Annual Tournament Leaves Stingers Trailing

Gets Stingers Women’s Hockey Team Drops Two of Three Games at 47th Theresa Humes Tournament

SportsDavid S. Landsman — Published January 6, 2015 | Updated January 7, 2015 at 12:12am

Every January, the Stingers host the three-day long tournament, where they play three exhibition games against various competitors.

“We had a bit of trouble the way we played the first two games, a bit disappointing,” said head coach Les Lawton.

“Coming off a six-week break you never know what to expect. We got better as the weekend progressed and wound up beating a top-ranked team [Queen’s].”

The Stingers, who had not played since Nov. 30, only got one day of practice in before stepping onto the ice in their tournament opener against the Laurentian Voyageurs. Their game was clearly out of practice as they lost 2-1 on a late goal in the third period.

“I think after having not played in six weeks we obviously have some rust, but I consider it a stepping stone coming back into our regular season,” said captain Danielle Scarlett.

“We’re coming back together as a team, which is in good timing. Playing against different teams is a nice curveball out of the norm.”

The Stingers followed up their opening day loss with a 6-3 loss to the Mount Allison Mounties before ending their tournament with a 4-3 shootout win over the Queen’s Golden Gaels.

Stingers forward Audrey Morand led the team with a goal in every game, and added two assists to cap off the three days with five points.

“I really like this tournament because it allows us to get back into the beat quick,” said Morand.

“Although we’re not really pleased with our performances this weekend I think it was great how we capped it off with a game that best showed our skills.”

Friday’s game also allowed a couple rookies who have yet to see regular season action showcase their worth, with defender Dominique Goyette and forward Justine Gélinas getting a chance to shine.

“It felt really nice to be able to play in a game,” said Goyette. “I did the best I could with the opportunity. I felt the comfort, just wished I would’ve been able to practice with one partner beforehand and play more.”

The Stingers found themselves down against the Voyageurs after letting in a power play goal in the first period, before responding with a goal by Stingers forward Audrey Morand on Voyageurs goaltender Laura Deller.

The Stingers couldn’t break the deadlock and allowed a late winner in the third, giving them their first loss.

Concordia’s second game, versus the Mount Allison Mounties, started off with a lot more intensity.

The Stingers took a 2-1 lead against Mount Allison before the midway point of the first period when Morand and fellow linemates Alyssa Sherrard and Keriann Schofield connected for two goals.

“I think our trio works really well both defensively and offensively,” said Morand. “The three of us work so well together because we all have our different playing style that compliments each other well. We feed off each other’s energy.”

A tough second period saw the Stingers trailing 4-2 before they narrowed the gap to a goal with Sherrard’s second of the afternoon.

However, two goals from the Mounties, including an unlucky own goal at the fault of the Stingers, allowed Mount Allison to win by a score of 6-3.

In Sunday morning’s finale against the Queen’s Gaels, it didn’t take long for the Stingers to set the tone, appearing to score a goal 3:44 into the game.

However, the goal was disallowed when the puck was deflected off a high stick. The Stingers didn’t flinch, as they scored on their very next shift, with Morand getting the home team up 1-0 early.

After the Gaels tied it up midway through the first, both teams added two more goals before the end of regulation, and eventually went to a shootout, still tied at three goals apiece.

Stingers forward Tracy-Ann Lavigne scored the winner in the shootout, deking out the goalie and scoring past the Queen’s goaltender, sending the crowd and the bench into a frenzy.

“I think it was more relief than happy to finally score in a shootout,” said Lavigne. “I’ve been practicing that move all year. It’s worked in practice, nice to finally see it pay off in a game.”

Coming into the second half of the season, the Stingers sit third in their conference, four points ahead of the Ottawa Gee-Gees, and six clear on the lowly Carleton Ravens.

Their first couple of games back are against the top two Montreal Carabins and McGill Martlets, but leave it to the captain for reassurance.

“I think we really need to keep it up with the identity we’ve established,” said Scarlett. “We want to keep up with the nitty-gritty, in-your-face kind of hockey that makes us a hard team to play against.”