Redbirds 5, Stingers 4: McGill brings Corey Cup home

The annual game proves the rivalry between Concordia and McGill is alive and well

SportsAlice Martin — Published February 2, 2024 0 minutes

Around 600 fans were in attendance for the Wednesday night game, a decent chunk of which were from McGill. Additionally, a brass section from McGill got the crowd going with fan favourites like “Bad Romance” and “Seven Nation Army.” Many players from the Stingers’ football team also electrified the crowd and the men’s hockey team.

“It’s always fun to encourage other sports. Obviously, it’s a rivalry game but we just want to help the guys win the game,” said Stingers football quarterback Olivier Roy. “[We’re] loud for sure, but I’m sure [the hockey team] appreciates it.”

The rivalry between the teams also caught the spirit of fans. Concordians remained silent when the brass section played “Sweet Caroline.” McGill partisans obstinately remained seated while Stingers football players tried to instigate a wave in the stands.

After two periods of play, McGill held the advantage, outshooting Concordia 20-16 and leading 3-1. 

However, the third period evened out the play.

Concordia jumpstarted the third period early by cutting the goal deficit to one, thanks to left winger Charles-Antoine Giguère. Despite this, McGill increased their lead once again after forward Drew Bennett buried the puck past Stingers goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise.

After a two-minute interference penalty was assessed to McGill defenceman Nicolas Pavan, the Stingers saw their chance to tie the game, and took it. With two minutes and 15 seconds left on the board, centre Tyler Hylland first capitalized on the powerplay, and forward Mathieu Bizier quickly followed with his second goal of the night.

“Towards the end, we really believed in ourselves,” said Bizier post-game. “When we saw the third goal go in, we knew there would be a fourth one, and to see the crowd go wild like that really gave us fuel. It’s a shame it ended this way, but it’s part of the game.”

While the Stingers displayed great control throughout the three-on-three overtime, Redbirds centre William Rouleau outplayed Hurtubise with a single second left in the game, securing his team its latest Corey Cup win.

“We showed a lot of character, so there’s way more positive than negative to that game,” said Stingers head coach Marc-André Elément. “I think it was a good show for the fans, that’s for sure. I would love to have that [atmosphere] every game and I find that with the product that we’re putting on the ice, the arena should be packed everyday.”

The Stingers will play their second-to-last match of the regular season at the Ed Meagher arena on Feb. 3 for their first-ever Pride Game. The puck drop is set for 7 p.m.