Ridgebacks 5, Stingers 1: Ontario Tech strikes back
Concordia stumbled in its rematch with Ontario Tech
The Concordia University Stingers men’s hockey team dropped its second home game of the season on Friday, Feb. 7, falling 5-1 to the Ontario Tech University Ridgebacks at Ed Meagher Arena.
Concordia slipped in its defence of the lead in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East, falling to 20-3-3 with a three-point lead over Queen’s University in second place. Ontario Tech stayed in fourth place, but improved its record to 15-8-3, climbing to within a point of third-place University of Ottawa.
After a 5-1 victory for Concordia on Feb. 1, the Ridgebacks flipped the script on the Stingers six days later. Head coach Marc-André Elément acknowledged the result as a product of the OUA’s top-to-bottom quality.
“There’s no easy wins and that's what the guys realized,” Elément said. “All the teams could beat anybody every night, and that's what happened tonight.”
In a game where Concordia outshot Ontario Tech 37-15 and served 14 fewer penalty minutes, the box score certainly emerged less than orthodox. A physical game hinged on the finer margins where the Ridgebacks pulled away.
Ontario Tech opened the scoring three minutes into the game when forward Kyle Leonard swept the puck past Concordia goalie Jordan Naylor. The Ridgebacks kept the pressure on in the second period, as winger Dustin Hutton cleaned up a turnover to finish into the side netting.. Defender Antoine Desrochers capitalized on the power play five minutes later to make it 3-0.
While the Ridgebacks continued to capitalize on their few chances, Concordia struggled to convert, despite the shot advantage. Stingers defenceman Simon Lavigne, who was honoured before the match for his recent performance at the FISU Games, lamented the missed opportunities.
“It's good that we have some scoring chances, but now we've got to bear down and put it in,” Lavigne said. “In a game like that, especially, if we get an early power play goal, that's where we can grab an advantage.”
Unfortunately for Lavigne, the power play goal would come far later than anticipated. Despite a furious rally and several near misses, including two arrows off the crossbar by Stingers forward Julien Anctil, Concordia could not break through.
In the third period, the onslaught continued, as Ridgebacks forward Andrew Suriyuth knocked the puck past Naylor’s glove to make it 4-0. Another Ridgebacks power play saw Gabriel Bernier deflect a shot in front to beat Naylor over the shoulder and finish off the scoring for the visitors.
Stingers defenceman Kyle Havlena would notch a power play marker with seven seconds remaining, spoiling the shutout for Ridgebacks goaltender Beckett Langkow. In a game where the Stingers filled up the stat sheet but came away empty, Elément wondered aloud about the missed opportunities.
“Maybe we get a few goals here and there on the power play in the first period and it’s a totally different game,” Elément said. “But it is what it is. They were in a do-or-die game mindset with the points. And I think our power play didn't do a good job tonight, so it cost us the game.”
Lavigne focused on the motivation brought on by the sting of defeat.
“Especially going to the playoffs, we're going to play against great teams and adversity is going to be here for us,” Lavigne said. “It's a great lesson, but I don't feel like we played badly. At the end of the day, it's a loss. But it will prepare us for the playoffs.”
Concordia now embarks on a two-game road trip to finish the regular season, starting with a matchup with the York University Lions on Friday, Feb. 14. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
