Stingers 2, X-Women 1: Concordia tops St. Francis Xavier 2-1 in Theresa Humes Cup opener
Concordia ground out a win in their first game of the Theresa Humes Cup
The Concordia Stingers’ women’s hockey team squeezed out a 2-1 victory over the St. Francis Xavier X-Women in the first round of the Theresa Humes Cup on Friday, Sept. 27.
StFX forward Téa Pearce opened the scoring 6:20 minutes into the game after Stingers goaltender Jordyn Verbeek mishandled a back pass, flipping the puck straight into Pearce’s path. Pearce seized upon the chance and poked the puck past Verbeek, giving StFX a 1-0 lead and stunning the Stingers supporters in attendance.
Startled perhaps by the first-period StFX onslaught, the Stingers came out roaring in the second period. Just 41 seconds into the frame, Concordia captain Caroline Moquin-Joubert received a pass on the right wing and sniped a first-time shot into the top left corner of the goal, providing the equalizer and a jolt of motivation to the Stingers lineup.
Moquin-Joubert commented on the team’s response after the game, confirming the team’s need to start the game faster.
“Our first 20 minutes were tough, so I think our main goal for tomorrow is to play the 60 minutes, play right from the puck drop,” she said. “What we did great is we reset in the room and we bounced back.”
That bounce-back continued later in the period, when forward Émilie Lussier drove down the left wing, drew the defence and played an inch-perfect pass through traffic to the middle of the ice, laying the puck on a platter for alternate captain Jessymaude Drapeau. One-on-one with StFX goaltender Brooklyn Oakes, Drapeau made no mistake on the finish, lifting the puck over Oakes’s blocker and into the net for a 2-1 lead.
Concordia prevailed in the shootout thanks to a goal from alternate captain Zoé Thibault and three clutch saves from Verbeek.
Drapeau echoed her captain’s sentiments, emphasizing the team’s need to set the pace for the opponent to follow instead of the opposite. She also praised the team’s ability as a whole to step up and face the challenge after a rocky first period.
“We know that [the captain and vice-captains] need to step up when they need us to,” Drapeau said post-game. “So we stepped up today, and I'm really proud of how we handled things in the second and the third [periods].”
Moquin-Joubert agreed, focusing on each player’s ability to step up in a time of need.
“Someone will always step up every game, and that's the beauty of it. Everyone's a leader in our team,” Moquin-Joubert said. “This year I have the ‘C,’ but it doesn't really matter more than last year.”
For head coach Julie Chu, the Theresa Humes Cup offers a chance to honour the memory of a pioneer of women’s sports.
“Theresa Humes was a really big part of pushing women's sports forward at Concordia, especially for our women's hockey program,” Chu said post-game. “Way back when there weren't as many people trying to be advocates for the women's side of the game, she was that person. We really believe in having her name as a part of this great tournament, and we want to make it a great event.”
Tensions flared throughout the match, as late hits and hard checks contributed to a combined 10 penalties. Despite the hostilities, Concordia held on to secure a victory not lacking in drama and intensity.
“In this first preseason, we've had success, but there's plenty of things that we didn't like, that we did too, and things that we wanted to also do better. So it's highlighting both of those,” Chu said.
Concordia defeated the Queen’s Gaels 4-0 to cement their place in the final on Sunday, Sept. 29, and then defeated the X-Women 4-1 to capture the Theresa Humes Cup.
