Redbirds 6, Stingers 1: Concordia suffers defeat in Game 1
A heated rivalry matchup saw the McGill University Redbirds flummox the top-seeded Stingers
The Concordia University men’s hockey team stumbled in Game 1 of their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarterfinal series against the McGill University Redbirds, dropping a 6-1 decision on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Ed Meagher Arena. McGill took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three matchup.
Despite the loss, Stingers head coach Marc-Andre Elément spoke confidently about his squad.
“We'll bounce back,” Elément said. “We have a lot of character, we'll bounce back for sure.”
The first period saw the Redbirds establish themselves early. A penalty on Stingers winger Isiah Campbell handed McGill the advantage two minutes in, and McGill found the opening goal when centre Alexis Morin tapped in his own rebound. When Concordia netminder Nikolas Hurtubise left the net to retrieve a puck, Morin found forward William Rouleau for an open-net finish to double the early lead.
A questionable call saw the Redbirds fully seize momentum. When Campbell set himself through on goal and fired a shot just before colliding with McGill goaltender Alexis Shank, the Stingers appeared to have cut the lead. But when the dust settled, the goal was disallowed, Campbell was back in the box for goalie interference, and things deteriorated further when Redbirds forward Maxime Pellerin capitalized to push the lead to 3-0.
Elément was coy postgame when discussing the officiating.
“We just have to control our emotions,” Elément said. “We'll manage the game properly next time. I don't even know what to say about the ref, honestly.”
Centre Xavier Fortin’s laser extended McGill’s lead to four on yet another power-play goal in the second period. Forward Mathieu Bizier got the Stingers on the board with seconds left, but Pellerin notched a second goal and McGill’s fifth in the third period with a fourth power-play marker. Fellow forward Mathieu Gagnon added the sixth and final off an assist from brother Alexandre Gagnon.
Elément expressed the need for composure, especially in a potential elimination game.
“We have to play and stay calm when adversity comes at us,” Elément said. “Yes, the refs were bad, but we still took some stupid penalties there. So I'm not worried.”
Place Bell hosts the biggest game of Concordia’s season on Friday, Feb. 28 when the Stingers face the Redbirds in Game 2 of their OUA quarterfinal series. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
