 24 in a do-or-die game for the Gee-Gees. If the Stingers win, Concordia will advance to the RSEQ final and qualify for the national championship in London, Ont., in March.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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Stingers rally to win final regular-season game in double overtime

Stingers forward Sophie Gagnon (right) had a goal and an assist in the game. Photo by Sandra Hercegova.

Sophie Gagnon scores winner ahead of playoff clash versus Gee-Gees

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team beat the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-2 on Feb. 18. Forward Sophie Gagnon scored the double overtime winning goal to close out the regular season at the Ed Meagher Arena.

The first period woes for the Stingers continued on Sunday afternoon. Ottawa’s Sara Lachance scored the opening goal just six minutes into the game, and a slow pace led to another Gee-Gees goal late in the period by Julie Levesque. The Gee-Gees finished the first period up 2-0.

“Our effort at the drop of the puck has to be a lot better,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “That’s something we’ve had to work on throughout the season. It’s time for our players to step up and start faster than they have. They learned a valuable lesson today.”

As the Stingers have done multiple times this season, they picked up the pace in the second period. Forward Audrey Belzile found the net after a pass from forward Marie-Pascale Bernier to get the Stingers on the board. This was Belzile’s team-leading 11th goal of the season, and she finished the regular season with 18 points. The Stingers held the Gee-Gees to a mere four shots all period.

Concordia dominated the third period, but could only manage one goal by forward Claudia Dubois, assisted by Brigitte Laganière, halfway through the period. Once again, the Gee-Gees only managed four shots on net, while the Stingers took 18. Despite outshooting the Gee-Gees 39-18, the game headed to double overtime.

The first frame of four-on-four overtime was not enough to break the tie, so the game needed a second frame of three-on-three overtime. With plenty of room available, Gagnon used her speed to get up the ice and found an opening to seal the win for the Stingers.

Fifth-year forwards Alexandria D’Onofrio and Keriann Schofield (middle) played their final regular-season game with Concordia. Photo by Sandra Hercegova.

Following the game, six Stingers seniors were honoured as their Concordia hockey careers come to an end this season. Forwards Alexandria D’Onofrio and Keriann Schofield, defencemen Audrey-Anne Allard, Marie-Joëlle Allard and Caroll-Ann Gagné, and goalie Frédérike Berger-Lebel were among those presented with flowers and framed photos.

Concordia finished the season with a 14-4-2 record, in second place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). The Stingers will play the Ottawa Gee-Gees in a best-of-three semi-final series.

Coach Chu said she does not plan to take anything for granted in the series. “This game was down to the wire, and it’s going to be a great series. It’s going to be a battle, and we have to be able to handle the pressure.”

Game one of the series will be at the Ed Meagher Arena on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Game two will be in Ottawa on Feb. 24, and game three, if necessary, will be back at Concordia on Feb. 25.

Main photo by Sandra Hercegova.

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Setting up goals from anywhere

Even though Audrey Belzile leads the Stingers in goals, it has been Stéphanie Lalancette (pictured) feeding her passes. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Second-year forward Stéphanie Lalancette is near the top of the league in assists

In a women’s hockey game against the Carleton Ravens on Feb. 4, Concordia Stingers forward Stéphanie Lalancette earned an assist while sitting on the bench.

Midway through the second period, Lalancette carried the puck into the offensive zone before running out of room in front of a Ravens defender. She dropped the puck to her linemate, Audrey Belzile, then headed to the bench for a line change. As Lalancette got off the ice, Belzile circled around and scored a top-shelf goal.

A point from the bench for Lalancette on a Belzile goal. That’s the type of season Lalancette is having: one filled with assists. Belzile scored four goals in that game, and Lalancette assisted on three of them.

It’s clear that Stéphanie Lalancette and Audrey Belzile also have a good relationship off the ice. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

“I think [I am] more of a passer,” Lalancette said. “I like the feeling of being able to pass and [help] my teammates score.”

Lalancette is tied for the third-most assists in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), with nine total. Five of those assists were on goals by Belzile, and the other four were by the other player on her line, Lidia Fillion.

Even though Lalancette is the passer on that line, she scores goals too.

“I bring a lot of energy, and I could change a game in just one shift,” Lalancette said. “I bring a lot of scoring chances in just one shift.”

Head coach Julie Chu said Lalancette is always giving her full effort, be it at practice or in games.

“If you ever come to our practice and watch Steph, even on a simple warm-up drill, the way she’s ready and explodes on that drill, you don’t see that all the time,” Chu said. “Because she has that mentality of getting better, working and making the most out of every moment, that’s why it’s translating to the games and why she’s such a dominant player for us.”

Stéphanie Lalancette scored her first two goals of the season against the McGill Martlets on Oct. 21. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

In her rookie season last year, Lalancette scored six goals and added 10 assists. This season, she already has seven goals to go along with her nine assists in 17 games.

Belzile said she enjoys being on a line with her playmaking teammate. “I like her speed. She sees me well, and I see her well,” Belzile said. “We have good chemistry, and we just fit together.”

Although Lalancette is feeding Belzile goals with the Stingers, the pair played on rival teams in CEGEP. Lalancette played for the Limoilou Titans, and Belzile played for the St-Laurent Patriotes, two of the top teams in college hockey. “Before we were enemies, but now we’re really good friends,” Belzile said.

In the 2014-15 season, Limoilou beat St-Laurent in the final, and the year after, Limoilou eliminated St-Laurent in the semi-final en route to winning the RSEQ championship. Lalancette said that championship experience helped her bring a winning mentality to the Stingers.

She played with many current Stingers at Limoilou, including forwards Claudia Dubois and Marie-Pascale Bernier, and defencemen Claudia Fortin, Audrey-Anne Allard and Aurélie Hubert. Lalancette said playing with her CEGEP teammates at Concordia is a fun experience.

“We knew each other, so it helped us in our everyday life and on the ice too,” Lalancette said.

In her rookie season last year with the Stingers, Lalancette continued her winning streak. Despite finishing the season with a 10-9-1 record, the Stingers upset the Université de Montréal Carabins in the first round of the playoffs, and secured a spot at nationals, where they finished in fourth place.

“It was a great feeling,” Lalancette said about their trip to nationals last March in Napanee, Ont. “As a first-year, you never [expect] that.” On the subject of what the team’s goals are for this season, Lalancette asserted: “We expect to win. We want to win the playoffs of the RSEQ, and go to the nationals and really have a winning mentality.”

Stéphanie Lalancette battles a McGill Martlet during a game on Feb. 10. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Even though Lalancette has up to three more seasons left with the Stingers after this one, she doesn’t stop thinking about her future in professional hockey. She said her goal is to play for Les Canadiennes de Montréal, but needs to focus on school in order to get a job outside of hockey. She’s currently studying leisure sciences.

Lalancette said she’s studying leisure sciences because that’s what she enjoys in school, and it helps her on the rink too. “I can bring a lot of stuff on the ice. I like being around people and just helping as much as I can.”

Through two seasons playing with the Stingers and studying at Concordia, Lalancette knows the challenges of being a student-athlete.

“It’s a lot of work,” she said. “You need to be on time for everything; you can’t be late; you need to prepare yourself for every week and just be sure you’re ready on the ice and you’re ready to study too.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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Stingers close in on top seed with win against McGill

Players on the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team wore pink tape and laces for breast cancer awareness. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Audrey Belzile scores her eighth goal in five games as Claudia Dubois collects three points

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team beat the McGill Martlets for a fourth time this season, winning 5-3 on Feb. 10 at the Ed Meagher Arena. The Stingers got their goals from their top players, as forwards Claudia Dubois, Audrey Belzile, Stéphanie Lalancette, Marie-Pascale Bernier and Devon Thompson each scored.

“This was a playoff atmosphere,” said head coach Julie Chu. “A game like this is an emotional one […] That was a really fun game. McGill played really well, and it was great to see our team step up, handle the pressure down the stretch and execute in big-time moments.”

The Stingers have been slow starters in games this season, and this one was no different. The Martlets opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game with a goal by Kellyane Lecours. McGill dominated much of the first period, but Belzile scored her eighth goal in the last five games to give the Stingers a tie after the first period. This was Belzile’s 10th goal and 17th point of the season, slingshotting her to the top of the league’s leaderboard in each category.

The Stingers sit a point behind the first-placed Carabins, with a game against them on Feb. 16. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

“The first period we were a little bit sluggish on our execution,” Chu said. “We were in the right spots to do the right thing, but we didn’t execute it, and it took us a while to get our first shot of the game.”

The head coach said during the first period, she told her team to calm down. “Maybe we had too much energy, so we got a little bit scattered and we were a little jittery with the puck.”

Nerves are always a big part of the Concordia-McGill rivalry. Lalancette said in rivalry games like these, they need to stick to their own gameplan. “We knew it was a big game for us and we needed the win, so we played well for that reason,” Lalancette said.

The Stingers came out firing in the second period, with Bernier scoring just three minutes in to give Concordia a 2-1 lead. After McGill tied the game four minutes later, Bernier’s relentless forechecking in the Martlet’s zone forced a turnover, and Dubois picked up the loose puck and scored on a wraparound. Dubois finished the game with a goal and two assists.

“[Dubois] has been one of our top players all year long,” Chu said. The third-year player is now tied with Belzile and rookie forward Lidia Fillion for most points on the Stingers with 17.

Even though the Stingers outshot the Martlets 13-7 in the second, McGill came out strong to start the third period. Martlets forward Jade Downie-Landry tied the game just over a minute into the final period.

Even though the game was tied for most of the third period, Lalancette said the mood on the bench was positive. “We always kept the energy high, but we were able to control it,” Lalancette said.

With just over five minutes left in the period, Fillion carried the puck toward the Martlets net. She lost the puck in the crease, but Lalancette was right there to poke it into the net, scoring the eventual game-winning goal. Thompson added an empty-net goal late in the game.

The win improves the Stingers record to 13-4-1, good enough for second place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). With two games remaining, the Stingers are one point behind the Université de Montréal Carabins. The two teams play each other on Feb. 16 at Montréal. Chu said they need to prepare for the game against the Carabins like they would for any other game.

“We expect our players, every week, to come prepared and ready to work,” Chu said.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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My Olympic Memories: Julie Chu

Julie Chu competed in four Olympics between 2002 and 2014, winning four medals in women’s hockey. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

The four-time Olympian once saw the Games as an “untouchable dream”

During the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, Julie Chu and the rest of the American athletes waited for their turn in the Parade of Nations.

As host country, the United States was the last country in the parade, so Chu—who was 19 years old and competing in her first Olympics for the women’s hockey team—had to wait a while. However, as the athletes lined up outside the Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium where the opening ceremony took place, she could hear the cheers coming from inside.

“There was a moment where you heard [the stadium] absolutely erupt, and we all knew for sure that Greece had just walked in,” Chu said. Greece leads the parade because of the Olympics’ origins in the country. “I think about it now, and I get goosebumps.”

Julie Chu (bottom row, third from left) and the American national team. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Eventually, the American team made their way into the stadium. “Finally, you [enter] and it just opens up,” Chu said. “It’s just bright lights and cheering, and you think, ‘This is pretty cool.’”

Salt Lake City was the first of four Olympic Games for Chu, who is now the head coach of the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team. She is one of three players to have participated in four Olympics for the American women’s team, winning three silver medals and a bronze medal in 2006. Only seven other players have four or more Olympic medals in women’s hockey, including Canadian Caroline Ouellette—the Stingers’ assistant coach—who has four gold medals.

Although Chu watched the Olympics growing up, she said competing in them seemed like an “untouchable dream,” until women’s hockey was included in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

“When women’s hockey was announced as an Olympic sport, it was the first time I had a dream of going to the Olympics,” Chu said. “I wanted to make that Olympic team one day. I don’t know if I had set a goal; 1998 wasn’t on my radar because I was only 15. I probably had visions of 2002, but I didn’t have a time frame. It was more that I wanted to chase after this dream, and hopefully, one day be able to reach it.”

Chu watched on TV as the American team won the inaugural women’s hockey tournament at the 1998 Olympics. While she was watching the Games, her father, Wah, told her, “If you ever make it to the Olympic Games, I’m going to get the Olympic rings [tattooed] on my arm.” Chu said her father is traditional and was against tattoos, so she was shocked when he said that.

Neither Chu nor her father mentioned the tattoo until four years later, when she made Team U.S.A. Just prior to the Olympic Games, Wah followed through on his promise, and then Chu’s mother, brother and sister all said they would get a tattoo of the Olympic rings and her number, 13.

“They told me beforehand that they would get it before the Olympics,” Chu said. “I told them, ‘I don’t want to know, because until I [play], I’m not an Olympian.’” After the Games, Chu also got the Olympic rings tattooed to match the rest of her family.

Through four Olympics, Chu experienced the Games in different corners of the world. She admits that, prior to the 2002 Olympics in the United States, she had hoped to play in a country she had never visited, so she could travel. But Chu quickly realized how special it was to play at home.

“I was young, so getting into it I realized how awesome it really was,” she said. “Playing in Salt Lake City, I had over 30 friends and family [members] come and be a part of the Olympic Games.”

Chu got to travel to Turin, Italy, in 2006, then visit her neighbouring country in Vancouver in 2010, and say goodbye to the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Chu said she experienced a bit of the Italian culture at her second Olympics, but didn’t get to be immersed in the Russian culture at her last Olympics. She said the Olympic village in Turin was in the city, whereas in Sochi, it was an isolated town on its own.

Nonetheless, Chu got to meet athletes from different nations in the dining hall at all four Olympics. Even though each country had its own dorm building in the Olympic village, the dining hall was communal, so Olympians from every sport and country ate together.

“The dining hall is probably the best melting pot of all the nations,” Chu said. “There have been times when we’ve sat down and have had meals with people from different nations […] You’re having a conversation, and get a chance to hear about their journey or about their experience at that Olympic Games.” Chu added that, for the most part, Olympians are fun to be around.

“I’ve met some really amazing people along the way,” she said. “[They] have been on the biggest stage, but at the end of it, they’re hard-working and just chasing their dream and are proud to represent [their country.]”

This year’s Olympics, held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will be the first in 20 years that Chu won’t compete in. Even though she said not playing for the national team is hard at times, she’s still excited to watch this year’s Games.

“Sometimes we blink and [Sochi 2014] didn’t seem that long ago,” Chu said. “What I tell [my former teammates] is to enjoy the moment, because it goes fast. Let go of the things you can’t control, let go of the external stuff and focus on the moment.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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Growing the game and creating a legacy

From left, Aaron Lakoff, Robyn Flynn, Safia Ahmad and Meg Hewings took part in a panel about feminism in hockey. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

A roundtable discussion on the evolution of professional women’s hockey

Meg Hewings, the general manager for Les Canadiennes de Montréal, remembers going to watch the 1990 Women’s World Hockey Championship in Ottawa. It was the first-ever women’s world championship. As a young hockey player, Hewings watched Team Canada don their now-famous pink-and-white jerseys for the first time.

“They actually created [those jerseys] because they didn’t know how to sell women’s sports,” Hewings said. “Right from the beginning, there has always been this weird tension about how women’s hockey truly is a part of the national narrative.”

Hewings took part in a panel hosted by Aaron Lakoff, a Concordia media studies graduate, titled “Power Play: A Roundtable on Women, Sports Journalism and Hockey” on Jan. 31. Held at the Feminist Media Studio on the Loyola campus, the panel discussed the growth of women’s hockey, sports journalism and feminism in hockey, among other topics.

“If we want to see the game that we watch reflected in real life, we have to build media that is going to amplify those voices that we want to hear,” Lakoff said.

Hewings was joined on the panel by Robyn Flynn, a reporter and broadcaster for organizations such as TSN 690, CJAD and The Athletic, and Safia Ahmad, a recent Concordia graduate currently working as the media relations manager for Les Canadiennes.

“We don’t get to hear conversations like this very often,” Lakoff said. “It’s rare to hear the words ‘feminism’ and ‘hockey’ together.”

Back in the 80s, when Hewings was growing up playing hockey, she said people couldn’t really understand that she played the sport. “They would say, ‘Oh, like field hockey?’ and I would say, ‘No, hockey on ice, our national [winter] sport.’”

For Hewings, one of the biggest moments in women’s hockey was the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, when women’s hockey was included as an Olympic sport for the very first time, despite women’s hockey having been around as early as 1891.

“No one thought [women’s hockey in the Olympics] would ever happen, and it put the sport on the global stage,” Hewings said. “There was a lot of attention on the game for the first time. As a young student, I was trying to figure out how it was that we have this national sport that women were starting to be a part of, but somehow still not able to fully access it [the way men could].”

The sport has had its troubles growing, but Ahmad knows the momentum for women’s hockey is picking up. “There are more and more fans at the Canadiennes games, which is good to see, and there have been more mainstream media coming to our games,” Ahmad said. “It’s no longer about comparing women’s hockey to men’s hockey, but realizing that these are two different things.”

Flynn said she always hears fans reminisce about the days of the Original Six teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). Now, with the creation of two North American women’s hockey leagues—the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL)—Flynn said we are witnessing that same era in women’s hockey.

“We are creating a legacy,” Hewings added.

Lakoff said he hopes to roll out the podcast version of this panel discussion in the coming months. In the meantime, a video version can be found on Facebook.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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Stingers take care of business with 7-2 win

Rookie Lidia Fillion scored her league-leading 10th goal of the season in the win. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Forward Audrey Belzile had four goals and an assist against the Carleton Ravens

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team dismantled the Carleton Ravens with a 7-2 win on Sunday, Feb. 4 at the Ed Meagher Arena. Forward Audrey Belzile was the star of the game, scoring four goals and adding an assist.

“Everyone decided to play a team game and really come out with a team effort,” said head coach Julie Chu.

The Stingers started off slow, allowing the last-placed Ravens to generate some scoring chances in the first period. Belzile opened the scoring late in the first period with a great individual effort, spinning around one defender before scoring short-side past Ravens goalie Katelyn Steele.

“Our first period is usually really not that good, so we talked about starting strong,” Belzile said. “Everybody was forechecking and making good passes.”

Audrey Belzile (right) recorded the league’s second hat-trick by any player this season. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Stingers dominated the second period, outshooting the Ravens 15-5 in the period. Forward Sophie Gagnon doubled the Stingers lead six minutes into the second, scoring on a bit of a controversial goal, as Steele lost her glove during a scrum in front of the net and tried to stop Gagnon’s shot bare-handed.

After Belzile scored her second of the game and the Ravens got on the board with a power-play goal, the Stingers scored three times in a two-minute span late in the second period. They had a 6-1 lead at the second intermission. Belzile and Gagnon each scored, and forward Lidia Fillion got her league-leading 10th goal of the season. Belzile scored her fourth goal late in the third period.

“There was a lot of hard work going not only into [Belzile scoring four goals], but also what’s happening around her to allow her to be in positions to get a great opportunity,” Chu said.

This was Belzile’s first multi-goal game of the season, and she said it was the first time she scored four goals in a game. She said good chemistry with her linemates, Stéphanie Lalancette and Fillion, led to her goals.

“With all my goals there were good passes, so it wasn’t just me. It was a team [effort],” Belzile said.

Fifth-year goalie Fréderike Berger-Lebel got her first start as a Stinger in a regular-season game. Chu said even though Berger-Lebel has been the third-string goalie for much of her time at Concordia, she remains a team player.

“Instead of being someone who is resentful in that role, she embodied it, and she allowed all her teammates to understand to push everyday in practice and still be ready if she gets the nod,” Chu said. “She earned the right to start this game, and her teammates loved the fact that she got that opportunity.”

“For sure we wanted her to win the game,” Belzile said. “We are so proud of her because she’s a good teammate, always coming to the rink with a smile.”

With the win, the Stingers improve to a 12-4-1 record, sitting in second place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). With three games remaining, they are three points behind the Montréal Carabins, but the Stingers have a game in hand. The two teams play each other at Montréal on Feb. 16.

The Stingers’s next game is at home against rivals McGill on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m.

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Sports

A chance to become role models for young players

The Stingers women’s hockey team invited young players to join them on the ice after their game on Jan. 21. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers signed autographs and took photos with fans on Minor Hockey Day

The Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team held their annual Minor Hockey Day at the Ed Meagher Arena on Jan. 21. The team invited parents and kids, especially minor girls’ hockey players, to attend their game against the Carleton Ravens. The Stingers also invited all the kids in attendance to skate with the team after the game and get the players’ autographs.

A young skater waits to join the Stingers on the ice during Minor Hockey Day. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The energy in the building was incredible, and the stands were packed full of young fans ready to watch the Stingers take on the Ravens. While the Stingers won the game 4-1 off a two-goal effort from forward Marie-Pascale Bernier, the most popular moment of the night happened after the final buzzer. Many kids rushed down to the bench to strap on their skates and jumped on the ice with the players.

As young skaters of all levels got onto the ice, the Stingers were quick to skate over to a young player to sign autographs and take photos. For head coach Julie Chu, it meant a lot to be part of the community in this active manner.

“We’re all here because we had great role models and people who got us into hockey,” Chu said. “When we can give our young players someone to look up to, someone to want to emulate, that’s huge. Having these players come out here and be engaged with these young skaters, whether they’re hockey fans or just young kids, that’s critical.”

Chu also helps coach several girls teams who practice at the Ed Meagher Arena, and she had several of her players at the game. For many parents, this kind of community outreach is a way for their daughters to build a relationship with positive role models. Julie Tytler, one of those parents, said her daughter was excited to see her coach in action.

“It’s fantastic,” Tytler said. “It’s really great for [the players]. This shows kids that you can play until you’re an adult and have fun. [The Stingers] are out there smiling all the time. They’re having a blast, and it’s great for kids to see that.”

For Bernier, getting involved in the community is important to the team. “When you’re younger, if you have more role models, that’s the way girls are going to have that desire to keep playing high-level hockey,” she said.

The men’s hockey team hosts Minor Hockey Night on Feb. 2, and the basketball teams host Minor Basketball Day on Feb. 3.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Sports

The final chapter in a hockey story

Alexandria D’Onofrio grew up in Rivières-des-Prairies, where girls’ hockey was not common. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Alexandria D’Onofrio has not missed a game during her five years with the Stingers

Alexandria D’Onofrio has not missed a single game in her five years with the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team. For D’Onofrio, who plays forward, the dream of playing in university after growing up in Rivières-des-Prairies (RDP)—an area not known for women’s hockey—has been her biggest accomplishment.

“A lot of the girls on the team call me the ‘mother figure’ of the team,” D’Onofrio said. The psychology student has taken what she has learned through hockey and applied it to her own life. “Hockey has taught me discipline and maturity. There’s always an obstacle that is in the way to make you better.”

For D’Onofrio, obstacles have been very much at the forefront of her hockey life since youth. Growing up in RDP, D’Onofrio had the challenge of playing with the boys early on, until she reached the bantam level. Having been inspired by her brother who played hockey, she took to the game in stride.

“I played AA in atom and peewee,” she said. Atom hockey is for ages nine and 10, while peewee is for 11 and 12-year-olds. “Then, they made a rule that you had to switch over to girls’ hockey once there was contact [in bantam]. So, I had to switch over.”

D’Onofrio (second from right) has five goals and five assists during her career with the Stingers. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

It wasn’t long after making the switch to girls’ hockey that D’Onofrio left her bantam team in RDP to play on a co-ed team for her high school, Lester B. Pearson in Montreal-North. She returned to play with the girls’ team in her second year of bantam, while also playing with her high school team. From there, she played midget girls’ hockey until she was recruited to play for the Dawson Blues in CEGEP.

“Dawson was a great experience, and I loved my two years there,” D’Onofrio said. “The only problem was that we only had three practices a week, so coaches don’t see you that often.”

In the 2011-12 season with the Blues, D’Onofrio scored four goals and four assists in 28 games. The team also finished second in the regular season standings and managed to win the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) bronze medal that season.

The 2012-13 season was not as good for the Blues, as they finished with a 3-16 record in a newly-created top division. During that season, D’Onofrio scored three goals and committed to the Stingers for the 2013-14 season.

“Being chosen to play in university, being able to stay [close to] home and getting picked up by Concordia is my biggest achievement,” she said.

D’Onofrio said she could see herself coaching hockey once her playing career is done. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

D’Onofrio’s five years at Concordia have been marked by a constant presence on the ice. Having played every regular-season game since her first season, she has established herself as a crucial force for the Stingers. So far, she has played over 90 regular-season games with the Stingers. If she plays every game for the rest of this season, she will have played exactly 100 games in the maroon and gold colours.

To date, D’Onofrio’s best season was in 2016-17 when she scored two goals and two assists in the regular season and added another goal in the playoffs. The Stingers lost to the McGill Martlets in the RSEQ final and finished in fourth place at the national championship last March.

D’Onofrio’s future in hockey as a player is uncertain. However, she said she believes she has a future in coaching. “We run a hockey camp at Concordia, and I enjoy it to the fullest,” she said. “I don’t see myself as a head coach right now, but I would enjoy taking on a consistent role like that.”

With half a season still remaining as a player, the focus for D’Onofrio and the Stingers remains clear—to win a championship.

“I know this is my last year. It’s the most important thing to me that our team finishes as best as we can,” she said. “Hopefully we win a medal. I’d like to top last year’s nationals experience.”

D’Onofrio takes pride in knowing that not many women from her neighbourhood have played university hockey. She credits her parents and the staff at Concordia for pushing her to be better in the face of adversity. Whether it was playing in a boys’ league or dealing with unfavourable seasons, her focus and determination have always been at the forefront in her hockey career.

“I love the sport, but I’m not sure if it’s for me to continue onwards,” D’Onofrio said. “I had five great years here, so me leaving the sport will be tough, but I’ll know that I achieved the max that I could have achieved.”

Main photo by Alex Hutchins

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Stingers drop thriller against Montréal in shootout

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos by Alex Hutchins

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