Concordia Stingers reflect on nationals and look ahead to next season

Men’s hockey team settles for silver and women’s team finishes fourth

SportsMeagan Mc Laughlin — Published April 1, 2025 3 minutes

Falling short in the gold medal game, the men’s team had to settle for silver, while the women’s side narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth after a tough bronze medal loss. As the dust settles, both teams are looking ahead, determined to build on their experiences for next season. 

“We want to figure out what are the proactive steps to take moving forward to fuel our drive for next season,” Stingers women’s hockey head coach Julie Chu said. 

The Stingers men’s team proved its resilience in key matchups during its season on the ice and continued with an impressive run through the tournament. They mercilessly fought their way to the championship game, but the tight battle ended in defeat by a score of 3-2 against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

“It’s two good teams playing against each other,” Stingers men’s hockey head coach Marc-André Elément said in a post-game interview with The Fulcrum. 

He reflected on the one-goal margin in all their meetings this season.

“It’s little details that make the difference, and that’s what happened tonight,” Elément said. 

Their historic season ended in heartbreak, but their silver finish marked an impressive achievement for the men’s team. 

“My group of guys, they believed in it, and they pushed all the way to the end, and that’s why I’m so proud of that group, to fight until the end,” Elément said. 

According to Concordia associate athletics director Graeme McGravie, Concordia’s performance has put Stingers hockey on the national map, which could boost recruitment and media attention moving forward.  

“Coming second in the country and winning the Queen's Cup has already affected recruitment,” McGravie said. “We’re already getting people reaching out to Marc-André, so it’s phenomenal.”

For the women’s team, playing against some of the strongest teams in the country at nationals proved to be a difficult battle. In the semi-final against the University of Waterloo Warriors, they suffered a tough 5-1 loss. The Stingers still had a chance to claim a bronze medal against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. 

Despite their best efforts, the Stingers fell 3-1 for a fourth-place finish. According to Chu, the absence of key player Rachael McIntyre made it even more difficult for the team, but other players stepped up and did their best to fill the void. This was a tough pill to swallow, especially after winning two U Sports Championships in three years in 2022 and 2024.

For Chu, the team’s performance at nationals was a reminder of how competitive the field is. 

“We’re playing really good teams at nationals—this is probably one of the most difficult fields as far as the quality of team, which makes trying to win a game difficult, let alone win a medal at the national championship,” Chu said. “So, I think we have to still be able to give a lot of credit to Waterloo and Toronto as well.” 

While the team and the coaches still feel disappointed at this result, Chu keeps a positive light on their result. 

“I think it’s funny to think that because we’re fourth in the nation, but we’re still disappointed about that,” Chu said.

As the team needs time to process and recuperate, Chu is letting her players unwind individually to help them transition over the next couple of weeks so that they can come back stronger as a team and debrief on the next steps. 

“Whether we won a national championship or we lost one, we always try to take a step back to make sure that we’re getting better,” Chu said. 
 

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 12, published April 1, 2025.