Stingers 2, Carabins 1: Women’s hockey team finishes strong

Concordia takes down UdeM in a scrappy, back-and-forth duel

SportsSamuel Kayll — Published February 24, 2025 0 minutes

Concordia finished the season in first place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) with a record of 20-1-0, while UdeM settled for third at 8-10-3.

On Friday night, the Stingers held a ceremony on the ice to honour their four graduating players: forwards Caroline Moquin-Joubert and Megan Bureau-Gagnon, and defenders Léonie Philbert and Alexandra-Anne Boyer. Concordia head coach Julie Chu approved of the chance to step back from hockey and celebrate the team’s contributors after a long season.

“We got a chance to honour and celebrate our graduating players, which is an emotional time,” Chu said. “I think there was a lot in this game besides just the hockey itself, but sometimes we need that too.”

In a show of affection for their teammates, the Stingers snatched the lead early. It took just 38 seconds for forward Émilie Lavoie to clean up a Carabins turnover and find alternate captain Jessymaude Drapeau for the game’s opening goal. The goal was the fastest of the season for Concordia and swung early momentum cleanly in the Stingers’ favour.

Rather than back down, the Carabins rose to the occasion. UdeM used tight defence and several excellent penalty kills to halt Concordia’s advance and keep the score at 1-0. When UdeM hopped on a power play of its own near the end of the second period, winger Juliette Rolland received a pass just outside the crease and slid the puck past Stingers goaltender Jordyn Verbeek to knot the score at 1-1.

In a game where minor hits and scraps went uncalled, Philbert acknowledged the intensity of the matchup, especially in a regular season where each RSEQ team played its opponents seven times apiece. She also looked ahead to a playoff matchup with rival McGill University.
“Through the games, we know what kind of teams they are and how we can beat them by playing our game, so I think that's what we focus on, too,” Philbert said. “The first challenge is going to be McGill, so we're ready for that.”

Before the playoffs, though, the Stingers still had to win the game, and Lavoie did so in historic fashion. As time ticked away in the third period, Drapeau unleashed a powerful point shot in Lavoie’s direction, who tipped the puck toward the Carabins’ net. When the puck sailed past goaltender Maude Desroches, it marked the 100th point of Lavoie’s Stingers career, and Concordia had its victory.

Chu commended UdeM for the team’s hard-fought matchups, a long-standing rivalry in the RSEQ.

“I think one year, we played them seven or eight times, and I want to say seven out of the eight went into overtime or shootout,” Chu said of the Carabins. “That's how tight it is. We know it's always a battle—they're really well coached, so it's fun.”

After the match, the Stingers presented their seniors with gifts to celebrate their accomplishments. For Moquin-Joubert, Concordia’s captain in her fourth and final year, it was a bittersweet moment.

“It’s so sad. I don't want to leave, honestly,” Moquin-Joubert said. “But I think I'm tired of studying. That's the truth. I've extended one year and I think we're going to end with a great season. But it's sad. It's been some beautiful years and it went by so fast.”

Concordia gets its first taste of playoff hockey this season when the McGill Martlets travel to Ed Meagher Arena for the first game of a best-of-three RSEQ semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 27. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.