Concordia 1, Nipissing 0 (OT): Stingers Win Goaltending Duel in Overtime

Jordan Naylor Backstops Stingers Men’s Hockey Team to Complete Four-Point Homestand

Photo Valentine Alibert

Concordia Stingers’ goalie Jordan Naylor turned aside 24 shots in Saturday’s 1-0 overtime win against the Nipissing Lakers at the Ed Meagher arena.

The opening two periods were relatively quiet, despite a failed penalty shot attempt from Stingers’ winger Tyler Hylland in the final seconds of the first frame.

“I think we played well. Sometimes there’s nights like that where you’re doing the right things, but pucks [don’t] go in,” said Stingers’ head coach Marc-André Elément postgame.

The Stingers picked up the pace in the third period, tallying a total of 42 shots on goal. Some of those came from their two powerplays awarded in the frame. “That was our game plan. To put pressure on them, and I find we did it the whole game,” said Elément about his team’s play.

Overtime lasted only 49 seconds before Stingers’ winger Isiah Campbell blew past the Lakers’ defence to score on his backhand from a Samuel Desgroseilliers feed, netting his fourth goal of the 2022-23 campaign.

“It definitely felt nice,” said Campbell when asked about securing the two points for his team. “Their goalie played a hell of a game. We had chances coming through it the whole game, but we found a way, and that’s all that matters.”

With this win, Naylor notched a shutout in his season debut. “We were a little snake-bitten there, we couldn’t put the puck in the net, but we stuck with it. And big goal by [Campbell] there in overtime to get us the win,” said Naylor, who earned the third star of the game.

Campbell was quick to praise the performance of his netminder. “He played an unbelievable game,” he said. “We battled hard for him. He’s been working hard in practice, and he definitely deserved it.”

Naylor and the Stingers now hold a 4-2 record heading into a four-game road trip starting on Nov. 4 versus the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m..