Concordia 7, Carleton 2: Audrey Belzile Scores Four Goals en Route to Stingers Win
Stingers Women’s Hockey Team Breezes Past The Carleton Ravens
The Stingers started a new winning streak Sunday afternoon, easily taking care of the visiting Carleton University Ravens 7-2 at Ed Meaghar Arena.
It didn’t appear that way at first, though. Towards the end of the first period, things seemed like they were at a stalemate for the Stingers. With seven minutes left in the frame, Concordia was leading the Ravens eight shots to six, but they were still having difficulty scoring against Carleton’s goalie, Katelyn Steele.
With two minutes left in the first period, the Ravens were on a power play, but that didn’t give them the upperhand. Right after the penalty kill, Concordia forward Audrey Belzile went on to score the Stingers first goal.
By the end of the game, she’d go on to score three more.
“We just have a really good chemistry,” she said. “It’s not just me, it’s the whole team.”“There’s a lot of hard work that really went into her scoring that, but it’s really what’s happening around her allows her to be in positions where she can make the best out of the opportunity,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu.
In the second period, the Stingers scored five goals and blew the game wide open. Despite being called for a holding penalty halfway through the second period, Sophie Gagnon also stood out, scoring six minutes in, and then again in the last four minutes of the period.
The Ravens’ Jenna Mitchell did manage to score moments into a Concordia power play, but that didn’t matter as first-time starting goaltender Frédérike Berger Label made all the stops she needed to make.
“So, Fred [Berger Lebel] got her first start in the [The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec] today,” said Chu. “She’s a fifth-year goaltender and has epitomized what it means in our program to be a team-first teammate.”
Berger Lebel, who is playing in her fifth and final season with the Stingers, stopped 12 of the 14 shots that came here way, taking home the win in her first career regular season start.
“It felt great,” said Berger Lebel. “The girls are very supportive and they gave me a lot of confidence.”
In the second period, Berger Lebel skated away from her crease to clear a puck that was wide of the net. A Carleton skater appeared to be ahead of the Stinger defender for the puck, but Berger Lebel swiftly cleared it towards the stick of a Concordia skater. The play drew the cheers and encouragement of her teammates.
“It was sort of a play that no one expected and I think the girls were very surprised which is why they cheered,” said Berger Lebel. “It meant a lot that they were cheering.”Before the end of the game, several Stingers joined in on the offensive explosion. Scores by Belzile, Gagnon and Lidia Fillon came in one after another. The Ravens had no shot of making a comeback.
“Our goal was to play a full 60 minutes,” said Belzile. “I think we did it, and that’s great.”
The win gives Concordia their twelfth of the regular season and keeps them in second place behind the Université de Montréal Carabins. Their next game will be on Saturday against the McGill Martlets at home.